HON W. H. HERRIES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16550, 14 May 1914, Page 8

HON W. H. HERRIES.

VISIT TO CHRISTCHUROH.

YESTERDAY'S DEPUTATIONS,

The Hon \V. H. Horrics, Minister of Railways, was kept busy ' in Christ--1 church yesterday, many deputations, private and public, waiting upon him ! with requests and grievances. ! Before lunch the Minister, accompanied by Mr G. Witty, M.P., and a few prominent fruit-growers, paid a i visit to Mr E. Sisson's orchard and cold storage plant at Papanui. The : Minister thoroughly inspected the ! splendid store which Mr v Sisson has erected, and the owner explained the system adopted for the storage of the fruit. There were 11,000 of fruit in the cold stoic, and the men were still picking the season's crop. Mr Witty explained to Mr Hemes that Mr Sisson was really the pioneer of this branch of tho industry, and had gtmo to great expense and trouble to secure a proper system of storage. Tho Government had made provision for financial assistance for growers who desired to erect stores'but, unfortunately, Mr Sisson could not obtain any of the advantages of the Act simply because of his being in the lead. Those who came after would benefit, but the pioneer would not. Some alteration was needed in order that the men who had helped the industry along should not be penalised solely on account of their progressiveness. On the'return journey a halt was made at Papanui, and the Minister inspected the proposed site for the new post office. Mr Witty stated that the Department had liiade an offer of about £4OO for the land, part of which was occupied by a blacksmith's shop. As tho shop returned the owner £1 a week by way of rent it would be seen that the owner would lose considerably if she parted with the land at the price mentioned. Personally, ho was convinced that there was sufficient land available, excluding the hlacksmiith's shop, and tho Department should buy the area available. The owner would remove the weighbridge, but demurred about removing the shop and selling at the price offered. Tho Minister, after inspecting the site, returned to the city. Mr Herries will leave for the West Coast this morning, where he will spend some time before returning to Wel-

lington. THE DEPUTATIONS. A REQUEST FROM RTCCARTON. Mr G. Witty, M.P., introduced a deputation from the Riccarton Borough Council. It asked that a footpath should bo made along the railway- lino from Hagley Street to Riccarton Road. The Council, it was stated, was ready to take up an offer made to the old Road Board some years ago. The Minister said that when he went to Wellington he would have the papers placed before him, and would go into the matter.

BETTER TREATMENT. FOR HORSES Mr Witty introduced a deputation representing racehorse owners and trainers, who asked that improvements should be made in regard to transporting horses by rail. It also urged that horse-boxes should be disinfected after they had been used. Another complaint was in regard to horse trains being delayed. Sometimes horses had to be sent to Dunedin by vessel, on account of lack of boxes on the south express. Improvements should be made in regard to the boys' rooms in boxes. Mr W. E. Simes said that a new horse-truck, of improved design, should be used. Messrs Cutis and White also supported tho application for improvements.

_ The Minister stated that he would go into the suggestions. RICCARTON ELECTORATE."

Mr Witty brought before the Minister several questions dealing with matters in the Riccarton electorate. He asked that ono of th.e southern expresses should stop at Rolleston. At present, ho said, residents of tho Rolleston district who wished to go south by one of the expresses had to go to Rakaia or another station in order to board tho train. It would mean a stop of only about three minutes, and the proposal, if adopted, would be a convenience to the people of a large district. The Minister said that arrangements In respect to the train were not complete, but that the request would be considered. Mr Witty also asked tha,t better facilities for loading and passengers should be provided at the Riccarton Station. The platform, he said, was far too small. ' The Minister promised to consider that suggestion also. Mr Wittv thanked him for placing a stationmaster at the Riccarton Station. In reply to a question from Mr Witty, the Minister 6tated that although the leases for railway bookstalls had expired and tenders had been called, no tenders had been accepted, but he would consider Mr Witty's suggestion that the successful tenderers should be given time to get their 6tock together before opening. THE FRUITGROWERS.

In introducing a deputation from tho Fruit Growers' Association, Mr "Witty said that they felt they suffered from an injustice, which they hoped would be remedied. Mr P. Sisson said that the complaint was in regard to tho freight on timber used for cases. Growers in Canterbury were paying more than was paid by growers in other districts, on account of regulations which provided that n charge should be made on timber sent outside of a radius of one hundred miles. Canterbury's timber had to come from a considerable distance. Mr J. Longton and Mr T. H. Davey, M.P., supported the request. The Minister said that tho regulation seemed to work inequitably, but if it was abolished growers in other districts would be down on tho Government like a ton of bricks. The question would be considered with the revision of the tariff. The Government was helping the industry by the cheap rates charged for the carriage of fruit. Anomalies were sure to arise in all tariffs. If the Department lost in one direction it would have to make it up in other directions. What with the smallpox epidemic and the strike, the Department had had a bad time this year, and tho whole question of the tariff would have to be gone into.

Mr Longton said that at a conference of fruitgrowers in Wellington, representing growers in all parts of the dominion it had been decided that the one hundred mile radius ought to be abolished. Growers in other districts, therefore, would not object to the proposal of the Canterbury growers. Mr "Witty said that the Canterbury growers were willing to pay their fair share of charges, but did not like to suffer from an injustice. The Minister repeated his promise that the request would be considered.