ASHBURTON COUNTY COUNCIL.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2108, 25 November 1880, Page 3

ASHBURTON COUNTY COUNCIL.

The monthly meeting of the Ashbnrton County Council was held on Wednesday. Present—Messrs Walker (chairman), Coster, Wright, Jackson, Bnllook, Grigg, Cameron. The Chairman road a statement of the business to be laid before the Council, and also the engineer’s report. He also read the report of the sub-committee appointed to consider the new railway tariff, and said that the report had been sent to the manager of railways and a reply received from him. The reply was to the" effect that ho did not think the grain tariff any great hardship on the people of Ashburton, as lit was identical with that which existed till last December, under which the grain traffic grew at an enormous rate. The chairman continued to say that the reply of Mr Maxwell, the manager of railways, was simply absurd, and showed he had no idea of the matter at all. Ho hoped they would not let it drop until the tariff was placed on a satisfactory basis. He would move the adoption of the report. Mr Wright regretted that when Government got rid of Mr Commissioner Conyers they did not get rid of his amended tariff also, so that the new manager might have some chance of showing what he could do with it. Mr Maxwell’s assertion that the grain traffic flourished under a similar tariff was an absurdity. He would quote some figures which he had prepared to show the injustice of the tariff. From the 7th of January, 1880, to the 18th of September, 1880, 255 days, the receipts and expenditure on the undermentioned lines were as follow : Section. Miles. Receipts. Expenditure. £ e. d. £ s. d. Christchurch 127 178,888 12 8 86,732 11 10 Oxford 8r... 22 3,680 13 11 3,471 011 Eyroton Br. 21 1,903 11 1 2,275 11 10 S o uthbridge Branch ... 25 8,937 15 9 6,467 18 9 Springfield to White Cliffs ... 42 9,034 13 1 7,281 17 2 £202,545“4 6£106,325 11 1 This left a profit of £96,219 13s sd. The original cost of constructing the railways was : Christchurch Section ... £1,450,020 Oxford ~ ... 79,389 Eyreton ~ .... 66,696 Southbridga ~ ... 116,889 Springfield „ ... 117,751 £1,830,745 This was according to the returns supplied by Mr Blair to the Railway Commission, and he was sure it was in excess, as many things must have been charged to the Canterbury lines which were used elsewhere. Allowing the profit on these lines for twelve months at the earns rate as it was for the 255 days above referred to, it would yield an interest of per cent, upon the cost of construction. Or taking the Christchurch section without the branch lines, it would yield an interest of £9 Is lid per cent, on the cost of construction. That being the case, the district was oontributing £45,000 per annum for the benefit of other railways, and under the now tariff they would be called upon to sacrifice about £IOO,OOO per annum. The only excuse for this was that the Ministry and those under them were totally ignorant of the way the railways were paying, and he would suggest to send circulars to every public body in Canterbury, calling upon them to assist in getting justice done. He was sure the Albury and Timaru lines would show similar results. The extravagant manner in which the late Commissioner managed the railways was shown by the fact that the reductions made the profits jump up from 3i to 9 l-10th per cent. The speaker then referred to some other anomalies of the tariff, stating that ho believed people would have to return to the waggons again. He seconded tho adoption of the report. Messrs Saunders, Grigg, Coster, and Cameron also epoko condemnatory of tho tariff ; after which tho report was adopted. In reference to a petition from Winslow landowners opposing the division of tho Longbeach Road district, the matter was referred to the Longbeach Bead Board, to call a general meeting of ratepayers to consider the matter. A committee, consisting of Messrs Grigg, Cameron, and Walker, was appointed to consider tho by-laws referring to pounds. The Council, after conducting some minor business, adjourned.

The annual meeting of the Council was held at noon for the purpose of electing a chairman, Mr Walker declined to allow himself 'Jx> be re-elected ; but, after a good deal of pressure being brought to bear, he yielded,'and was therefore re-elected for the ensuing year.