INHERITED.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1694, 10 March 1913, Page 6

INHERITED.

FROM PAST GOVERNMENTS. HARBOUR muddle. STRAIGHTENING THINGS OUT. (By Telegraph.—Special Correspondent) Wanganui, March 8. For some years past the Railway Department, acting as agents for the Wanganui Harbour Board, has controlled, the town wharf, the arrangement being that the Department should enforce the board's by-laws and pay over such moneys as were collected after deduction of tho expenses incurred. The' arrangement has not proved entirely satisfactory to the board, and has been the cause of much discontent among shippers, but tho Department have appeared rather disposed to increase the friction than reduce it. Some two years ago the board decided to resumo control of the wharf,, but the Department' has, since then, placed obstacle after obstacle in its way, and defeated the board's objection. It was felt when the change of Government occurred that the board would get tho fair play previously denied it, and this has proved the case, for the chairman reported to the board last night that the Hon. W. H. Herries, the new Minister for Railways, had met the board in an equitable spirit, and ■promised to abrogate Department claims, and start do novo as soon as the board sent him a written statement of its requirements. Curiously enough last evening was also chosen by a deputation of shippers to bring before the board some instances of the wav in which the Department had been working the wharf against the board's and local shippers' interests. Although shippers had agreed with tin watersiders that the pay for Saturday afternoon would be Is. 6d. per hour, the Department was charging them 2s. 6d„ and, though it allowed them some rebate, it was still collecting from them mere than they should pay, and they only "parted up" after protest. Another instance was that while the Department enforced tho wharf rate on Wanganui consignees bv measurement, it charged country consignees by weight, which meant'that the board lost about 75 per cent of the wharfage that should be forthcoming, the total probably running into hundreds (if not thousands) per an- " The deputation added significantly that it would give more instances of the way in which the Department had been rigexpressed astonishment at the information, and the Works Committee was instructed to investigate the matter at once It was resolved also to draw up a statement of the board's position at once with a view to taking advantage of the Mil lister's promise, and effecting an immediate transfer of the wharf, to the wd's control, members expnr,sing themselves as satisfied that the Hon. H. Herries would deal with them m a fair and reasonable spirit.