BY ROAD OR RAIL?

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4482, 20 October 1922, Page 1

BY ROAD OR RAIL?

PAEROA-WAIHI FREIGHT WAR.

THE CHARGES, COMPARED.

PUBLIC MEETING HELD.

in response to the Mayor’s l Invitation a largely attended meeting of local carriers and business people took place at the Waihi Borough Chambers on Tuesday evening, Mr Donaldson presiding. The chairman, in introducing the business, said that they had met for the purpose of discussing the question of road versus railway traffic between Paeroa and Waihi. It would be well to first discover to what extent, if apy, road traffic would benefit the town. It was' not merely the traffic Op the road; other matters were involved in the issue, such as the possibility of a lessened railway service, and also the increase of the burden on the bprougfoin the upkeep of the road. He believed that the shipping company at present enjoyed an advantage of being able to land all its goods at Paerpa free of wharfage charges. This happy condition might unfortunately be terminated as the result of early ''legislation contemplated and dealing with the Wai-hou-Ohinemuri Rivers Improvement Scheme. He considered that if anything could be suggested whereby the local carriers might not be seriously injured, and at the same time the rest of the town be benefited, then the time of the meeting would not ne waited. The Mayor then intimated that the local stationmaster, Mr J, J. Hoddinott, was present at his invitation, and he called upon him to give particulars of the railway traffic and charges as' compared with the road freights. CASE FOR RAILWAYS.

Mr Hoddinott said he" was pleased to have the opportunity of being present and to afford whatever inforpiation he could concerning his department to the public. He had gone into the question of freights with a number of tradesmen, and he had found that in a number of cases much more was paid in freight by road, than if the goods came by rail. He gave two instances in support of this, first, where a man imported 4 tons 6cwt of potatoes and onions. The cost of freight by steamer and road was €5 8s 9d. By rail right through from Auckland it would have been £3 13s 3d, thus effecting a saving of £1 15s 6d, The second illustration was one by which a man paid £9 8s freight by road, while the same goods could have been landed for £5 5s by rail, a difference in favour of the railway of £4 3s. Continuing, the speaker said that an importer was liable to be misled by the road charges, in that the shipping company received all case goods by measurement. He had worked out the weight of a ship’s cargo, which showed that in actual weight only Bcwt went to the ton, so that it followed that the person .receiving goods via the road paid at the measurement rate of a full ton. while on the railway the dead weight only was paid for. Mr Hoddinott further said that he was' prepared to t.ake the invoices of the local business men and check them off with the railway tariff. This, he was satisfied, would disclose the advantage of the railway freights as compared with those by road.

v The chairman expressed the opinion that the stationmaster’s offer was a_ good and very fair one, and he thought the meeting should take advantage of it. In the meantime he would ask any gentleman present to state the class of goods which paid better by road transit than by railway.

f TRADESMEN’S VIEWS. One storekeeper mentioned sugar. He said that he could land sugan at his shop by road at 20fe per ton, as against the cost by rail of 22s at the VZaihi railway station.. Added to this amount was 5s per ton for cartage from the station to his shop. Such commodities as benzine'and kerosene cost by rail 35s' fon 25 case lots, as against 24s for a similar service over the road. A consignment of fencing wire, it was stated by another business man, cost 33s by rail, whereas the same quantity was conveyed over the road for 30s. This speaker also emphasised the advantage of the toad traffic because of its 1 quick and direct transit. He admitted, however;, that all case , goods could come over the railway with much' greater advantage, particularly biscuits and all light merchandise. Another storekeeper men.tiohed that he had received a ton and a quarter bf iron by which a saving of 12s was made in freight charges by the road traffic, but, he said, some case goods arriving after lost him mbre than he had saved on the consignment of iron. Further discussion took place as to whether the Waihi Borough Council should not impose a fairly st|ff tax on motors engaged in the transit of goods because of their weight causing excessive wear and tear on the roads and bridges. It was pointed out that a loaded lorry would probably weigh between seven and eight tons.

After further discussion the chairman intimated that so far the conference had indicated that there was an advantage ,as regards the transit by road of certain goods, but when case goods were taken into account the actual benefit to storekeepers appeared to vanish. He regretted also that as the road traffic was not at all likely to make any appreciable reduction in the costs of goods no benefit could accrue to the local ratepayers. As to the future action of the storekeepers it was impossible for the meeting to interfere. He considered that the Items specially mentioned as coming cheaper by road should be enumerated

in a report, and forwarded to the traffic manager of railways, Auckland, with a view to seeing if the Department would take any action in the matter.—Daily Telegraph.