ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 555, 11 February 1878, Page 2

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

+ [Wo arc not responsible fortlio opinionsexprasMd by on> correspondents.] A SUGGESTION. TO THE EDITOR OF THE EVENING If All,, Sir, —Of late there has been a great outcry for railway trucks, and in the immediate future there is likely to be a still greater outcry arising front the same cause. Why should this be so? It is not so at Home ; and yet thoy uso, at least, ten thousand railway trucks to our single truck on any one given day, weok, or year, and yet thoy never call for tenders for building trucks, not they—but if a wheelbarrow is required in this country, great meetings must bo held and tenders must be called for so important an undertaking. At Hoiup they obtain their supply of trucks fr£>m threo different sources, neither of which can be said to exist in this country—fcrst, thiS majority of the proprietors of roUierios and ironworks (whether single-Sanded or in com-, panics) build and repa»;tlieir own truolcß, keeping a specialof men to d<> so j others hire their truokgnt L2O per annum eaoli truck, from priVali -individuals, who buy them and keep fbr hire to any person or company wlift might reqniro them, the person or octfftpany hiring tho said trucks always being bound to return them in as good condition a» they were when they were received. A friend of mine told me in the Old Country that to invest your money in railway trucks was tho best investment you could make. A nephew of his, who was & colliery manager in JJerbyshire, owned 18 trucks, whieh lie had bought one at a tirno, just as he could raise the money, and I'.Vrod them out to his employers (tly e colliery company at Derbyshire) at L2O per annum each truck. The said trucks oost him LSO each, so that you will roo his ii ;Slrest was 40 per cent, per annum, and his stock always guaranteed to he unimpaired. bad that, fay the Old Country j a?.J li'/a. was bad at that time (the year 1860). Well, Sir, we all know that the different railway companies In tho Old Country build and repair a great number of trucks —which is the second source from whioh our trucks are derived—and needs no further notice now. But tha third and last source, which ifc by far the most important of all, is the Saltley Waggon Company, whose works are situated near Birmingham. That company builds trucks for nearly all the railways in the world, and, I think, either for salo or hire, you may get from one to a thousand trucks froin that company at any time by giving a few days* notioe. That company always pays a first-class dividend, and its shares always range high. I do not know but that there are other similar companies in England. Now, sir, for my suggestion Why should not there bo an Oainaru Waggon Company, or a JDunedin or Christchurch Waggon Company i—which could contract or expand its production just as necessity required. The formation of such a company would be the formation of a permanent industry (or I would not wet my pen in its favour), and this country needs a few permanent industries, seeing there are nono at present. But it would at tho samo time oblige and be to tho convenience of farmers, squattei's, and tho general public, besides increasing the revenue of tho Government, whom 1 regard as tho National Railway Company. It would also keep the capital in ( ftytj country, which we all know hny hied

until wo can scarcely Jeoi its pul.^o—at least tlio national doctors say so, No\y, Sir, if the Oamarn Stone and Export Company cannot oporatc to their mill'l just for tho present, on aocount of tlio political crisis in Melbourne, could thoy not do a little in this line. Thoy woiil<| only be doing now what they fy'fl less convenient and m;p|ltyabjp J,o dci by-and-}\ye, ytill they miiht eventually do, qr have tfoqc by othq' parties.

If the Stone Company wore to builcli OP have built, a few trucks, they could hire them out at so niuoh per month until they required them for thoir own use, and that would be utilising their capital at once, Or private parties might find it profitable to have a few trucko for hire. But, in any case, the trucks must be built so as to satisfy the Inspector of Rolling Stock before they would be allowed to v.im pu any line, a \yell - wisher to tlio town apcl district, I have taken the liberty to make this suggestion, and will now leave tfye matter in yp.ur that I hrvvo nfl't trespassed tq'o ftjuph your valuable space, I am, (fee., Alpua.