The Wairarapa Daily. MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 1885. THE RAILWAY FREIGHT TARIFF.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 2076, 24 August 1885, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 1885. THE RAILWAY FREIGHT TARIFF.

The freight tariff in use on the New Zealand railways has been the subject of very serious complaint since the new regulations came in force, and its unpopularity has already been fairly demonstrated by the tact that during the last two months there liaß been a falling off in the revenue at the rate of very nearly £IOO,OOO per annum. As this is the slack season ofthe year, there neither wool nor grain to carry, station-holders still have their winter supplies to draw upon, it may reasonably be expected that the total decrease for (he twelve mouths will be far greater limn the sum named, The effect of the rale on wool, so far aa the Wairarapa-Wellington line is concerned, has just been brought before us in a somewhat startling manner by an advertisementfrom Messrs Hercook & Tapun, carriers, which appears in anothercolumn. They announce that thev are pre| ared to take wool to Wellington by wagon, at three pence less per bale than is charged by the railway. This is not a case in which the road can compete with the railway because the distance is short, for it is seventy-one miles from Masterton to Wellington. Mr Hercock informs us that ten years ago he carted wool from the Taratahi to Wellington at six aliillinga per bale and he calculates that heeannowdoso from Masterton at areasonaldeprolit. He.ofcourse.calculateaon return freight, which would be so much the more out of the pockets of the railway, But this fact is not by anv means the most serions. partj of the question. Large quantities of wool are grown in the Whareama district, and this,. with reduced freight, world all come to Masterton. The railway charges are, however, absolutely prohibitive in this case, and the oonsequence is that all this wool—probably about two thousand hales—goes to Oastlepoint tor shipment, and, as a matter of course, the return freight goes the some way. If the stations were all close to the coast this would be nothing more than might he expected. Some of them, however, are as much as twenty-five miles inland, and the land carriage to and from them is therefore an expensive item. If the Public Works Department were to reduce the freight on wool to four shillings, which it is calculated, would still leave a fair'profit, all tljis wool would find its way to Wellington by rail in place of by water, and the return freight would go tho same way, Tho runholders in the Whareama find that this question is one of considerable importance, and they are considering the advisableness of presenting a petition to the Minister of Public Works on tho subject. It is not only a serious one for them, however, for the tradesmen of the town of Masterton are equally interested, and they should therefore support the runholders in whatever steps they may tako,