Railways replies on log cartage

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32789, 14 December 1971, Page 21

Railways replies on log cartage

Blaming rail transport ; costs for the possibility that 3000 cords of windblown timber in the Ashburton County might have to be burned instead of being used for chipping was surprising, said Mr P. P. Geddes, assistant general manager to the New Zealand Railways (Commercial and Administration). Mr Geddes was replying to a report in “The Press” of November 27, which quoted the chairman of the Ashburton County Council (Mr K. M. Baxter) saying that railage of this timber to Christchurch would result in a loss to the country of about $8 a cord; that as a result the windblown timber might have to be burned; and that if the timber were sent by road, the county would stand to make a profit of $5OOO. “In fact, the Railways Department is keen to do everything practicable to ensure that the country’s economic resources are not wasted, and special rates have been quoted for the conveyance of these logs from Mid-Canter-bury,” said Mr Geddes. “On the basis of a 15-ton load in an Lc waggon, these rates from various stations in the area ranged between 2.32 c and 2.62 c a ton-mile,” he said. “These rates are very low and I doubt whether they could be matched by a road operator.” ,

Mr Geddes said that an investigation would determine whether suitable arrangements could be made for the wind-blown logs to be conveyed to Christchurch for chipping. Barley to N.I.

Referring to another reported comment by Mr Baxter that North Island buyers could land barley from Australia more cheaply than barley from mid-Canterbury, Mr Geddes said that Mr Baxter apparently was unaware that bulk grain could be carried legally by road from Ashburton to Lyttelton without requiring any special exemption by the rail restrictions; as this barley was conveyed by coastal shipping to the North Island, railfreight charges had no bearing on its landed cost.