THE RAILWAY TARIFF. TO THE EDITOR.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 8821, 3 June 1890, Page 3

THE RAILWAY TARIFF. TO THE EDITOR.

Sin, —I was much gratified on reading your excellent article in to-day's issuo re railway rates and charges, and hope thia eubjecb will be thoroughly ventilated before Parliament meets, ami the vexatious and unnecessary inconvenience and retardation of general progress caused by extreme overcharging be sensibly discussed. Through long years the farmers generally have poured their complaints freely into my ears at the absurdity of a Government inducing emigrants to come to a new country, getting them to invest their all in land, and then practically ruining them by compelling them to absorb their own products or resort to methods of transport in use 40 years ago, though trains run with long lines of empty trucks and carriages past their daily. How different is the process in America. There the Government endow the railways with every alternate block of land. The intervening one is for tho emigrants, whom tho railways carry for hundreds of miles, and place on their land, luggaga and all, free of expense, trusting to their requirements and production repaying them in tho future. Such is their enterprise, and they have a continent that justifies it. Such immense concessions could uot bo looked for hero. Nevertheless things cou'.d be arranged on a much more encouragiog basis than they are at present, and no money be lost on either side. One of tho principal reasons of our present stagnation is heavy railway rates. Kow many wealthy men from Australia and elsewhere have been here during the summer, and the answer of one and all is, "It would never do; your railway rates would ruin me ;it takes all the profit out oi oheepfarming as well as agriculture. Ah no, until your Government are wise enough to run their railways so as merely to cover working expenses, they need never expect us to risk our money. Your soil is excellent, your climate suitable, your country beautiful; but you bleed your country to death with taxes and railway rates." Wby, half our people here never dream of using the railways either for transferring stock or produce. Tho old slow methods of half a century ago paj better. Only last week a very wealtny traveller and an experienced man of business expressed himself as staggered by our want of common sense in railway management, asserting that "in Scotland the sweeping 3 of the streets of Glasgow were transferred regularly to Fifeshire to the farmers there for the improvement of their laud at a cost of 2s 6d a ton for a distance of 70 miles, and coal brought from various mines at Is a ton for 30, and even 40 miles." I venture to affirm if travelling could be accomplished at a cheap rate all over New Zealand we would be a prosperous and thriving people. Outlets would be found for our foods. Movement is life; stagnation is death. Small returns and numerous are the best profits, and beget cheerfulness and hope. The railway returns this summer, during cheap excursion fares, ought to do much to convince a Government if they have the good of the country at heart. The doleful appearance of the long lines of empty Carriages which generally run, say, between this and Christchurch are quite enough to produce a universal fit of tho blues and induce one to quit tho country at the earliest possible moment. Hoping to see defects remedied soon, — I am, &c, May 31. FitOGEESS.