CORN EXCHANGE.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2315, 5 September 1881, Page 3

CORN EXCHANGE.

The adjourned meeting of the members of the above was held on Saturday afternoon. Mr Bruce occupied the chair, and read a number of statistics to show that the driving of stock was far cheaper than transmitting them by rail, and also a comparative statement of the charges for carrying grain in America and hero. The Chairman urged upon the meeting the necessity of some action being taken to urge the Government to alter the tariff. —Mr Miln stated that he had sold a thousand bushels of wheat delivered st the Styx mill, and he found it would cost Id per bushel to take it by rail. He had therefore preferred to cart it, and the saving of this paid men’s wages and all expenses.—Captain Willis said that ho desired to point out that in all eases the Government had crippled the agricultural interest* by the prohibitive tariff, and concluded his remarks by asking the meeting to band themselves together to get justice from the Government to tho farming interest.—Mr Peryman said that he might state that on the Ellesmere line alone there would be 185,700 bushels of wheat for export, which would cost the farmers £2297 7s 6d to take it to Lyttelton. This was only on a small section of the line. In Australia they charged 5s per ton, including terminal charges, for thirty-two miles, whilst on the New Zealand lines they paid tho same for twelve miles. Captain Willis mentioned a case in which empty barrels were charged twice as much as tho same barrels filled with water.—Mr Henderson spoke of the prohibitive rates on the railway, and said that it had been suggested that a circular should be sent round to those who used the railway largely to show how much stock, grain, &0., would have come on the line had the tariff been reasonable.— Mr Rennie suggested that the Government should be petitioned at once on the subject of a reduction of the tariff for the carriage of grain.—The Chairman read a letter from Mr Mathias, approving of the proposed reduction in the price of carrying stock, and expressing his opinion that the present idea of the Railway Department was to make the railways look well on paper at the expense of the farming interest. He (the chairman) approved of the plan proposed by Mr Henderson. This was tho only way they could give facta which, as the Government had a skin as thick as a rhinoceros, was necessary. The circulars should be sent out as early as possible. The chairman referred at some length to what he termed tho misleading telegrams which appeared in the daily papers as to the London grain market, and suggested that they should co-operate to have telegrams of their own. Not one of the public telegrams wore reliable.—Mr Henderson moved —“That circulars be printed and sent out to all those,' using the railway largely, asking for particulars of stock likely to have been sent by railway instead of roads, had the tariff for carriage of stock been reasonable.— Mr Gammack seconded the motion, —Mr Bateman explained the reductions mads in the railway tariff of New South Wales and Victoria, showing a vast comparison with the New Zealand rates, though the cost of formation of the lines in Australia was very much in excess of that in New Zealand.—Mr Mcßeath urged the immediate forwarding of the petition of the farmers to tho Government. Ho thought they would waste a lot of valuable time by sending out the circulars. He should like to see a sub-committee appointed to draw up a report to be forwarded to-the Government. He would move this as an amendment, and that the Chairman, Messrs Peryman, Gammack, Rennie, Henderson, and Bateman act as the sub-committee to draw up the petition, to be signed by tho chairman and sent up to the Government. — This was agreed to. —Mr Henderson stated that he had to report tho following : —Prom Southbridgo to drive 300 sheep cost £3 10s, whilst by road the same number would cost £"’ Ss. Prom Ashburton the comparison £6 ss; rail, £l2 12s 9d. Fifteen likVJ of cattle from Ashburton to drive would cost £2 Bs, and by rail £5 10s 6d ; for fifty head, by road £3 3s, and by rail £l6 11s 6d; from Rangiora, by road £2 2s 6d, and b • rail £7 10a.—The meeting then adjourned f , \week.