Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY. JULY 1, 1879. THE MANAWATU WHARF.

Manawatu Herald, Volume I, Issue 87, 1 July 1879, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY. JULY 1, 1879. THE MANAWATU WHARF.

In the New Zealand Times of Friday last, the following paragraph occurs : — The following will be the wharfage rates at the Foxton and East Town wharves, in connection with the Wanganui- Manawatu railway: — Goods of all kinds, at per ton, 2s. 6d. ; receiving and delivering, at per ton, Is. ; timber (white pino), at per ICO superficial feet, Id. ; timber (other), at per 100 superficial feet, 3d. ; cattie and horses, per head, 6d. ; sheep, pigs, goats, &c, per head, 2d. ; wool, per bale, Gd. ; drays, carriages, &0., four wheels, 5g. ; di-aya, carriages, &c, two wheels, '2s. (id. Timber remaining* over one week to be charged 2d. per 100 feet superficial per week. Upon reoding the above, our faith in official promises received a most severe shock. Ever since this jour-, nal was started, we . have systematically advocated a reclassification of the wharf rates, and a great reduction upon many articles. As far back as September 10 of last year, we pointed out that wharfage rates upon goods sent or received by rail were 150 per cent, higher at Foxton than at Waitara ; also, that storage at Foxton was fourtien hundred per cent dearer than at Waitara or Kaipara ; that sheep, pigs, and goats were charged 50 per cent, higher wharfage here than at any other port; whilst wool was also charged at the same exorbitant rates. We also pointed out that whilst Picton pays ls.6d per ton wharfage on grain, Foxton is charged 2s 6d ; and that Foxton pays 2s 6d per ton on coal, whilst Picton charges are only Is. These were serious charges to make, but every one of them was proved by references to authorised scales of wharfage. The object of the Govern ment should be to equalise the rates throughout the Colony. If any distinction is made at all, districts like Manawatu, which haye a splendid country and are sparsely-populated, should be so assisted as to enable them, to forge their way ahead. But we regret to say, the very, opposite of this has been the case, so far as our wharf rates are concerned, and the action of the authorities shows that they are willing to squeeze the last dropof blood outof this district, provided the Colonial Treasurer is enabled thereby to show a larger return. We have said that oar faith in official promises received a severe shock. Those promises were given on December sof last year. On that day, a deputation of business people waited upon Mr Lawson, Commisi sioner of Railways .for the North Island, regarding matters connected with Ms department. Glancing over the report, we find that A member of the deputation pointed out . the unfair nature of the wharf charges, as co schedule had been drawn up, and upon I all goods of whatever kind a lump sum of 8s 6d was charged. Mr Lawson was not hitherto awe re that . such : was the ease, but thought it a great , injustice. Immediately upon his return to ; Wellington, be would have tbe matter * gone into and rectified. He thought it j absutd to charge 3s 6d per ton wharfage on coals. We also remember that Mr Kotheram, who was present, distinctly

stated that he had forwarded a draft I schedule of wharf charges to the department, including a classification of goods, but had heard nothing of it. Then, again, on April 3of tho present year, when the same matter of wharf charges was brought before Mr Macandrew, ho stated tbat " anything in that line Mr Lawson, who was an expert, recommended, he would agree to. He would moke a note of it." In view of these quotations, it is extremely humiliating to know that after allthe agitation made and promises given, the only altera tion made in the scale of wharfage rates is the reduction of that on white pine from 3d to li. It will therefore be seen that the whole of the anomalies in whaif charges we have pointed out are to be perpetuated. A ton of sugar is to pay precisely the same wharfage as a ton of coal. "We look upon it as a strange coincidence that the white pine has been dropped 2d precisely at the time that the East Town Wharf is proclaimed a Railway wharf. This East Town wharf is a structure near Wanganui, at which a large quantity of white pine timber has been shipped during the past twelve months. No wharfage has hitherto been charged at it, and this of course suited the Wanganui timber merchants very well, as they evaded all wharf dues. But the thing had grown to such an extent that notice had to be taken of it, and directly the necessity for declaring it a regular wharf becomes so palpable that it cannot be ignored any longer, the rates are lowered by about 66 per cent iv order to make the charges as nearly nil as possible Of course in this Foxton shares. It could hardly be otherwise, though after the flagrant disregard of promises which has taken place, we should not have been at all surprised if the penny wharfage had been fixed exclusively for East Town. We anticipate the people of Manawatu will not stand idly by under this last show of official humbugging. They have asked for bread, and verily they have received a stone. They have asked for justice, and the injustice of which they complain is in the coolest manner repeated. They have asked to be placed on a position of equality wi'h other ports, and their plea is treated with contempt. They have waited patiently for a year, and find that their patience is made the ground of continued illtreatment, and that they only receive a crumb of justice when Wanganui is to be benefitted.