MORE RAILWAY BLUNDERING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 6116, 24 June 1881, Page 5

MORE RAILWAY BLUNDERING.

[BY TELEGRAPH. —OW.V CORRESPONDENT.] Ciirlstciicrcii, Thursday. A connESi'o.vDEST writes to the Times complaiiiing against the ridiculous charges in force on the railway. Ho says :—"I lately purchased in Dunedin some cases of glass, which were forwarded to Christehureh by rail. The cost of the glass in Dimedin was i'ss 1 Is, tho gross weight was 2 tons 2cwt., and the charge for carriage to Christchurch was £9 13s 3d, as nearly as possible 17i per cent, upon the cost of the articles. Rather surprised I went to tho station, expecting to find some mistake. I was assured there was none, the freight being something over £•1 per ton. I now find that the freight to Lyttelton by steam is about los per ton. This I should say is the measurement ton of 40 cubic feet. On measuring my goods, I find there is less than 3.\ tons. I will call it four tons, and compare the freight by rail and steamer. Four tons by steamer at 15s is £3, and the cost of rail and cartage from Lyttelton to Christchurch is 9s per ton. lam not sure whether they would charge by weight or by measurement. If by measurement, it would be 365, making £4 16s, or less than half what it cost to get the goods from Duuudin by x-ail direct. The dock charges I have not mentioned, as I think I have allowed sufficient excess of measurement to cover them."