A PUBLIC WEIGH-BRIDGE.

Timaru Herald, Issue 170298, 17 August 1920, Page 5

A PUBLIC WEIGH-BRIDGE.

To. the Editor of th e "Timaru Herald." fair,—in your leading article in today s paper you mention that the latestproposal of the Borough Council i s a weigh-bridge, but "not to come out of loan money this time," whatever that may mean. You also sav vou have not heard of any general demand i'or a weigh-bridgc; it might be more ornamental than the plot of flowers which Jt -syould. supersede, etc. I nor any business man cannot understand whv a weigh-bndge has not been erected bv the Borough Council authorities for over forty years past, as it was not for the want of thorn being asked to erect one in some get-at-able place. As n case in point I will mention the coal trade of Timaru. I started business in Timaru in Janauary, 1875. The first ton of coal 1 ordered, after being, delivered into my yard at my private house, seemed very small- bulk for a ton, and I procured scales and had it weighed, when it proved to be barely loi- cwt. I at once visited the coal merchant and suggested he should weigh all coal before sending it away from his yard, hut no weigh-bridge was ever procured for that yard. About that time I started business in tho. grain, . timber, and coal lines, and at once put down in my yard' a good weighbridge that could be depended on to weigh true. At that time I. received consignments of coal cargoes from Australia, and was a.lso agent- for the BrunTier coal mines at Greymoufli. I supplied coal dealers as well as priv.ue customers with coals, and weighed every sack sold over my weigh-bridge. In the interests of the residents of Timaru at that time I wrote to the "Timaru Herald." and spoke to members of the Borough Council, asking that a public vvoigh-bridge should be erected, but there was no response. I also spoke to the coal merchants of that day,, and told them they were cheating their cuss-tomers'-in the weight of coal they were delivering. There were generally .one or two members of the Council in those ■days in the coal trade, which fact might have prevented a bridge being obtained. Eventually I found that although I sold the coal "dealers the coal they were supplying, they could undersell me. and at last I retired, from selling; coal retail, and only sold to my opponents, who retailed "it at 12 bags to the ton. This state of things has been going on in Timaru for over 50 years, a.nd you can imagine that I was pleased to observe the latest proposal of the Council to buv a, weigh-bridge. In some towns 1 coal dealers are compelled to carry scales on their drays, and to weigh coal to their customers if required. This matter concerns poor and wealthy, but with, the present price of coal full weight should be demanded, and if the ooaf dealer has not a weigh-bridge of his own he should be made to use the munioJDal bridge, at a nominal charge for weighing. This matter concerns working people more than wholesale buyers 1 ." as coal after delivery front the ship is generally weighed over the railway weidt-bi-id'ge. so that the dealers EVANS. Timaru, August 12.