AFTER BUSINESS

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 5 December 1924, Page 5

AFTER BUSINESS

RED TAPE METHODS. ABANDONED RAILWAYS. MINISTER’S POLICY FRUITFUL. ~" ; - [During the past year Railway! Department officials have forsaken 1- red tape for business methods, and. have been canvassing farmers with [> a view to securing increased b freights. In nmay instances the Department has “cut” transport - charges considerably in order to r get the business, particularly where motor lorries were in keen ' com- [_ petition. That the Hon. J. G. [, Coates, in his capacity as Miniat-nr ii of Railways, has been responsible to a great extent for the efforts to t secure the transportation of greater s quantities, of farming produce on the railways is generally acknowledged.] , j (By Telegraph.—Special to Star.) 7. WELLINGTON, Dec. 5. 3 The Railway Department’s policy ’of - going out after business and definitely s cultivating the goodwill of prospective i customers is already producing material i results. The commercial branch of the - Department interests itself in securing J all classes of traffic, but particular in--3 terest attaches to its efforts to take 3 away from the motor lorry competitor the big business which it had . secured - last season in conveying the : Dominion’s wool clip to the seaboard. . A Y h £ n M he Coates, Minister of was asked how the De- * partment’s enterprise in this direction -is progressing, he expressed cheerful satisfaction and proceeded to give facts ! backing up this attitude. “The repre- , sentatives of the Department have taken many opportunities to put the railway position before farmers, to ex- [ P] a | n difficulties and to hear complaints, and, if possible, to remove ; thei “ % act ion on the spot, and I Kould like to record my appreciation i the manner in which the farming ■ community has rallied to the support the railways,” said Mr. Coates, -banners are business, men, arid, as such, it has not been difficult to con- . them of the economic loss which the country would suffer in encouraging the profit-seeking motor lorry to compete w'ith the State railways, which aim to provide transit for the community at cost price. In addition to {interviewing wool-growers, our representatives arranged with dependable (earners to cart, wool to the rail,'and |it has been found necessary in some .cases to quote a special rate to obtain the business. Farmers were advised to ;take the Class H rate, plus 25 per :cent., instead of Class H plus 40 per jeent Prospects for this traffic are ; good, as the Department has received (promises of business for rail from the (majority of the settlers who were interviewed and who had previously been considering, road cartage. The deciding point in our favour has been, a personal canvass plus reduced rates, except in the case of short distance traffic. Last Sn iYL the lTl yercargill district, about •AXK) bales, or 13 per cent, of the clip were carted by road. The Department is actively exerting itself, to get all vMr W °n b ”, sm^ s for the railway this jeai. On the Pictqn section about 500 bales went by road last year, but the railway will probably get the’whole bf thlS i S^ n ’ In Hunterville, venr Sol 11 ? ohakune , districts last Were take n to the store Milw! g r ui by mo Itor 1 tor lorr ies, but the of ! thk tv% cure i all but 510 ba]e « T lA tb L total /° r he surrent season. 11m canvass of wool-growers is proceeding m Wellington, Canterbury DuriWi* ,w S V and distric ts. Although the final details are not yet to hand progress reports are distinctly encouragi M , an t the public to understand ” concluded the Minister, “that our efforts to get all the business are Zt being restricted to wool, but I have moditv a to e Th faCt rt r f g v rd * ng this com “ moditj to show that the Department’s Mgorous policy is producing prompt and satisfactory results.”. T unct REDUCED WOOL FREIGHT, to-night s Gazette shows that the H nfus 1 40° n °p • rail T a l fre i« ht of Class . 7-n tt P®* cent, has been reduced to Class H rate plus 25 per cent as from November 7 last.