RAILWAY RATES AND THE W.S.N. COMPANY.

Waikato Times, Volume XIII, Issue 1105, 24 July 1879, Page 3

RAILWAY RATES AND THE W.S.N. COMPANY.

Sib,— Replying to Mr J. K. McDonald's letter, I beg to say that he makes a wilful mis-statement, Avhen ho says railway freight on gnano from Auckland to Hamilton is 16s lOd. Tho fact is, it is 20s 8d per ton, and the cost to the pnblio of freight on guano by the raihvay and river Avould be thus : — s. d. Rail to Hamilton .. .. 20 S Cartiug from station to ditto. 5 0 25 8 Company, per river, delivered free into stores in Hamilton 20 6 (Or value of carting off, 19b). Saving by river . . ... 5 8 This is where the shoo pinches. Mr MoDonaicl, who is a carter, lost the carriage of this guano from tho Railway Station, and so is riled. The guano really belongs to Mr John Runciman, who is not the man to pay higher to the Company, if he he could get it up here by rail. The public will, therefore, understand the virtuous indignation of Mr J. K. McDonald.— l am, &c, One Who Knows. P.S. — Did you ever notice, Sir, how when tho times are hard, and banks are putting on the screw, that, it is a dreadful offence to sheAV a person a freight Avaybill.

Sir,— There appeared in your paper, somo time back, a statement, that a Maori had lost money, and that it was returned to him, at the time Father Hennebury held his Mission here. It Avas sh'»Avn he had received the money back,and as restitution is only practically earned out in the Catholic Church, the conclusion was, a Catholic had stolen the native's money. There is an error on both sides of the question, as the Maori has not got his money back, and, most likely, the culprit will continue to keep it, except the police can trace the person out. You will.much oblige by inserting, in to -morrow's paper, the foregoing lines. — I am, &c, Faieflay.

Sib, — In your impression of yesterday, I see you refer to my having returned " all my grade sheep as oross-breds," and infer that I have been Avrong in so doing. Now, sir, I have always uhderstqod, and even yet think, that the term " Longwool" is only a general one, used for pure sheep of the Lincoln, Leicester and a few more breeds, in contra-distinction to "Short Wool, '.' such as Merino, Cheviot, &c. The sheep I returned as cross-breds, are got, for the most part, by a pure imported Lincoln ram, out of J and y-bred ewes. I call them cross-breds, and I respectfully submit that lam right. It is, I think, an accepted f act,that no amount of inbreed ing, even with pure rams, that has yet been done in New Zealand, can possibly __iiko*a -lock pure, or, as I call them "Longwool," hoAveA'er long their avool may be. Ido not think it is well to overrate one's sheep, any more than anything else, so I call my sheep "cross-breds." At the samo time, I am sure all sheepowners in Waikato will be glad to hear your definition of "LongAVOol" and " Cross-breds," for, no doubt, tliey Avill be valuable. — I am, &c, Robert Fehgusson. Gorton, July 18, 1879.