RAILWAY AND MOTOR COMPETITION.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 2857, 12 March 1925, Page 3

RAILWAY AND MOTOR COMPETITION.

TRANSPORT OF TALLOW.

Mr D. Rodie, commercial manager of the N.Z. Railways, waited upon the Palmerston N. Borough Council on Tuesday re transport of tallow. He stated that the railways could not reduce its freight as low as the motor or ship, but there were other considerations which should weigh with the Council in supporting the railways. Mr Rodie said the Railways Department was concerned by the fact that the abbattoirs department of the Council was sending its tallow by motor to Foxton, thence by ship to Wellington, while the people’s own' transport service was running past its door. He pointed out that the motor lorries damaged the roads to an extent quite beyond that commensurated with the fees . that were paid for them, and the people in three ways: First they paid sufficient to ensure the motor owner a profit; secondly, they paid for the damage to the roads and thirdly they paid for the loss sustained by the Railways Department through luck of patronage. On the other hand, the Railways Department was prepared to place the transport on a more reliable footing and at reasonable rates. The railways were here to stay, whereas the motors would carry stuff only so long as it paid the owners to do so, and would desert the customer as soon as the carriage of goods became a losing proposition. If this state of affairs continued, the railways would lose all the profitable goods and would be compelled to carrying the losing goods alone, necessitating a rise in freight rates. “In time of drought and floods,” the speaker continued, “the Department has always assisted the farmers. It carried stock to higher levels and dry places in floods and carried fodder to the stricken districts in the drought—all free of charge. I question whether the motors would do as much. At the time of the railway strike, there was an indication that they wanted to raise the rates rather than assist.”

Cr. M. A. Elliott explained that the Council saved 17/(5 per ton by sending the tallow through Foxton, and as the yearly export was in the vicinity of 200 tons, this meant a saving of £175 annually. Would the Railway Department be prepared to make a special reduction if the Council patronised the line he asked. The freight by rail to Wellington was £2 4/4 per ton at' the present time, and although it was recognised that for some of the winter months that the motors would not be on the roads, the Department had made concessions to others where the business warranted it

Mr llodie said the comparison between the rail and the motor was not fair, and it was a question as to how for Ibis fact was going to influence the Council in its decision. “We cannot get as low as the motor,” he said. “You can take that right away. Neither can we come as low as the ship, for the ship has no road to maintain.”

On being asked if the Department would charge the Council the same rate as the Longburn Freezing Works, Mr Rodie said it would, providing the Council put the goods on the trucks at Longburn. The railways gave no preference to anyone, but made concessions between certain places, in which anyone could participate. The freight from Longburn was £1 15/10, and that from Palmerston N. £2 4/4, a difference of 8/(5. After further discussion a compromise was effected under which the Council will deliver the tallow to Longburn station and from there will participate in a reduced freight rate to Wellington. Even then, it will cost the Council 5/- per ton more than it did to send through Foxton —excluding the cost of cartage to Longburn. The Mayor pointed out that he was pleased to see that the Department had at last awakened to its responsibility and the people should also be pleased.