ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 599, 3 April 1878, Page 2

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

TO THK F.DITOR OV TUB EVENING MAIL. Sir, —Clan you info-in me how it is that the Railway IVpa-'mcnt can aff-rd to run truck-' tvo'ii C'linstchurch to St. Andrew.- in order to convey g-ai 11 from tht station to Chii~tchu'ch, a ili tance of 110 miles, or 220 there and 1> >ck, at about los or Ids. per ton. when the rate from St. Andrews to 0.-inmru —a distance of 40 miles, or not mnoh mote than one-thi d that from St. Andrews to C'hristchirch—is lis. 6 1.? There is a conviilurab'e disci epaney licre. and yet we are told that the I'epartment cannot afford to carry our grain at. a cheaner rate. Of course • hey cannot, if they favor the people on the Titnaru-Christrhurch line to such an extent. Not only is the price so much out of all proportion, hut there are about 13.000 tons of grain b tween We and St. Andrews, which would call into requ'sition about 500 trucks, waiting for transport; but w>> cannot, although we have to pay more than twice the freight rate, he served until our Canterbury neighbours have no further use for the trucks now wearing themselves out on their section of the lin>< wi hout any hope of thenearning sufficient money to kee:> them in repair, to say notlvng of paying for their successors.—l am, &c , Merchant.