FREIGHT ON SHEEP.

Kawhia Settler and Raglan Advertiser, Volume IV, Issue 202, 31 March 1905, Page 2

FREIGHT ON SHEEP.

(to the editor,) - Sir,—l regret that owing to my Bounce from Kawhia I was not present at a meeting held to discuss matters pertaining to our port with Mr Ranson. The question was raised how the charges of Is Bd. per head foe sheep was arrived at. The following are details of the items: Steamer charges Is, wharfage at Kawhia Id, at Onebunga landing 2d, total Is Bd. I enclose consignee's account for that amount. As we are unable io pay freight here, hence tbe consignee bos to pay the demand. No doubt the N.S.S. Co. has met us in many ways; it seems only a few years ago that a monthly visit of the steamer was all that we required, now we have a weekly service ; when the steamer Game monthly the goods were distributed by canoes, now we have six launches aud their time is fairly well occupied. I thine, with others, that the time has arrived for us to be put on the same footing as residents of other ports are on with regard to payment of freight. It causes no end of inconvenience all freights to Kawhia having to be prepaid, and unless one has an agent in other ports we are practically debarred from shipping from our own port by the N.S.S. Go. Independently of the charges for the transit of sheep there is a great risk to stock sent by the Kia Ora. Some time ago I shipped 200 sheep to Onebunga, and out of that number there were three unsaleable. This wm not due to any fault of the offioerf or crew, who exercised every care, but to the fact that the boat is not the most suitable- for carrying stock. So what with losses and charges the total is somewhat too heavy. During the last 12 months I have sold a large number of sheep, about a thousand of which reached the Auckland Freezing Works. Possibly if the shipping charges were less and the accommodation had been lietter they would have gone by water instead of overland.— Yours, eto„ W. A. MASON. [The consignees’ note which Mr Mason forwards for our perusal shows: Freight and charges £lO 10s 5d ; landing, £1 ISs 4d ; wharfage, 16s Bd. The shipment numbered 200 head, of which 197 were sold, the others being accounted for as ' one cripple, in paddock,* and ‘ two cripples iu paddeck, nearly dead.’—Ed. B.] >