FREIGHT RATES

Waikato Times, Volume 119, Issue 19785, 16 January 1936, Page 6

FREIGHT RATES

HAMILTON PENALISED M NEW RAILWAY lOHIDULIO. ——-,-§ LOCAL FIRMS HANDICAPPED- ._’—_— The adjustment of freight rates red cently made by the Railways Deparh ment imposes a further handicap on ma business community of Hamilton. an confers distinct advantages on Auck. land. The changes came "as a result of representations made to the Railway Department by the .\uokiand chamber of Commerce,“ and. consequently. it. costs as 11d per ton more to rail A class goods—which include general merchandise—from Hamilton to Taumarunul. a distance of 9! miles. than it. does to rail the same goods from Auckland to 4'l‘aumal'unui, a distance of 174 miles. ‘ The adjustments made give sub~ ‘ stantial reductions to Auckland firms for goods sent to stations between Bukuhia and Ohakune and the followiing table shows how the rates from ‘Auckland and Hamilton for A class I goods now compare : .

Charges comp-rod. 'Freights on other classes or goods still make due allowance for the shorter haul from Hamilton to the King Country stations, but for A class goods it has been made cheaper to rail them nearly twice the distance. thus handicapping Hamilton. The re< duction on the A class from the northern centre to Taumarunul is aald to be £1 Us 3d per ton. for it formerly was £4 Us 3d and ls now £3 per ton. To—day it costs merchants here 55 11d more per ton to dellver goods by rail to Taumarunui than it does competing firms in Auckland. and the discx‘lmlnation against llamillon increases as the dlstance extends. The rates to Raurimu from here are now £3 Ha 8d per ton, whereas from Auckland they are only £3 55. The adjustments have been made Without any regard having been paid to the fact that business firms here had already paid freight on the goods from Auckland to Hamilton, and they are now being asked to pay more than competing tlrms 83 miles further north.

The reduced rates. it is admitted. will benefit the King Country traders. but it has been urged that any redqu tions should be made to apply from Hamilton as well as from Auckland. ‘ Last month a witness before the ‘ No. 2 Licensing Authority stated that Hamilton firms had to pay higher freight. charges than Auckland firms on goods sent to Rotorua. and now the same handicap has been imposed with regard to business along the Main Trunk line. Views of Business Man. it is not a question of the Railway Department adjusting charges to meet road transport competition. That is shown by the report. published that the changes were made at the request of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce. “.\'o one objects to the department reducing its freight rates." stated a business man this morning. “The lower they are the better for trade. But any reduction should be made to apply throughout. It should not be designed to benefit. one section at. the cost or another. These changes clearly will impose a handicap on Hamilton. They seem to have been drawn up so as to remove any advantage Hamilton may have because of its central position. and so its suitability as a distributing centre. The business community should protest. Railway freight rates and postal services are being altered without the claims of Hamilton being given any attention. The new rate-s are grossly uniair. \\'e have to pay freight from Auckland to Hamilton am? then, on top or that. pay higher rate: than iirms nearly twice the distance away to deliver goods to the King Country.“

Another business man suggested that strong representations should be made to the new Minister of Baliways. New Zealand did not want the sort of thing they had in New South \Vales “here railway charges were so arranged, that practically everything had to pass through Sydney. It the old rates were graduated according to class and the distance carried then the new rates should be on the same hasib It “as, indeed. the only fair basis.

A El". To Ousarue2— “lies 1: s. a. From Auckland ....... 160 2 15 0 From Hamilton . . . . . . . 77 2 H) 6 To Taumarunulz— From Auckland ....... 171 3 .0 0 From Hamilton ....... 91 3 5 H To KERN“:— me Auckland .......~ I“ 3 5 0 From Hamilton ....... 101 3 9 i To Raurlmu:-— . From Auckland ....... 199 3 5 0 From Hamilton ....... “6 'J H 3