RAILWAY RATES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 51, 23 November 1917, Page 6

RAILWAY RATES

INCREASES ANNOUNCED

CHARGEABLE NEXT WEEK

FARES 8 PER CENT-GOODS 10 PER CENT.

The increase in railway fares and freights which has been expected' for some timo was gazetted Inst night. Tho increased rates are to come into operation on and after November 25, Sunday nest. Passenger fares are to be increased by one penny for every shilling or fraction of a shilling of the amount of the fare now charged. Exception is _ made in favour of ordinary season tickets on recognised suburban lines, faros for military forces, fares for weekly twelvetrip tickets, and faros for workers' weekly tickets. The rates Tor goods and luggage are to be raised by 10 per cent., the minimum increaso to be one penny. The following exceptions are made in respect of parcels and such packages which come under part 2 of the tariff: Tabulated parcel rates. Checked luggage. Fresh fish. Left luggage. Fresh meat. Lost luggage. Fresh milk. Left parcels. Tea. Bread. Spgar. Flour. The following nro the exceptions under part 3 of the tariff, by which the goods rates are fixed:— Bread. • Sugar.. Flour. Wheat. Fresh fish. Timber. Fresh meat. - Trucks for conveyFresh milk. ance of mails Tea. (Regulation 31). All charges in operation in respect to railway wharves on November 25, 1917, with the exception of charges on bread, flour; fresh fish, fresh, meat, fresh milk, tea, sugar, wheat, timber, and charges for ships working overtime, are to be increased ten per cent. Subject to the same exceptions as for the railways, the fares and freights on Lake Wakatipu steamers are to be increased by the same amount as on the railways. A few alterations are being made in the regulations governing tho issue of passengers' tickets. It is now to be the rule that return tickets_ for distances over ten miles and single tickets for distances over twenty miles are to be available for three days, including date of issue, instead of as at present three days from date of issue. Inter-Island tickets, both single and return, which are now available for four days from date of issue, are to , be nvaila'ble for four days, including date of issue. The currency of tic-, knts will terminate'at 12 o'clock midnight. ■ \ , . A number of changes /are made in the goods regulations, which have the effect of increasing the rates to be charged on most of_ the classes of goods for which specially low rates have been allowed. The most important of the alterations are those to do away with the special rates on certain lengths of line, on which lower rates have been charged in order to keep out steamer competition.