The Queen of the South.

Manawatu Herald, 8 June 1899, Page 2

The Queen of the South.

At the sitting: of the Conciliation * Board on T^^^'ltfr'Pl^Oß'^oke in regard to the steamers Queen of the South -and Wakatu^ S&ld 4hat generally he- c^fild'^^Ng wbit had been said for ~btheir owners. ' th the Foxton trade he found that since 1897 there had been a reduction in freight rates of 2s 6d per ton for goods going beyond Foxton by rail. In the hemp trade the freight in 1897 w as 12s 6d per ton ; it was now ios. This had come about largely in consequence of the competition of the railway. His firm could not dictate to the railway people what rates they should charge. -^ On cargo for Foxton the rate was also ios per ton. But if cargo was consigned to places beyond Foxton, tbe firm had now to take it at 28 6d per ton less than it used to get. Of

course, his firm had also, on account of the railway competition, lost a good deal of the trade it used to have with Foxton. Then again in the East Coast trade there had been a reduction in the freight rates of is per bale on undumped wool, and of 6d per bale on dumped wool. The same men were on the Queen of the South now as when his firm purchased her. Mr Jones (who represented the Seaman's Union) : They have one of the * best boats on the coast. But would you be surprised to hear that three crews have cleared out from the Wakatu during the last three months ? Mr Pearce : I did not know it. Mr Jones said it was a fact. Someone remarked that that was tbe same as the Hinemoa. Mr Tones said it was the trade the men did not like.— N,Z. Times.