Midland Railway Freight Charges.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 17769, 22 May 1923, Page 8

Midland Railway Freight Charges.

Tho report that, as long as the Arthur's PaBS tunnel is under the join control of the Eailway and Public Works Departments, goods traffic passing from coast to coast will be required to pay three sectional charges has caused some dismay among West Coast people, who have been building high hopes on the increase of business following the completion of tho tunnel. The official proposal is that goods consigned to Christchurch from the Coast shall pay one section rate over tho line to the Western end of the tunnel, another for the passage through the tunnel, and a third from the Eastern end thereof to Christchurch, tho three charges amounting to considerably more than would be imposed if the whole distance from Greymouth to Christchurch were regarded as one section, as it will be when the Public Works Department hands over the tunnel to the Eailway Department. It is costended by the WeStland Committee of the Progress League that this three-sectional arrangement will, by increasing freight charges, have the effect of reducing traffic "to the ultimate loss of the '/Eailway Department." To obviate this loss, which we must think is extremely probable, the committee liaa suggested that, while the tunnel shall be regarded as a separate section, the railway sections on each Bide of it shall be considered, for freight purposes only, as one section, thereby lessening the terminal charges. The matter is one of considerable consequence to Canterbury as well as to the West Coast* for most people have been looking forward to reductions in the cost of eoal and timber through the opening of the line, and, since the coal strike in New South Wales has threatened a Bhortage of fuel through the winter, to an increased supply from the West Coast mines. If it is a fact that the owners of a number of small mines in the Eeefton district, which are at present closed, are only awaiting the opening of the tunnel for goods traffic to send coal to Christchurch, there 1b reason to hope, if the threesection difficulty is surmounted, that the coal shortage may be,leas serious than at present appears possible. Goods traflio can at present pass through the tunnel only by courtesy of

the, Public "Works Department, but the fear expressed yesterday that the Department may prevent such traffic if complaint is made about the proposed charges is, we feel sure, groundless. In any case, no harm, and possibly some good, may come of asking the Government to establish a through rate on the Midland line, and to expedite the granting of permission for coal to be brought through the tunnel. Since the through rate must come into force before long, there seems no reason why for the benefit of business and the advantage of the community on both sides of the tunnel—which is what it was built for —the concession should not be made at once.