A MILEAGE QUESTION

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 124, 26 May 1923, Page 7

A MILEAGE QUESTION

10 THE EDITOR. Sir,—When the Hutt road and railway improvements were completed some twelve years ago, the distance from Lamb ton to Melling station was reduced to about 8£ miles, but the Bailway Department, in spits of protests, petitions, and deputations continued overcharging the residents on the ten-miles scale at which this station was originally rated. Two years ago proceedings were commenced to test the legality of their action, and the General Manager promised to supply a certificate of the correct mileage, but after giving him every opportunity for four months to fulfil his promise he failed to produce the desired* certificate, and he annovnced instead that the Department would not contest the case. Fares were then reduced to the nine-miles scale, namely, Is 6d second-class return, Lambton to Melling instead of Is 8d and 2s 5d firs,t in place of 2s 6d. The residents who instituted the proceedings incurred three guineas legal expenses, but the Department refused to refund same, although they must, have'made thousands by their ten years of overcharging. This occurred in July, 1921, but the new time-table of 7th December, 1921, still quoted the old fares and mileage. .'Complaints .brought ths reply that it was an oversight which would be rectified' in next issue.- The next time-table came out in May, -1922; and to our surprise the error was repeated. The attention of the . Prime Minister and the Minister of Bailway's was then drawn to the methods of th» Department and to the unfairness of their action in declining to pay expenses incurred in obtaining Helated redress of overcharges. The false information in the time-table was also pointed out to the Traffic Department, and the usual promises were again made. Your readers will scarcely credit the amazing methods of the Department in a small matter like this, but it is a fact that tfie new time-table dated 6th May, 1923, still quotes Melling as ten miles, and fares Is 8d and 2s 6d, although for nearly two years the residents have been obtaining their tickets on the nine miles scale and at the correct fares, Is 6d and 2s sd.—l am, etc., J. !J. REICH. 24th May. [The Railway Department gives th> following, reply'to the point referred to it our correspondent's letter :—"The inilSage given in the Railway Guide is the distance ascertained when the line was originally constructed. Since then the length of tils line has been slightly shortj ened'. It would mean great inconvenience if the mileage to any particular station were altered simply because the station premises were shifted a few chains oiie Way or the other. Section 4 sub-sectwh (2) of the Government Railways Amending Act provides :—(2) Where any scale is fixed by reference to distance, the distance between' any two points shall, unless it is otherwise specially provided in any case in the notice fixing the scale, ha deemed and taken to be the distance as shown on the departmental record when the section or sections of railways affected were first opened for traffic, notwithstanding that such distance may hay« been increased or. reduced by sub"sequeni alterations in the railway."—Ed.]