The Midland Railway.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18218, 31 October 1924, Page 8

The Midland Railway.

Jt is to be hoped that those Grcymouth merchants are well informed who have been telling the Wellington Chamber of Commcrco that the Minister of Railways is in favour of introducing "back-loading" rates for goods sent westward through the Otira tunnel. Mr Coates's public references to the suggestion that, the Railway Department might in this way pick up some profit from hauling back the waggons which come from West land have not been very encouraging, and the obvious unfriendliness of his officers to' the Midland line has seemed to make it unlikely that they would support or recommend the idea, even though its adoption would help the Department's finances. The proposal that the Department should encourage freight westward by offering ehcap r;ites, and thus making some profitable use of waggons which would otherwise go back to Westland empty, was brought forward in the interests of the Department. Certain people in Grcymouth object to the proposal on exactly the same grounds upon which they dislike the railway connexion with Canterbury. They are more concerned about their harbour than about the interests of Westland as a whole, which are obviously best served by providing a speedy and reliable means of transport

between the two coasts of this island. since they cannot expect their unenlightened views to prevail upon the Government to M»w up the tunnel, they are doing what they can by urging' that the Railway Department shall not make the best use of its means of carrving goods from Canterbury westward. To this end they have called upon Wellington for aid. and in the Wellington Chamber of Commerce they have found an ally as unenlightened as themselves. The Chamber, as we reported yesterday, has unanimously passed a resolution demanding that the Government shall not give any "preferential trade" on the Midland line. The discussion preceding the carrying of this resolution made it clear that the Chamber is afraid that if the Department puts the railway to its full economic use "Wellington will lose to Canterbury some mine of its Westland trade. If such will be the consequence i.f introducing "' back-loading" rates. then the conclusion one must come to is that, much of Wellington's trade with Wesfland has no sound economic justification. This conclusion could be arrived at. of course, by an inspection of the bare facts of the case. Here is a province which until lately was almost isolated from the world. Almost its sole means of trading with the rest of the Dominion has been through a port which is small and uncertain, and which in time will be quite closed up by the ships which are periodically wrecked at Greymouth. For this absurdly inadequate and depressing means of communication there has now been substituted a railway line which brings Westland within a few hours of Canterbury. When Wellington and Greymouth protest against the effective use of the railway because such effective use would interfere with Wellington traders and with Greymouth 'a harbour revenue, it is as if the harness makers were to urge the Government to take steps to prevent the use of motor-vehicles. Progress always means an immediate loss to individuals whose interests are bound up in the preservation of tho methods and institutions which progress supersedes, but the interests of individuals cannot be allowed to stand in the way of national development and rational business methods. Whether "back"loading" rates would or would not have the effect of giving Canterbury a "preference" over Wellington in the trade with Westland, tho Eailway Department should concern itself only with what ig the best and most rational way of doing business. If it were to heed the Wellington protest, it would be subordinating the national interest to the interests of a few individuals; and it is surely astonishing that any organisation of business men should be bold enough to ask that it should do so.