The Wairarapa Daily. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 1889.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 3187, 24 April 1889, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 1889.

Railway Management. vfrThere is one task which. the Railway Commissioners do not appear to face, namely, the simplificf.tion of the railway tariff, Indeed, judging by recent alterations made by them it is likely to become more bewildering than evor, To understand it at present requires something like an expert, for none but those who have frequent business on the lines know anything about it. A recent alteration is meant to enable farmers to send produce to market at a much reduced rate, and so far the Commissioners haye certainly acted with a good dbal of forethought. They have, however, divided produco into classes in a most extraordinary way. For instance, if a person sends a loose cheese, or a ham, it goes at a certain rate as coming under Class II; but if he wijb.es to send two cheeses, or two hams, packed together, he will find that they must bo paid for upon another scale and go under Class 111. And if he sends half a ton of grass seed ho will find that ho has to pay a higher rate of freight than if he sends two tons, whereby the large dealer gets a considerable advantage over the small one, We feel assured that these matters could be very much simplified and arranged on a more equitable basis, without loss to the Department, and to tho great convenience of the public. The rules under which the passenger traffic is conducted also appear to be in urgent need of revision, An instance which involved 'some hardship has just been brought under our notice, On the day the railway was opened to Eketahuna, Mr Vaughan, of Upper Manaia, took tickets for himself and family at Kurupuni, His starting place being a flag station, he had to go on to Masterton before he could obtain his excursion tickets. All went well until the train returned to Masterton whore Mr Vaughan naturally went to purohase tickets to Kuripuni, anticipating no difficulty in tho matter. His surprise when he was told that no tickets could be issued to flag stations, is more easily imagined than described. The officers of the Department to .whom he .applied had their instructions upon the subject, and could not depart from them, so Mr Vaughan had to take hie wife and family by the hand and walk with thorn for a distance of four miles, simply because the train could not put him down in the evening whero lie had got on in the morning. We are certainly astounded that such things should be allowed to exist in a department of the Publio Service which was created as muoh for the convenience of the public as for profit to the Colonial Exoheijuer, Perhaps theso matters will come under the notice of the Commissioners, who will then have an opportunity of attending to them.'