CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2067, 8 October 1880, Page 3

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

A special meeting of the Chamberpot Commerce was held yesterday. Present—Messrs A, O. Wilson (president), 0. B. Taylor, D. Caro, E. E. Wright, H. E. Alport, Anderson, jun., A. Cuff, J. J. Fletcher, J. Gould, O. W. Turner, F. B Graham, P. Cunningham, G. G. Stead, J. A, Bird (secretary), W. 8. Bobison, J. Struthers, J. D. Maopherson, W. H. Hargreaves, H. Thomson, and Hon. J. T. Peacock. The President said the business before the Chamber was the consideration of the tariff, and the importance of the matter they had to discuss must be the excuse for calling them together so hurriedly, as they would at once see the imposition of the tariff meant either a profit or loss on the railways, which, in the present impoverished state of the colony was a most important matter. He would not detain them longer, but read the report of the committee as follows > : 1

The " New Zealand Gazette ” of Ist October contained a new scale of fares and tariff of charges for the New Zealand railways, to con,e into force on the 11th inst. Your committee met on Tuesday. sth inst., to discuss the changes therein affecting the mercantile interests of the colony and district, and, considering the matter of the utmost importance to the community in general, it was determined to call a meeting of the members of the Chamber of Commerce at the earliest moment to receive a report on the proposed alterations in the tariff, and to enable those interested to submit any further views on the subject. Parts 1 and 2, referring to passengers 5 luggage, parcels, horses, &c., requires no particular remark. Part 3 classifies goods, and fixes the rate per mile for the varioas classes, any renewal charge heretofore considered necessary being merged in the through rate. In the mileage rate there appears at the various distances named a great want of consistency of proportion on the part of the compilers, the variations, running from 2d to Is per mile, of which nnmerens examples might be adduced in each class in parts 4,5, 6, and 7. Your attention is drawn to the following items:—!. The rate Lyttelton to Christchurch has been raised 2d per ton. 2. The cranage rote in Lyttelton might easily ha reduced ona-half from the present rate of fid per ton, and yet leave a profit to the department. 3. Special rates exist on the Port Chalmers line for ships' ballast, ibis item being charged at half rate. No such provision is in force on the Lyttelton and Christchurch line. 4. The rate per ton from Lyttelton to Christchurch is la 4d higher than from Pott Chalmers to Dunedin, the distance in the former case being seven, and in the latter eight miles. 6. The extra charges in addition to classified rates on goods consigned to Christchurch of la 5d per ton, to Dunedin Is Id per ton, and to InveroargiJ 1s 4d per ton, appear to be the exact amonnt of the contract price for draying. 6. On the railway wharf at Auckland haulage on native coal is not charged. This concession should be granted at all other Government wharves. 7. The rate for carrying native coal, notwithstanding all that baa been written and urged on this important point of late, has actually been considerably increased. Under the former tariff Newcastle coals could be conveyed from Lyttelton to Timarn, say 107 miles, for fßa per ton, while under the present rates Native coal conveyed for the same distance would be subject to a charge of 10s 5d per ton. 8. On the Wellington section sand and gravel from the Lower Hutt and Petone to Wellington are charged a specially low rate of Is fid per ton. No such facility is afforded on the lines in this district, and we fail to see any special reaeon for this 9. The minimum charges of 2s fid per ton in classes N and P should be altered to a rate per truck load for short distances. When a deputation from your committee waited on the Hon. the Minister for Public Works some few months since, his views appeared to favor a differential tariff according to gradient of lines. The rates now published, to come into force_on_ Monday n- xt, have not carried out this principle. For in stance, on the main Amherley to Kingston line, the present tariff fixes the rata for <OO miles in each class at the same snm, whether goods are carried over the level portion of the line or over the very steepest grades. Your committee are of opinion that if goods cannot be carried except at a severe loss to the department, the less carried the better for the colony, and such traffic should be discountenanced at once. Further, it the Government are desirous of making the railways remunerative, steps must be taken to induce goods traffic to travel by the natnral and least expensive coarse, and artificial routes must not be bolstered up by special and unjust tariffs, productive only of loss to the department. Your committee are of opinion that the only correct means of arriving at a fair and equitable tariff is to appoint a special commission, composed of railway experts and practical men of business, with power to call for evidence. Such a commission, it is hoped, wonld be devoid of local or political bias. The general arrangement and regulation of the railway system should at once be dissevered from any political department. A Board of Control for each island should be appointed, consisting of a class of men similar to those above mentioned, and an ordinary and Incrative basis should be adopted as a guide in all transactions. Your committee strongly urge the Government to retain in force the present tariff until commissions such as wo have suggested have bean appointed, and a thoroughly revised tariff, baaed upon differential rates, shall have been prepared. On behalf of the committee, A. Ckaceojt Wilson, President of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce. Christchurch, 7th October, 1880. That was tho report the committee had brought up, and the report entered fully into the various changes in the tariff. No doubt members would be prepared to speak on other points in the tariff oonneoted with the special goods in which they were interested. He should now be glad to hear any member on the subject. Mr Anderson said that there was a slight error in the report as regarded the differential tariff, as the gradients would not come into consideration except as regarded the first cost.

The President said ho did not think the mottor of first cost had been considered. Mr Anderson said ho took exception to the words “according to the gradients of the lines.’’ Mr Cunningham said that Mr Anderson had mistaken the case. The committee were merely expressing the views of the Minister of Public Works and not themselves. The President pointed out that the tariff applied to all New Zealand. In tact, the Government wore making the Canterbury lines pay for those which were not paying. For instance, on the Canterbury linee south to Oamaru a charge of 15a per ton was made for carriage of grain, whilst from Oamaru south 13s was charged. Now, the 15s paid very well, whilst the 13s was worked at a dead Ijss. Mr Cuff said he thoroughly agreed with the proposition of the committee as to the working of the railways, and he would move

—“ That the report be adopted, and a copy be forwarded to Wellington to the Minister of Public Works.” Mr Graham seconded the motion. He understood that the cost of the railways as settled, was thejeostof working, not the cost of construction. They had got the railways on their hands, and to go into the question of the original cost would not bo of much use to them. Mr Alport thought that the question as to the relative cost through hilly and flat country would guide the Minister, Mr Bobison said that he could not help thinking that there was too much stress laid on the cost of the lines. Necessarily this was So, but it need not be so much as it was. The committee recommended a commission to be appointed of practical business men and others acquainted with railway matters. Ho should like to see the committee send forward thi<-, that there was not sufficient discrimination in the tariff as to what the goods would bear. The Government seemed to think that they ought to make as much out of all classes of goods. Take for instance coal and grain. If they raised the rates equally on grain and coal, it would not hurt the grain but might the coal. Ho did not find that the Government had ascertained for what they could carry a ton of goods over a mile of railway, not carrying any under this, and leaving the quantity to pay, if only a small profit were realised. He should not like to see the solo consideration the cost of the railway, but what the goods would bear as a cost of carrying. He did not see this attended to by the Government in any way, but it, was the first thing looked to by a railway traffic manager in England. If they put the same rates on all goods, some traffic would be killed. An instance of this appeared in the paper that morning, with regard to sand from Eaiapoi, If they carried traffic at a profit however small it would be a pity to kill it. He agreed with the report of the committee, but he wanted to see the idea of what the traffic would bear, and not the main cost of the lines, taken into consideration.

Mr Wright said that he thought Canterbury would bo placed at great disadvantage by many points in the new tariff. Mr Stead said ho would like to point out some discrepancies in the new tariff. The smallest quantity of coal that you could send would cost 10s. This would include sand, coal, and bricks. While this was the case, valuable goods could be sent in much smaller quantities—as small as one-tenth of a ton. The President said tho committee had left out of their consideration the original cost of the railways, because this new tariff was for tho whole of the colony. Mr Cuff said he took it that tho committee had brought before tho Government the alterations necessary to be made in the tariff. Tho President said that this was practically tho case. Tho motion was then put and agreed to. The President said that the Chamber would be glad to hear the views of any member who had looked through the tariff, as no doubt the tariff affected them differently, Mr Stead moved—“ That a copy of the report of the committee be forwarded to the Canterbury members of tho Ministry, Hons. John Hall and Wm. Bolleston.” Mr H, Thomson seconded the motion. Mr C. W. Turner said that he should like to sea the report sent to all the Canterbury members.

Mr Stead said this tariff had been concocted by Messrs Conyers and Lawson, and though the Government had not thought it right to keep them, they had retained their tariff.

On the suggestion of Mr Tumor, the resolution was amended so as to read that copies of the report be forwarded to all the Canterbury members. The meeting then adjourned.