RAILWAY MANAGEMENT.

Waikato Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1558, 29 June 1882, Page 3

RAILWAY MANAGEMENT.

TO THE EDiTOK. Sin, — I see various complaints about the mismanagement of the Government railway. I have some yeais ago sufteied from the same, and since have got c\eiything by Thames and Piako steamers, my trade being tons by these ior ounces by Hamilton and the railway. Another reason was the manner in which the main road has been laid out, by which we are 26 miles from Hamilton, while the surveyed railway is only 19 miles. A much shorter and better road could have been made at less cost, even without using the celebrated Piako swamp road, which cost the country 40,000 acres of land yeais ago, and has never been traversed yet by horse or dray. I can imagine reasons for these devious ways ; but there is no doubt that they and the first survey and construction and subsequent management of the railway, while injuring the opening tip of the country, by creating artificial impediments instead of the best means of access, greatly tend to create aud perpetuate the depression of trade in Hamilton, and the depreciation of the value of the property there, for my case is ' one of many. One instance : I had recently occasion to get a small steam engine to drive my chaffeutter, and, fearing the want of appliances to unload and load from the steamers at Aroha and on the .waggon, I had it sent by rail to Hamilton,' where, after all, my man and friends and only the stationmaster had to do it without appliances, and though the weight was only 1 ton llcwt., and was only half-a-truek load, I was charged £3 6s 3d, double what would be the cost by steainer.toAroha, whence I could have gqfit'inaday, instead of in three from Hamilton,! 'and about as much as the freight from JLondon to Auckland. I understand that the hire of a truck from Auckland to Hamilton is about £2, aud I suppose t.he above preposterous charge is ' the means which a paternal, or maternal Government takes _to encourage settlers ' tpj^raocu;re t improved implements ' and i miScnlnery to enable them more economically Sand > efficiently to carry- on their farming operations and the improvements ;s^nfealHw¥el)f thetn' to'b'ear the' heavy geoena aud lorn. taxfttiou wUich all Uave

to pay, while from the expenditure by the Government the benefits are unequal, partial find unfair.— l am, etc., Wm. Archd. Murray. Annandale, Piako, June 26, 1882.