SOUTH VERSUS NORTH.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 978, 19 November 1910, Page 10

SOUTH VERSUS NORTH.

V ; ?JI.B:*'VAILE'S INTERESTING , '% ?f f ANALYSIS. ■T' Sir,—From the Gazette of Oct-obor 20 I compile the following information, which may ho useful to some of our merchants,, producers, and M.P's. The Customs and Excise revenue for :tho< September. quarter.'.'' totalled £864,286, of this total the North Island contributed-.£507,890, •. and; the South Island £356,396. The North thus contributing £1p1,494 more than the South did during the three months. Shipping is a very important matter, arid ought to bo fostered carefully. During the September quarter of oversea" shipping, 163 ships,° of altogether 345,484 tons, and carrying crows of .7933. men, entered New Zealand, ports. Of these 115 ships of 260,805 tons, with crews of 5913 men, camo to North Island ports, and only 48 vessels of 84,679 tons, and crews of 2070 men, Soutli Island ports. It will: be seen that the shipping trade of the North was worth three times that of the South. . Of exports for the quarter, tho North contributed £37,896 more. than the South did. The import returns for the quarter are.not given. .. The same Gazette contains tho'Railway returns for the four weeks ending! September 17 These show, in the North Island, an increase, of what tho Government is pleased to term :net revenue of £65,020 from our 1150 miles ,of working railways, while the; 1577 miles of southern lines produced an increase of £9794. Thus it will, be seen that according to tho Government I statement 427 miles less of working -j railways in . tho North Island during these. four weeks, ' produced six and three-quarter, times (6J times) as much net profit as the South Island did with its 427 more miles to work upon. Pleaso to remember that this is their : statement, not mine.. ..... ' ■ It seems as if the Government is determined that no inquiry ..into tho administration of our railways... shall take place, if they can possibly prevent it. I'our months ago' I sent a petition to Parliament, in which I pointed out that the late Mr. Seddon, Sir Joseph 'Ward;.' Mr. R. M'Kenzio, Sir' Alfred Cadman, Mr. George Fowlds, and Sir William Hall-Jones, had, all in their Ministerial capacity, joined in making statements as to' the cost of constructing our railways. Theso gentlemen havo made' several statements varying to many millions in extent.. I ask to be informed as to which of these: varying Ministerial statements is the correct one, in order that I may bo able to 'c6rr6ctly~cstimto the cost of transit on them. If our railway accounts aro honestly kept, what possible difficulty can there bo in giving the information asked forP ■-.In tlfe same'.petition I: givoVa itable showing/a .numbir' of differential irates 'imposed,; against.',';the'; North,jv-and in '■favour "of the ;Sp,pth?jsland„ ] The effect : of-'thisJsysfeuiiSf ratingy, more and more retard and cripple -industrial development in tho North. Tho fact is, that this is its object and intention. Let North Islanders pay attention to these indisputable facts. March 31, fl9oß, there was.' an? tAVera'gd j}' differ-'chtial-'ralie; of, 2s: 7Jd.;,per/jon/imposed ou every toil'of gobd'sHhat'pissed over their lines, and also a differential rate on every passenger fare. First-class, second-class, and child's half faro, jd. .per fare. Theso extra rates must have heen, charged against tho North to effect: somo purpose which'-'-tliey^failed to accomplish,.consequently during the following year tho differential rates against the North were again- raised,, till, on March 31, 1909, tile good,s'i .'rate, difference was 4s. lfd. did Ministerial-', following year:tfie./jwtS'lagali&fcMi'vNdrtli were raised,, till;. ~on ;J&ifcli; : 3l, 1910, ■tho'differcntial-'rateS- agairist-:the North \vero: Goods 4s. lOjd. 'per ton',- passengers '5-Jd.' per faro, . asid_.-the gross charges, t'on, passengers 2s. IJd.' per'fare. Let us now see what was done in the South during the rsame period of . time. There the "avbrage transit "charge for 1 goods in 1908. was, for goods . 6s. per ton, - andfor passengers Is.:. SJd. During tho'. next year'this' 'cliargo' was; reduced to' os'.' 1 9Jtf. per.iton,; and. paSsen-: ger fares.raised-to ;ls; ;B}d.\ During the next; year . the ; gocttal' ' again. lowered- Jd.:/por. - mil-, lions 'of farthingsTho southern -rates'-in- •March -.last.wore: Goods ,55/9Jd/;pcf.;'tbii,'.'ga.ssiaigiors':lß. SJd. per fare. , V. : , ! V : I ask' my northern: friends to remember that the -full differential' rate of 4s. 10$ d. per ton has only been-at work on the . northern line's since April 1 -this year (seven months). What will bo the effect if it is allowed to. continue seven years)'. 1 'venture .to .say there will be very littlo North Island trade and eommerco lpft. Theso differential : rates w.ork silently, , but. with deadly. certainty. ' r -. The papers toll us that-latelyi'in the Huntly district, there'was a great deal of: " broken' time.' Ralph's "mine was idle for three days, and. the/Extended mine for two days. - -Lack of orders aud not any, shortage of wagon: supply has been'the cause.'' 1 Town lots also cannot now bo sold in that district. , Wo are told by the Government-that during tho last two years, it lias been found necessary |n the public interests of tho Dominion to raise the: average chargo on every ton .of goods, iii the North 23d., aud at tho .same time to lower the averago chargo in tho South 23d. per ton. An regards passenger traffic, in the North, thej; say th'at notwithstanding tho fact that our. 427. less mileago produced during the two-years 764,682 more fares than in the. longer lines in the Sofctli did, public/interest demanded that they should raise tho North Island faro an' averago o,f-.43d. per fare-, aud at the same time reduce tho southern faro by.tho average of a farthing. , ' - It will be remembered that. Sir Joseph Ward has frequently said: - "With a stroko of my pen 1 could moke our railways pay 10 per cent. All I have to do is to. raise the: rates." This is probably his attempt to do this, tho Hon. J. A. Millar being tho medium. That tho Government has 110 intention 01. replying to tho serious charges I bring against it, fully proved by the statements made by tho Hon. Mr, Mil-1 lar in the pretended reply to Messrs. Myers and Massey. Tho fact is, they cannot reply to the serious chargo brouc-lit: against 1/hem, and daro not make tho attempt. . I distinctly charge the Government with forcing differential rates on tho North Island, till now tho averago chargo for the transport of every ton of goods that passes over the "North Island lines is within a few pence of double the charge mado for tho same service in tho South. They say that while the interests of tho wliolo Dominion* demand that this enormous increase of chargo must bo made, it also demanded.that.fares and rates in tho districts . which, -certain South Island Ministers represent must be reduced, and this was done. Wlion we remember that our railways belong to tho whole community, and that tho burdou- of their construction and maintenance is borne mainly by the North,, this action' towards" the North becomes a positive "crime.

. That tho, Government, know they cannot refute my charges, may I think be assumed from tho following incident: — I sent copies of the letter referred, to in tho. question asked Ministers by Messrs. Myers and Masscy, to 33 of our Neiv Zealand Chambers 'of Commerce. On September 13 tho Cliristchurch chamber wrote acknowledging rccoipt of my circular of the sth, saying they had referred it to their. Railway Committee, and "would bo glad if you would kindly .forward me six copio3 of tho circular as soon as possible." This I promptly did. Nearly two months have elapsed, but I have heard nothing more. I; think this may bo taken as proof that they cannot deny my charges, neither can tho Government. All they will try to do is to stiflo inquiry.—l am, etc., SAMUEL VAILE. Auckland, November 5, 1910. L P.S.—Since tho above was written,' the Gazette-of tho 27th ultimo has arrived. From it we learn that tho valuo of the North Island imports for the last financial quarter was £3,134;375, and £1,919,157 for tho South Island. Thus we see ...that tho import and the export trado of the North for the three months only, was £1,253,114 more than that of the South..