South Canterbury Times. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1880.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2406, 2 December 1880, Page 2

South Canterbury Times. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1880.

It is rumored—and there i.s reason to 'believe the rumor to be correct —that the railway tariff which was introduced, a few weeks ago is not only doomed, but that an inquest is being held on the rates, and that the mangled remains, in a new and imposing form, will speedily be brought before the public. Now, in the name of all that is fair and reasonable, what is the meaning of this twisting and turning, bending and yielding? Of all departments under Oovcrnmcnt control the Railway Department seems the most unhappy. Customs duties undergo revision annually, and however severely they may press, the burden once arranged remains undisturbed fur twelve months. Postal and telegraph rates, although they affect every man and woman in the colony, arc put up with uncomplainingly, and they have undergone no material alteration for years past. Put the charges for railway transit arc in a constant state of revision, and the result is not only irritating and unsatisfactory to all concerned, but exceedingly detrimental to the public revenue. The railways of the colony arc public property, and they ought to be worked in a rational manner, but what do we Jind ? Although they have been constructed, and are maintained at the cost of every man, woman, and child, they are made the subject of a constantly recurring scramble between divided interests. We have on different occasions referred to the railways as a millstone hung around the necks of the population. Properly managed the railways of the colony ought to bo a blessing, but

instead of that they are a source of severe loss, and they tend, quite as much as the wants of Taranaki and an overgrown Civil Service, to necessitate a vexatious load of taxation. The reason of this state of things is obvious. They are not regulated as they would be were they in the hands of a private company, neither arc they managed as they should be in the interests of the community to which they belong. Instead of being regarded and worked as

public property they arc at the beck and cull of every little commercial clique that chooses to get up an agitation. If proof of this is needed, we have only to call attention to the significant modifications of the railway tariff that preiodically take place. The tariff, like ginger beer in hot weather, is in a con-

tinual state of fermentation. Every time a change is made somebody’s toes arc trodden on, and forthwith a duel takes place between the department and the-aggrieved, ending invariably in the discomfiture of the former. This is a sad state of affairs. It shows plainly that the Railway Department in New Zealand lacks stability ; that it rests like Wellington on a most insecure basis. These tariff convulsions are peculiar to New Zealand. We never hear of them in any of the Australian colonies. The Ministers of Railways in Victoria and New South Wales are required to face formidable deputations occasionally, but they have not merely the courage of J their opinions, they have also the fearlessness to administer a severe rebuke when necessary. They listen patiently to the complaints of Messrs Sheepskins, Tallow, and Foot rot, and then they reply, “ Yes, gentlemen, you have a genuine grievance, and the department deeply sympathises, but the fact is, you see. that the railways being the property of the public, and not having been constructed for the special advantage of your firm or the important and magnificent interest that you represent, the department cannot regulate the tariff in accordance with your wishes.” This is the only honest and conscientious course that a Minister can pursue if he desires to act in an upright and independent manner. Here unfortunately the department is like a town pump : everyone that chooses to force his way through the crowd can enjoy a turn at the handle. It kisses the rod of the. the timber merchant; it licks the dust of the grain-store ; it plays second fiddle to Mr Rales and bis banker ; it draws in its horns to please the grazier and skin importer. The railways are networked as if they were the property of the public, they arc worked as if they belonged to the individuals who use them. No wonder they arc worked at a loss. What else can happen when the carriers submit to be coerced and ruled by the individuals who employ them ?