AGREEMENT FOR INTERCHANGE OF TRAFFIC BETWEEN THE NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT RAILWAYS AND THE WELLINGTON-MANAWATU RAILWAY.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1890 Session I, D-05

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1890. NEW ZEALAND.

AGREEMENT FOR INTERCHANGE OF TRAFFIC BETWEEN THE NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT RAILWAYS AND THE WELLINGTON-MANAWATU RAILWAY.

Presented to Parliament in pursuance of Section 172 of " The Public Works Act, 1882."

Memobandum of Agreement for the Interchange of Traffic between the New Zealand Government Eailways and the Wellington-Manawatu Bail way Company. 1. The term " Commissioners " means the New Zealand Eailway Commissioners duly incorporated by "The Government Eailways Act, 1887." The term "Company" means the Wellington and Manawatu Eailway Company (Limited). 2. For the purposes of this agreement the commencement of the Company's line at Wellington shall be deemed to be at 33ft.,, measured in a northerly direction, from the junction-crossing connecting the Company's line and the Wellington-Woodville Eailway near Pipitea Point; and in the Manawatu District the commencement of the Company's line shall be deemed to be at the Longburn Eailway-station, 9ft. clear of the Government centre line. 3. Goods-traffic may be interchanged at Wellington and Lougbuxn, passenger- and parcelstraffic only at Longburn. 4. The junction at Longburn shall be under the control of the Commissioners. The Company shall pay half the salary of a Stationmaster to be placed by the Commissioners at Longburn, and half other goods-traffic expenses. 5. Passengers will be booked between such of the Company's stations and stations on the Foxton-New Plymouth line as may be mutually arranged from time to time. 6. Parcels will be booked between all stations on the Company's line and stations on the Foxton-New Plymouth line. 7. The Government trucks may be run on the Company's line and the Company's trucks on the Government line for purposes of interchanging goods-traffic. 8. The Company's trucks shall not be used for Government local traffic, nor shall the Government trucks be used for the Company's local traffic. 9. No trucks shall be forwarded from the parent line for interchanged traffic with less load than 1 ton of merchandise goods of classes A, B, C, D, H, or 2 tons of E and X, or 4 tons of F, L, N, 0, P; any less quantity must be transhipped at the Longburn Junction, if necessary. Trucks containing such minimum quantity will be deemed to be loaded trucks for the purposes of this agreement. 10. The Company shall find a covered van and the Government shall find a covered van, each free of charge, to be run with each daily train through between Wanganui and Wellington, for conveyance of small lots of goods. 11. Trucks returning to the parent line may be loaded with goods for the parent line, but will not be deemed to be loaded trucks unless they contain the quantities specified preceding. 12. Where trucks are forwarded from the parent line, two clear days, in addition to the day of arrival at and return to the Junction, will be allowed before charges for demurrage are made where the distance the truck is sent on the foreign line does not exceed eighty-five miles; when distances exceed eighty-five miles an additional day will be allowed. 13. The charges for trucks will be as follows : For all four-wheeled trucks, Id. per mile; for double-bogie trucks, 1-Jd. per mile, computed on mileage run by loaded trucks. 14. The Company shall, if required, run wagon stock for transfer between the Foxton-New Plymouth line and the Wellington-Woodville line, four-wheeled stock to be charged ljd. a mile, double-bogie stock, 3d. a mile. 15. Demurrage will bo charged, on each wagon detained by the foreign line beyond the prescribed time, 4s. per day or part thereof. 16. Sheets will be charged Jd. per mile when in use, and will be subject to the same regulation for return as wagons. 17. Demurrage on sheets will be charged at the rate of Is. per day. 18. Sundays and days when goods-traffic is suspended must not be counted. 19. The Company's officers shall act under "the instructions issued from time to time by the Commissioners in accounting for and dealing with all interchanged traffic, and shall render such

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returns to the Eailway Accountant, New Zealand Government Bailways, as may be required by such instructions. 20. The Commissioners shall be responsible for causing to be collected from the consignees or other persons all proper charges on behalf of the Company which the Company is legally entitled to charge and collect for goods and passengers which have passed over the line, which charges may have been properly way-billed and otherwise notified by the Company's officers to tho receivingstations on the Government line in accordance with the by-laws and other instructions in operation on the New Zealand Government railways. 21. The Company shall, similarly, be responsible for collecting the New Zealand Government railway-charges on interchanged goods and passengers. 22. The Commissioners shall cause the accounts for interchanged traffic to be compiled and audited for each four weeks or thereabouts, in accordance with the practice on the Government lines, and shall cause accounts to be rendered to the Company within four weeks or thereabouts after the close of each accounting period ; and there shall be a settlement of account as between the Government lines and the Company's line by cash payment of the balance due from one to the other respectively, as may be ascertained from such audited account. 23. The Company shall permit any officer duly appointed by the Commissioners to examine any traffic accounts on its line, if necessary, for accounting and audit purposes ; and, similarly, the Commissioners shall permit any* duly-appointed officer of the Company to examine any traffic accounts on the line interchanging traffic with the Company's line. 24. The rates, fares, and charges for the conveyance of all passengers, parcels, and goods upon the Company's line shall be fixed by the Company. 25. The Company shall supply the Commissioners with schedules of such rates, fares, and charges in the forms attached, and the Commissioners will cause the same to be gazetted for the Information of the public. All such rates, fares, and charges to be used subject to the general regulations in operation on the New Zealand Government railways. Such rates, fares, and charges will be in addition to the rates, fares, and charges which are made by the Commissioners for the conveyance of passengers and goods upon the Government lines. 26. When through-goods are consigned to the Company's station at Wellington for shipment at the Eailway Wharf the Commissioners shall perform the shunting from the Company's station free, but for local traffic may charge the gazetted rates for port traffic, such charges to be in addition to the other rates. 27. The Company shall be responsible for payment for all damages or losses to person or property occurring on the Company's line, unless such damage or loss is clearly traceable to the negligence or error of any servant of the Commissioners or to the defect of any Government stock or appliances. 28. The Commissioners, similarly, shall be responsible for payment for all damages or losses to persons or property occurring on the Government line, unless such damage or loss is clearly traceable to the negligence or error of any of the Company's servants, or to the defect of any of the Company's stock or appliances. 29. The Company's rolling-stock shall be correctly tared, numbered, and lettered, to distinguish it from the Government stock. 30. The Company shall pay the Commissioners for all tickets and stationery issued to the Company's stations. 31. The Commissioners or the Company respectively at any time may cause rolling-stock the property of the other to be put off the Company's or Government trains respectively if defective or dangerous, and may forbid such stock from running on the Government and the Company's lines respectively until such defect or dangerous conditions be amended by the Company or Commissioners respectively. In such cases, due notice being given, demurrage will not be chargeable. 32. The Company shall run one train daily from Wellington to Longburn and one train from Longburn to Wellington to connect with the Commissioners' daily services between Longburn and Wanganui, and a bi-weekly service between Wanganui and New Plymouth. 33. The Company shall nominate an officer in charge of its line with whom the Commissioners'" District Traffic Manager at Wanganui may communicate for the purpose of carrying on the traffic in terms of this agreement. 34. This agreement shall take effect as from the 29th day of November, 1889, and shall remain in force for twelve months from that date. The common seal of the New Zealand Eailway Commissioners was hereunto affixed, this sixth day of March, one (1.5.) thousand eight hundred and ninety, in the presence of— E. G. Pilchee, James McKbeeow, Secretary, Wellington. J. P. Maxwell, W. M. Hannay, Eailway Commissioners. The seal of the Company was hereunto affixed, this twelfth day of March, one thousand eight hundred and ninety, (1.5.) at a meeting of the Directors, and by order of the Directors. James Wallace, General Manager. [Approximate Cost of Paper.— Preparation, nil; printing (1,200 copies), £1 ss.]

By Authority : Geobgk Didsbuby, Government Printer, Wellington—lB9o.

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