How Our Railways are Managed.

Evening Star, Issue 7827, 7 February 1889, Page 4

How Our Railways are Managed.

The Messrs Smith, of Greenfield, who are large local exporters both of stock and produce, have been repeatedly repulsed by tho exorbitant vailway freights, and compelled to fall back on the primitive horse-team. This firm and Messrs Begg Bros, arranged this soason to have their wool, amounting to about 1,000 bales, taken by road to Port Chalmers as the port of shipment, rather than by rail, as a more economical arrangement. From Greenfield during the past season 114 trucks of chaff were despatched from Waitahuna railway station to Dunedin, and out of that number six trucks exceeded tho maximum weight of four tons, which, it seems, is the official standard for each truck. For this overweight a fine of a halfrate more was imposed. The rate per truck from Waitahuna to Dunedin is Ll 8s 2d, which was rigorously exacted, though 108 trucks did not reach the official maximum weight by several hunrlred-weight, "Yet, in the other instance, where six trucks only exceeded tho weight, the department insisted on an exorbitant fine of 14s Id per truck. The disposition to extort exorbitant charges on every pretence, it will be noticed, is a very strong feature of the department. The name remarks, in their entirety, also apply to the carriage of wool. Were a private firm foolhardy enough to pursue a policy of this kind, the consequences would be disastrous. Yet neither expostulation nor whole6iile loss of trade seems to affect in tho slightest degree the arrangements of the department. Mr Smith has repeatedly offered the railway the carriage of his sheep at the same rate per head as it costs him to drive them to Dunedin. Tho cost by road is computed to amount to 4Jd per head— being the ordinary expense, with an allowance of 3d per head for loss ef weight. This offer the railway authorities have always refused to accept, preferring to

run empty trains, whilst the freight the engine should be hauling is travelling leisurely alongside the line of railway. These are a few instances that came under our notice in the immediate locality.— 'Tuapeka Times,'