PUBLIC MEETING.

Waikato Times, Volume VIII, Issue 474, 3 June 1875, Page 2

PUBLIC MEETING.

A meeting was held atoheVlriterion Hotel, Otahuhu, on Tuesday night, jqr flbe jtarpose of considering the carrying rates>^n\he\^uckland and Mercer railway.^ * mflrY >jl\ Mr JohV*WaNace, <sf*TSfc s_BusE/'s _BusE/' occupied the chair. In inning remafc-ks ibe sfid that they •were all awafe^that the want o?"a ready means of conveying their produce to market had been one of the greatest hindrances to the farmers of the Province of Auckland. They were led to expect that on the completion of the line they would be able to send their produce to market for considerably less than it cost them by the old mode of conveyance, through the mud. Now that the line bad been opened, however, many of them fonnd that they could send their goods to town cheaper by the old way than by the rail. Th*y were all aware of the vast amount of money paid- 'for interest or* the cost of construction of these railways, and that in the future there would be a heavy burden for interest, and it seemed only reasonable that they should endea*mirto induce the Government to alter their presenfl^iMi Tate\ £toa fcfeeduce them to such a scale as would eiiab% the \ettWs to use the 1 ailway with benefit to themselves and advantage to the country generally. There were gentlemen present who could tell the meeting that they lived within half-a-mile of some of the stations out there, and yet had to pay more to get their produce to market by railway than it cost them to send it by drays. There were at the present time goods - flour and pollard — lying at the railway station on which freight had baen paid, and in reference to which the mode of delivery had been that the bags had been-tkrovtoj dyer and exposed to the weather. Mr Wi^iaJ^ (gtoo^lfellW said he had three resolutions to propose* which 8§ would read to the meeting. - The first was, — " That in the opinion of this meeting the second class single fares from Penrose to Mercer and all the intervening stations are far too high." The second resolution was, — " All trains to and from Auckland Penrose carrying passengers six miles for 9d, or l|d per mile. Fare to Otahuhu, 9 miles, is Is 6d. The six miles to Penrose is 9d, which is equal^to 9d for three miles from Penrose^oNOt&buhu, or 3d. per mile — an increase of 100 per dexitb 'To Pap^oitoi there is an increase of from 66 to'lOsf>er cent. ,TBe same remarks will apply to the freight, which is from 50 to 100 per cent, too high." The third resolution was to the following effect : — " That in the opinion of this meeting there should be a uniform charge of one penny per mile, as at present, with return tickets. At any rate single fares should in no case exceed lid per mile, as at present on the Auckland and Penrose line." The resolutions, after% some discussion, were carriedk s v >^ - *