South Canterbury Times. MONDAY, JUNE 9, 1890.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 6237, 9 June 1890, Page 2

South Canterbury Times. MONDAY, JUNE 9, 1890.

Mb W. B. Percival, M.H.R. for Christchurch South, spoke very strongly against the railway management on Friday night. “ Mr Maxwell still ruled the roost and their last state was worse than their first, because they could not now force the Board as they could force the Government. The Board had been weighed in the balance and found wanting. When they considered the increase in their exports and consequent increased railway traffic and the extra passenger traffic owing to the Dunedin Exhibition, there was no wonder the railway receipts were increased. This was not owing, however, to superior management, but to increased traffic. The Board has irritated the employees, harassed the farmers, and used the railways as a huge taxing machine. The employees have been irritated by the introduction of the Insurance Bill, the employment of boy labor, and an attempt to get overtime done for nothing.” Mr Percival gave figures showing how the board have shut up the grain stores at Addington, and thus produced a block at Lyttelton, the charges for direct railage to Lyttelton from Ashburton for instance being 10s 6d,but with a stoppage at Addington 13s Id, a difference of 2s 8d per ton. This was the charge merely for breaking and making up trains, as owners would have to do all the handling. He also drew attention to a remarkable anomaly in the charges for merchandise on the Canterbury and Otago sections of the main line. The rates on tbefourclasses of goods A, B, 0, and D on the level line from Christchurch to Timaru are (to the nearest farthing) 6d, sd, 4d, and 3d per ton per mile ; on the hilly line from Dunedin to Oamaru,3|d, 2|dand2d per mile. This difference is remarkable. Was it adopted to compete with the Union Company P Then why did the Board not “ go the entire animal ” and and cut the Union Company com-

pletely out ? They have done nothing of the sort, for the Union Company keep a steamer in the Dune-din-Oamnru trade only, if we are not mistaken, and have lately put on a larger boat. The charges between Christchurch and Lyttelton and those between Dunedin and Port Chalmers also differ nearly as much, being 9£d per ton mile on the former, and 6|d per ton mile on the latter line. In these cases the railway has to compete with water carriage at Dunedin, but not at Christchurch. Latterly the Union Company have been competing with the railways for carriage from Christchurch to Timaru, and the weekly steamer always brings a good few truck-loads. No wonder, when the railway charges are from 31s 6d to 49s <td per ton on the railway. "To sum up,” says Mr Peroival, “ the Railway Commissioners having rubbed up the employees, rubbed up the farmers, rubbed up the merchants, rubbed up the public, must be rubbed out themselves, and give place to men who will work the railways as a means of developing the industries of the Colony, and nob as a barrier to settlement and progress.”