A LOST INDUSTRY.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12934, 14 October 1907, Page 9

A LOST INDUSTRY.

T0 mt EmiP? or " ins , «sir— lour correspondent "-Hasten -lowly," - a your** "day's "Press,'! aav? a' recent correspondent put into the mouth ot* tho lion. ttalUlppes a 3 tatement be did not.maHe-a gtW ment that the termiual charge Accounted for & per ton of thp 4s 24 railage. . * In reply, J quote f roni your issue of Octobei »th, IUtW, where Mr HallJohea is reported as saying to the Christchurch deputation:—"^ e total charge covering terminal charge and haulage between Christchnreh am} Lyttelton is only 4s 3d per ton on tuoso four classes. The charges on the said line aro not exceptional.- They are fair and reasonable, and not '{n excess of tho charges of similar Jincs "in other parts of tho polony. Supposing we put (Jown. tb-> terminal charge at -Js for all the services I havo enumerated—and J Jiave put it low, because a higher terminal charge would make tho Christ-church-Lyttejtcm charges look still hotter—-there are the terminal chargp and haulage charge to be considered. You are riot paying tho ordinary class rates on, your line, because class A., B, 0 and D havo been grouped and a uniform charge of 4s 3d per ton fixed. The proper charge for class A over the line would be Gs per ton. . . ." "Tho charge is 4s 3d end tho haulage is, on our "estimate, 2 l-7d." With regard to the Canal, when you throw your columns open for its discussion—that is, when, the experts have certified that it is feasible —I wijl supply figures for your correspondent's criticism which will show that it is financially sound. In the meantime I will leave the agent of the W'lnderlicli Comnariy to explain why tliey preferred tne dear site at Wellington to the infinitely cheaper ono obtainable at Lyttelton.-*-Yours, etc.,- '_! QN-JiOOKEft.