CORRESPONDENCE

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 48, 24 August 1912, Page 9

CORRESPONDENCE

TE ARO RAILWAY tO THE EDITOE. Sir, — Mr. Pilcher agrees to father the "axiom" — "As tho railway docs not pay now, extra freights and extra passengers niuj-t necessarily increase the loss.'' Whether such will be handed down to posterity is doubtful, but such 8n acknowledgement, coming as it does from the mouthpicc-o of its opponents, is, just, now, luelul— to the To Aro Railway League. Ho refers to "low class traffic at cheap rates." This does not cuter into tho present question as the rates for the one. and a half miles from Lambton Station to Te Aro are identical with those over any similar distance on the Main Trunk line. The lengu? is just a*, much concerned as j ycur correspondent about tho present loss on this lino, and its proposal?, uro to stop this leakage by increased traffic, and at (he samo time provide facilities for which there io a crying demand. Mr. Pilcher ' attributes to me the statement that a . "roadside" waggon would be sufficient for | Te Aro. It is hardly necessary to deny | such an absurdity intended, of course, to | raise the dust. Small things seem to ] give him great concern. I said timber j arrives in full truck loads. Mr. Pilcher I points out that small lots are sometimes carried, and these would require handling at Lambton. Wo are_ more concerned about the many pillions of feet that arrive for house building than thtJ odd lots sometimes imported to build a. stable or a dog konnel. A specially high rate of freight from Lambton to Te Aro is a strong feature of Mr. Pitcher's arguments. Through mileage rates have always been charged over thia section, and it would bo preposterous were it otherwise. He still persists that the_ vast majority of tho city people who live nearer to Te Aro Station thau Thorndon would prefer to make use of the station furthest from their homes. Well, sir, I cannot ask you. for space to furthor debato Buch a rank absurdity. If Mr. Pilcher will repeat his request at the next meeting of tho Chamber of Commerce for me to Eubstantiate my statement that his history of this movement through that body was incorrect and distorted so as to entirely misrepresent tho facts, then. I will gladly give him what he asks for. In conclusion I am asked to state why only twentyseven members out of a total membership of two hundred of the Chamber of Commerce attended and recorded thoir votes on this question. Since lam pressed 1 will give tho answer, and it is this — For tho same reason as only thirty-two members attended the annual general meeting (out of a total of 200), namely, that the policy of the council has been such as to place the chamber completely out of touch with its general body of members, and Mr. Pilcher and his latest "axioms merely serve to widen tho breach. — 1 am, etc., A. LEIGH HUNT. * Wellington, 23rd August ,1912,