EFFECT OF THE RAILWAY TARIFF.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7189, 15 June 1885, Page 3

EFFECT OF THE RAILWAY TARIFF.

At a meeting of the County Counoil (says the North Otago Times) attention was called to the fact that the excessively high charges for freight for short distances on the railways caused additional traffic to be thrown on the roads, with the result that, so far as this district is concerned, the county iB put to enormous expense in keeping the roads in repair. It was resolved that the chairman write to the member for the diatriot calling his attention to the tariff, and requesting him to endeavor to obtain & modification of the same. We may state (adds our contemporary) that the injustice of the tariff (even in its revised state), has been frequently pointed at by us, but we were unaware that the obtuseness of those who framed it had the effect of saddling the district with so much expense. We understand the estimate of the county engineer is that it will take close upon £1000 to put the roads in the same state as they were a year ago, owing to the catting up they nave undergone by dray traffic. If the Kail way Department had, without altering the tariff for distances over eight miles, begun a cheaper scale for distances under eight miles, it would have secured all the trrffic, would have shown better returns, and would have saved the expenditure of enormous sums by County Councils for repairs to roads. What are the railways for? They were surely not constructed for the purpose of running empty trains on them, while farmers are compelled, through excessive charges, to resort to the old method of getting their produce to market. No matter how long delayed, a reduction will have to be made in the railway charges for distances under eight miles.