RAILWAY RATES.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 12902, 13 February 1906, Page 3

RAILWAY RATES.

FURTKER KEDL'CTIOXS.

(Weliing'on " Evening Pest." Feb. 9!I:.) The Minister of l';iihv.:\\s is now able to announce further reductions in fares and rates <.-n the railways. The alterations have been agreed to by Cabinet withiu the last few days, and are no-.v being gazetted. The reductions apply to (1) ordinary season tickets. (2) sectional annual tickets. (5) conveyance of luggage for cr.mmerr-.d travellers, |<l) hauiiige of New Vrr.b::.i brown coal over long distances. ?nd i"5! conveyance <.: Xew Zealand gnvjr.d p1:..->].>h:uss ar.d cement. Ordiaaty >V>r,:i Ticket.—There will be a reduction in the ordinary seasm ticket rates for distance.* up to 20 a reduction in :h- into per mile to be » •.. ;-;ed for distances over 20 miles. Ti:L- ajmrics lo tickets for both first and second-class for one mouth, thrse mcr.ths, six months, ar.d twelve months respectively. Sectional Annual Tickets.—Kur dis;r.!ices up to 150 miles, thess- tickets aie being reduced from £3O for transferable and £25 for noa-transferable. to £27 10s and £22 10s respectively, the reduction on these tickets being equal to 8.33 per cent, and 10 p:r cent, on the original price. F<r each additional mile over 151 jniics the charge per mile is being reduced fnm 2s to Is 6d. a reduction of 25 per cent. This alteration will enable tickets tt» be taken or;, for distances up to 316 luises in the North Island at the snc:c rate as was previously paid for a. ticket for 250 miles, and in the Middle Island a ticket can be taken out for distances up to 516 miles for a charge previously paid for a ticket for 400 miles. The maximum charge for a sectional non-transferable ticket in >iiie North Island is £55, and in the South Maud £SO. The rates for annual tickets in New Zealand are by a long way lower than the rates ruling in any of the Australian colonies, and it must be remembered that, the mileage of our lines is being sieadily augmented without any additi n to the rate for annual tickets.' This in itself w equivalent to a very valuable concession. Commercial Travellers' Luggage.—-Com-mercial travellers holding anmral sectional or all lines tickets will in future be. ahlo to obtain season tickets for their samples for the same portion of, the line as their passenger tickets are availab't- on. and at charges considerably less than ate nowruling for excess luggage: e.g.. comnsetcial travellers' ixcew luggage for 300 aeilcs will be charged £2 10s jper annum per cwt. up to the first Scwt. and £2 per annum for every cwt over Scwt and up to lCcwt. The charge for 500 miles will be £3 15s per ewt. for the first scwt, and £3 per cwt for the next Scwt: for 1000 miles. £5 10s per cwt for the first Scwt. and £4 10s per cwt for the next Scwt. The* charges will be computed on mileage counted one wav onlv.

Brown Coal. Phosphate*. Cement. -Xn order to bring New Zealand brown, coal within the reach of persons who reside aftlong distance* from the mine#, the rate* for distances over 75 miles arc being reduced. At 100 miles the reduction is 7.37 per cent.. ISO milen 13.8 per cent., and progresses to 16.66 per cent. at. 200 miles, considerable ieductions being made for di** tances over 200 mile*. Ground phosphate*. New Zealand product, trill be carried at. Class "Q" rates instead of claw* "*E" rate -and a half. This is a valuable con. cession, and has been made in the interests of the farmer. A reduction has also been made on the rate for cement carried for export from Elevation to Picton. This rate will in future be 4s 3d instead of 4s 9d per «on.