The Port Line.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 12759, 12 January 1905, Page 6

The Port Line.

* I EXCESSIVE CHARGES COJIPLAINED OF. ' A question dealt with by tho tlooutation representing the New Plymouth Borough' Council which waited )ii Sir Joseph Ward, Minister of Railways, on Wednesday, was the charges levied for both passsngers vnd goods traffic on the port iine. The Mayor (Mr R. Cock) pointed ;iit that the 'buses could carry pasengcrs at a cheaper rate than the Railway Department, while the .'reight charges made were generally oruplaincd of as exorbitant by tho msiness men of the town. The pubic were not in a position of usccraining whether or not the port line •as being run at a profit, but if it ould be managed the Department hould reduce the freight charges especially as New Plymouth had to ompete not only with other ports of he colony, but also with some ports >f the province. Councillor Fraser had something to ay on the subject. After referring o the exceptionally good work bc:ig performed by the local .■>ffieci\s ad tho excellent railway service that dated, bo stated the freight charges •ii the port line were 75 per cent, of he charge of conveyance, say, from •Huiedin. To consign Hour from Dundin and Invercargill the charges amounted to 10s per ton, and Gs f>d a ton had to be paid before the goods •ould be got from the breakwater to lie store. Two shillings of tho 6s fid as paid for wharfage. Councillor Ahier pointed cut ihat :::>: ::> could rail timber from Waitara to <c\v Plymouth, a distance of ten iiiles. at the same cost as the chai'ge Voin the breakwater to New Piy:outh. a distance of a mile and a half. The charge levied on the port 'mc was, in the speaker's opinion, .k'cidedly unfair. ' ' Sir Joseph, in implying to the deputation's complaint, said he was ;; leased to hear the views and opinions of representative men of a town, I ecause it was only by criticism that faults were discovered, and as the Minister in charge, it was his duty to remedy the faults if he could. In • >£rard to the charges levied on the port line, he would look into the whole position, with a view to determining whether or not any improvci r.ient could be effected. Sir Joseph went on to say that similar corni iaints as that laid before him and applications for reductions in charges were general, and almost universal. , ; o long as the principle of the small < liarges for passengers and for con- •. of goods existed there would always be anomalies, and these could not be overcome. He mentioned some • nomalios similar to the one on the 1 ort line, that existed in tho South ! land, and ho argued that if Ibo one ■a the South was removed the De- ! artment would lose a large amount of haulage, and then the public would <ay the Department should have sedired the side haulafrt 1 . The traffic on [he railway had to be encouraged, sad this was not to be done hy rc-r-oving some of the anomalies that v ere generally being objected to. He mentioned that the motor carriage sorvice was to be experimented upon, and probably the port line would be ■ sed for experimental purposes, nnd he was quite prepared to say if the r-.otor carriages would cope v.'Uh the traffic on the line, and the f-ervicc vas successful, there would be a rc|(l action in the freight charges. Be- ' cviisc one line of railway was rayi"S handsomely the Department could nit single out that line and make a r? iTerence in the charges on it to any oilier line. The good paying- line had <o make up for the unprofitable one.: i,;st the same as in every day busin ss methods the good customer was (•ailed upon to contribute something towards the losses sustained by *rans-a-lions with a bad customer. Sir •Toscph said ho was pleased to- tear tic laudatory references made about tlii! local officers, whom he knew well, n-.d in whom he had the greatest <•, nfideiicp. Ho assured the deputation, if it was at all possible to remove some of the rough edges, wUhout liavinc- to enrry the goods fo-.- nothing, he would do so. New arrivals for the Christmas sea-sf-n at E. Dookrill's "Devon-street Cwvtral," of BostocVs and C. and J. Clank's boots and shoes ; also Rich's fainmuß Julia Man-low's boots and shoes, with Louis heels, in lace and button, also some fine lines in ladies and gents' white an« tan teimis shoes, and men's running 1 shoes, also a largo assortment of superior ohildivii's boots and shoes at prices that defy competition. C. and J. Clark s glace shoes from 9s Gd.— Advt. The "Denton Hat" leads— others nowliora, price 10s Jid. V. H. Broome, !>.* Kaeh.— Adv*. « 10 * lor Up-to-date Printing call at the 11. raid Office.