UNIFORM RAILWAY RATES.

Waikato Times, Volume XX, Issue 1699, 26 May 1883, Page 3

UNIFORM RAILWAY RATES.

TO THE EDITOB. SIR,— A meeting was held on the 12th hist., at To Awamutu, to discuss the railway rate question, ami in your report of that meeting I am made to say I had travelled from London to Brighton and hack for 4s, and that I had been from London to Monehester and back for ss, the latter was in 1808, " but I thought those faros did not pay." That remark only applied to my ti ip from London to Manchester and back for ss. It is a well known fact that during the summer season cheap trips are run from London to Brighton and back, 100 miles, and that the fares are usually about 4s. Now, it is quite certain that the company would not run the trains if they did not pay. As a fact I believo excursion trains pay far better than the culinary trains, and that shows it to be more profitable to cany a large number of passengers at a low late than it is to carry few passengeis at a higher rate, thus ptoviug the stand-point Mr Vdile takes to be correct. Mr Yaile says that stamps ought to bo used instead of ticketb as issued at present. In America railway tickets without a fixed date aie sold at offices in the towns, and by the guards, just as ordinal y articles are soM at a shop, and post stamps are sold in New Zealand. Surely the same system ought to answer here. I think neither the Government or the public realise the sa\ ing this charge alone Mould make to the Government, and as a matter of £ s. d. what difference would it make whether a ticket is used on the day of issue or a month after. I say let them be issued and placed on the same footing as postage stamps. A postage stamp can be used to pay the postage on a letter, a book, or a parcel by post, then why not use railway tickets to pay for a passenger or freight on goods by in.il. Next, aa to Government being liable as carrieis for lost goods or damages. I would let the irspon&ibility be exactly the same as it is with letteis, and if any pei son wanted certain goods or parcels taken extra care of, let them get those tilings legistcied in a similar manner to what lcqisteied letters aie done, and with a similar lcsponsibility on the pait of Government. With a simple and lower fi eight tanlf theio would be moie traffic, and less need to keep goods co long on the rails, or at the stations, consequently less li ibihty tojjloss or damage. Dining the whole of my experience in England, and it has not been a short one, I never heard so many complaints of over-charges, bad management, &c, as I have been told of during the past three years. In saying this I don't wis>h to lay all the blame on the employes, the fault lies in the system, it is so complex that the employe's muat be \ery closer men if they can understand the w hole of it. The whole tiling wants the element of simplicity infusing into it. Lot the Minister of Public Woiks, if he be the responsible man, adopt a lower pud simple freight tariff, and there will be less complaints, less tinuble, ami moie satisfaction to the public and tuc Go\ eminent. 1 have been frequently asked if there is any chance of this lailway refoim being earned out; my answer is, it entirely depends upon the people tliemsehes. If they meet and discuss the subject, and picss their views upon the attention ot Government, something may be done. Ncaily everyone that bpeaks to me on the matter has some complaint to make as co the management, excessive lates, or oser -charges, and it is leally surprising that there has not been more public meetings about them, but if the latepayers will be caieless about their own interests and conveniences they can only blame themselves, for it is unreasonable to expect two or three pprsons to be at all the expense, time, and trouble in tiying to obtain thx-a loforin. Why does iiot Hamilton bestir itself ; is there no pubiic spiiit in the town. Let the people of Hamilton go to the fiont, call a public meeting, invite the members tor \V.iipa and Waikato to attend, so that when those membcis letuui to their senatorial duties they will be able to explain to Pciiliamcut what the people of WaiLato leally want. — I am, &c. John is 1 kw land. Ngaroto, 22nd May, ISS3.

' What's youroocipation ?'asLcd a judge of a ' rtiinilv' tluitc.uno i.p for inspection in the nionuiig. ' I'm a ealker, sir,' was theieply. ' A calkcr !' cxel.umed the jiulgo ; ' what an inaptitmb of language, I should say you were an uncoikcr. Gnu him sixty dajs.' ' That's a coikcr, surely,' was the victim's ictoib,