[ENCLOSURES]. Wartle, East Hamilton, Waikato, April 25, 1881. To the Managers of the Railways of New Zealand,—

Waikato Times, Volume XVI, Issue 1403, 30 June 1881, Page 3

[ENCLOSURES]. Wartle, East Hamilton, Waikato, April 25, 1881. To the Managers of the Railways of New Zealand,—

Sir,— l have this day paid the exorbi» tant sum of £28 6s 4d for the carriage of 23 tons 18 cwfc. of guano from Auckland to Hamilton. The guano wag charged under the head of merchandise instead of under the same head as bones and agricultural produce. I hope you will give directions for the' overcharge to be returned. I believe the guano was invoiced to Captain Steele, having been bought for me by Captain Steele. — I am, Sir, yours truly, Jos. J. Bartjgh.

Railway Department, Head Office, Wellington, May 4, 1881. Si ••, — -I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your letter of April 25th, 1881, addressed to the General Manager, complaining of excessive charge for carriage of guano from Auckland to Hamilton. The General Hanager will institute enquiries.—l have the honor to be, Sir, your obedient servant, . .. . N. W. Webby, . . ,'. Under-Secretary for Railways. J, J. Barugh, •. ' • -Wartle, East Hamilton, •'-'J 'Auckland.

v/ . If ew Zealand Railways, Head Office, Wellington, May 17, 1881. , if Sir, — "V^ithjfurbher,, reference * 0 your letter of A^ril 24th, last, the ,Gj3neral Manager desires me' to' say that be regrets his inability to refund, the legal' rate only having been charged j he has, however,

arranged to amend the classification with a view to making the charge more reasonable in the future. This alteration will be gazetted at once. — I have the honor to be, Sir, your obedient servant, N. W. Werry, Under-Secretary for Kail ways. J. J. Babugh, Esq., Wartle, Bast Hamilton, Waikato.

Warfcle, East Hamilton, May 26, 1881. To the Manager of the Railways of New Zealand, — Sir, — When I wrote my letter of April 25th, respecting the extortionate charge of £28 5s 4d for the carriage !of 23 tons 16 cwt. of guano from Auckland to Hamilton, I quite understood that charge was in a certain sense legal, but that the sanction for its legality was not any tariff laid down by the Legislature of New Zealand, but the will of the General Manager of the Railways. I was told at the station at Hamilton that neither there nor at Auckland could the absurd incongruity in railway charges be rectified ; that the entire construction of the tariff proceeded from Wellington, and that from Wellington alone could I receive redress. The letter from your office of May 17th is a distinct admission of the injustice of the charge, but the gazetting of the change in tariff will not repay me. It only makes the injustice more justly irritating to one newly arrived from England, who could not possibly know the crooked inconsistencies of New Zealand railway tariffs. As the only legality or illegality connected with the tariff is the will of the General Manager, I trust that you will give directions for the overcharge to be returned to me. — 1 am, Sir, yours truly, Jos. J. Barugh.