RAILWAY FREIGHTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18461, 26 July 1923, Page 6

RAILWAY FREIGHTS.

BASIS' OF, THE : CHARGES. ;' y V '$■' REVISION NOW IN f HAS!): 1 ® ; . •; L : ; [BY TELEGRAPH.— , EEPOETER.] ; }•', •;v'V. c WELLINGTON, : Wednesday. A' statement- upon railway , freight charges was . made by the . Minister ;i for Railways, Hon. J. G. •• Coutes, 'c- i.a&tsjipM House of Representatives to-day, in reply y_ to Mr.', R. Masters (Stratford), who askeit a ; question. in which he ; protected ; againsfc the railways being used, to proiiect secondare industries against': oversea competition. ■ . 'v.r. ' \; - The Minister said, ''It has, long been the established policy •to charge many: articles manufactured in ' New Zealand at a; lowtf rate than similar articles of foreign ■ facture. • This - policy was adopted for the : purpose of encouraging the. establishment II of local industries in the country, •It .'S obvious that where goods of any kind i have •to■ iba transported :" by v railway i.£or||p | ! otherwise • from : cities to: country : distnct^yl the cost , of, transport'. to tb* country resi- , dents is inevitably more than that paid in ;p||| cities which are adjacent to the . pert. ; Transport charges J are, ' however,' governed; by the distance ; the article has-to. be carried and the services : performed in con- jj nection with the transportation. ;-.: , " ' .''The ; revision of.;..the railway : ■ now lin hand. The extent ;to : which rs.« ;■ caisi be' altered must, 'of ; course, be.g<?Y" erned by the state of .the railway other finances. "1t..; is hoped that : a ... final jj 1 decision ' wiil ; be; arrived - at,^nortlj;' as to ~ the extent .to , which reductions can M - made on the existing charges.", ( ' ;: ; 48-HOUE:. WEEK rAVOIIfBBP^^M(

• QUESTION by MEMBER. [by TELEGRAPH.SPECIAL REFORTEB-3 WELLINGTON, Wednesday. Mr. T. ■D. Burnett : (Temuka) asked Minister for Railways, the; Hou. Coates. in Ai the House of Representati? _ to-day : whether,: seeing that the ; 44*-- •. railway' .' wtiekv.was- clogging _ tho. f arid keeping back • the energetic he would at the earliest moment revert a 48-hour week. ■ ,pThe; Ministei '■ replied that;' th® , of ; • reverting .to the ; 43-hour week wo , receive consideration. 1 \ - V r - .. -—-- TSVr: