STEAMER FARES.. TO THE EDITOR.

Evening Post, Volume LX, Issue 116, 13 November 1900, Page 7

STEAMER FARES.. TO THE EDITOR.

Sir— Your correspondent "Excursion" certainly has a good case. Steamer travelling in this colony is becoming an expensive luxury, and it is about time public attention -was drawn to the high charges made. The faro cited by "Excursion" of £2 7s saloon return from New Plymouth to Onehunga is a fair criterion of the fares charged' throughout the colony 'generally. A good . deal of kudos has been bestowed the Union Steamship Company in establishing a daily service to Lyttelton,, but. this company would earn a great deal more if it set up a more reasonable scale of passenger fares. The fai'e of 35s saloon return Wellington to Lyttelton is, I consider, very excessive, and precludes a large number of people from travelling. It is surely only reasonable to expect at this festive season of the year that some concession should be made fo the travelling public wishing to visit' the Cathedral City. Instead, the usual fare is maintained, and one has to suffer in addition the drawbacks of an overcrowded vessel and a " shakedown" instead of a cabin. The shipping companies can surely afford to make some concessions at holiday times, if they cannot reduce the ordinary fares. Although the Government has considerably reduced the railway fares all over the colony, ihe revenue has in no way suffered, and "it must follow as the _ night the day," that the steamship companies would lose nothing if they followed suit. I know my writing in this direction may not affect the shipping companies one whit-— they are doing far too well and have so complete a monopoly in some of the services, that this tirade can easily be ignored. But let an opposition line start operations, and the companies now trading will get little support from the public by reason of their present overcharges. A steamer monopoly existed on the Wanganui River for some years until the charges for both freight and passengers became so intolerable that the settlers and public revolted, and an opposition line is the., result. This opposition steamer has been hugely patronised and has helped hundreds to take one of the most pleasant and delightful trips New Zealand has to offer. — I am, etc., SVENGALI. Wellington, 9th November, 1900.