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Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3030, 12 March 1881, Page 2

From a correspondent's letter it would appear that country storekeepers and others on the Napier section of the New Zealand railways are placed at no little disadvantage as compared with business people on other lines that have connection with a shipping port. For instance, goods imported we will say from Wei • lington are landed on the breastwork alongside of the railway, are conveyed from there in many cases to the other Bide of the Spit, and stored by the upcountry storekeeper's agent. Thus cartage and storage are added to the cost of the consignment, and then, before the be forwarded up country, there is more cartage to pay before they are put into the train. Now, in other places, goods imported for despatch to stations along the line are addressed to their destination, are landed and received by the railway authorities, who pay tL'e freight, wharfage, &c, and recover from the consignee. A direct saving of both money and time is thus effected, and the country consumer derives the benefit from the cheaper rate at which the storekeeper can supply"the goods. It maybe urged that at the Spit there is no railway accommodation for such a system, but the obvious answer to that objection is, then why is not there tbat accommodation ? Why should the Spit station be worse provided infthis respect than lesser ports such as Wanganui and Foxton ? If it pays the Government at all other ports it would pay here. It only requires tbe country settlers to agitate for this improvement to obtain it.