OUR RAILWAY TARIFF AND ITS COMPLICATIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12402, 26 October 1903, Page 6

OUR RAILWAY TARIFF AND ITS COMPLICATIONS.

' v Q .. , . TO THE KIIITOS. ' ' '■' l >k} Sir.-In my last 1 stated that dnrin, ■ present session of Parliament we & • again treated to the assertion ,iV m,| » ■ ' ■ . charges for the transit of passeii-T < ■ * ' '- V< • goods are the same throughout S '" •'"' ' land, which it is stated can bo soei £- ■■ S. fr \ printed tariff, and it is added that-vf th * ; P only varied by "local rates," whiel, v" 8 ! claimed are necessary to meet m™^: 111 and develop traffic. Exactly ? f? p ?. tlllc: » local rates that create the trouble 1S ** ' u '" 1 Now what do these " local rate-"' - ■; They mean 'rates and charges fixe'd? ! * a 'i*. pi ; railway officials to alter the geneKl ♦ -5 just as they think fit in favour of"or■ - 3r S certain districts, ■■■industries, and'^wtSf> ms *» at .various points along the lines .mj^" l "-' ■ i in fact, differential rates: but' ■ A\al 7 ■*&■ * ■ k rates having been legislate,.! arain'r niia} 1 where, " local rates" have been invMl ,".-'?• I> . supply their place. , ,w«Med **• ■±J ' ' .Co show the full extent to ivhieh (U. ' "local rates are manipulated to hrf„ th£so -' '"' I*'' ; tain districts, industries and people, £ «T" _ .'•• expense of other districts,', indus>nr>« \ >'' ■" people, is a work of far greater n*.a P m»?'i * 6 than I can now find time to undent! Y de that they are so used is beyond dbw« • fact, Sir Joseph Ward pleads them '!,', a reason why the average charge per ton ' * much less on the Hurunni-Bluff «cC.Kn« It* 50 the charge, m Nelson, Mariborotgh>f land,.. Wellington, Taraaaki, HawlV St- 1 and Auckland. 5 D V -"•'.;,;!:••. So persistent has been the \- ' ! U'.* ; of these "local rates" that they SW * ; produced one tariff for Canterbury »,*^ ? 1 ' for Wellington, another for ~H M J still others for various district 3 *? d "1' general tariff is now ■practicaJlj viwW > 1 is -merely a myth. This will be SI' 1 * 1 reference to the goods tariff of Octohor n I ' 1902-the latest I have been able tomS —when it will be found that for goods tr,m alone they (the local rates) coverovK " pages of closely-printed matter. ! If th charge is the same throughout, what if IT .use of these ? " ™ '$ There, is no necessity whatever for tnii confusion, which is created, as I have S aS S for the purpose of.'-rendering the tariff %l' ' intelligible to ordinary people, and wii'h th« avowed object of . compelling users 0 "an ply at the station for their rate." ,°.-., !<!:•' ways Report for 1884. The power audi ,* . * system places in the hand; of railway con trailers must be apparent to everybody and it is this power they are fighting to re 'iain :| Twenty years ago 1 was warned by friendly ex-railway men that : the officials would%d 'I !• to the last over this question."' My fiituj* ' I' were right. That the present system of levying railway ' '' ■ '''' rates, and charges gives great dissatisfaction cannot be doubted. This in •'cause d'aumbr : by the uncertainly which everywhere sur. ' round.? them. Producers can never tell from year to year, and rarely from menta 1 ' ; - '■■ to month, what their transit charges will be : » and consequently cannot closely:calculate th« cost of production. There has been a great dpal ,of legislation' : in England, America, and other countries- to': try to remedy. this evil, but so far without much effect. In fact, nothing, can. remedy ' ■ , : it, except the discovery of some method of making a fixed scale of fares, rates, and charges, and depriving the officials of all power to alter it. Tins has been done with reference to postal rates, and there sis no .■ I reason, whatever why it should not be done with railway rates. , < [ There is another form of ..differential rating ' in use on our lines which is .very- dishonest • and injurious to- the whole community, and that ))ls granting "special rates for quanta, - : ties. I believe it is largely owing to this ! practice that the difference, in the charge to the users, of the Hurunui-Bluff* 6eetiou° iind ! i the users of all the other lines in the colony : ; is due. ! These special rates for quantities are severely legislated against in England, and are ab- ■ • ' solutely prohibited. Hero they are made legal by Aot of Parliament, What they ' ' mean is clearly a low rate to the rich and a high rate to the poor. They no doubt we very beneficial to the large grain dealers of - - Canterbury and Otago, but they must work very heavily against the great "mass of our •' ' ' farmers, and all our small, producers, and' are also a burden on the general taxpayer. . Sir Joseph and hia officials may say what v.hey "please; they- may multip-h- and confuse ' the rates if they like, till it is utterly inpoi. ' ; ", "■ able to show how and where the trick ii done, but that it is done is .easily provable from their own ■ statements" and figures h«v cannot conceal the ;total outcome,' and I • • \ • nave .shown that the only explanation' -tier I have so far offered is an utterly incorrect statement. The Hurunui-Blulf section does ' not carry the largest proportion of lowcks ! traffic. It is the Auckland section that doc? this.—l am, etc., Samom Vail*. ■ Auckland, October 22, 1903. ■ .