RAILWAY FREIGHTS.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19735, 27 September 1929, Page 10

RAILWAY FREIGHTS.

BACK LOADING TO WEST COAST. "My Department cannot aft'ord any gifts," said Mr D. Rodie, Commercial Manager for the Railways, when a reporter asked him last evening whether the desire of members of the Canterbury Manufacturers' Association for lower back loading freights to the West Coast was likely to be viewed with favour. "There is no possible chance of making a reduction. It would be a straight-out gift to our customers. For us to compete with the shipping from Wellington the concession would have to be so substantial that we could not entertain it. There is considerable goods traffic to the West Coast from Canterbury, and it is growing steadily. Statistics showing how it is developing are being prepared and will shortly be supplied to the Can' terbury Chamber of Commerce, which is taking an interest in this matter." Mr Rodie added that when the Department was gradually improving the business in goods traffic to the Coast it would be foolish to make an innovation. It was to be remembered that the steamers from Wellington with which the Department was being asked to compete were colliers and timber boats, which would be trading to Greymouth if they did not carry there a ton of goods from Wellington, so the companies running them could afford to take the merchant dise very cheaply—in fact, it served as ballast.