NEW RAILWAY CHARGES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2167, 24 August 1920, Page 3

NEW RAILWAY CHARGES.

EARLS AND FREIGHTS 1 * JUMP UP

Wellington, Last Night. The revised railway charges involve an increa.se on the ordinary passenger rates of one-fourth over the 1014 ralo. which is a 7 per cent, rise on the present rales. • There is an all-round increase of 2s on excursion fares. Suburban rales have been completely recast. Single faros have been increased a penny in the shilling, returns being single fare and a half. Threepence is added to the weekly workers’ tickets. The biggest charges are in the

goods revision, providing that, except in eases of broad, Hour, fresh milk, milk, meat, tea and sugar, which are increased by one-tenth, and wheat increased by one-fifth.

All goods and live .-lock rates, haulage storage and demurrage have * been increased by two-fifths, while further increases are imposed by altering the classification of frozen meat from D to C, from E to D. Rates for parcels, horses and carriages have been increased by one-third, and timber has been increased by one-seventh. The* analvsed ' reclassification of

butter, cheese, frozen meal and Hour is the most important departure

from Iho existing 1 freight schedule, sis it involves a, greater increase than 40 per cent, over pre-war rates imposed on other lines of goods traffic. The effect of the classifiing of butter and cheese as class I) instead of E. and frozen meat as G instead of D,'and flax as I) instead of E, is shown at a glance by the following comparison, revealing how new charges will operate on one ton of any of these commodities over a distance of 100 miles: — Present rate. New rate. £ s. d. £ s. d. Frozen meat 112 1 2 6 7 Butter 0 .17 (> 1 1!) 0 Cheese * 017 (i IIS ft Flax - 0 17 (b 1 10 !> Hitherto these lines have been carried at a much cheaper rale 1 than general merchandise. They still have a great advantage, owing (o the policy of encouraging primary production, but the gap has been reduced hy their fresh classification, Unis butter freight on one ton on a 100 miles has been increased by £1 2s 3d a ton, while class B rates, in which many lines of hardware and other merchandise are placed, shows an increase of 7s OUI per lon per 100 miles, the; former rate <m one ton for 100 miles Ifiiving been £2 10s 3d, and the new rale £2 17s Old. Timber traffic is specially encoiirag"ed by a limited increase of ahouf 14 per cent, over pre-war rates, compared with a 44) per ecu!, advance on most: classes of traffic.