EXCESSIVE RAILWAY CHARGES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1827, 22 March 1884, Page 2

EXCESS IVE RAILWAY CHARGES.

A correspondent writes as follows from Te Awanmtu :— The vagaries of the Railway Depai tment would b8 amusing were they not so \ e\atious. List Wednesday a local storekeeper got some goods up from Auckland. Among the packages were two weighing 171b-s, for which the charge was eight shilling* and eigiitponce. One of the packages contained eiglit pounds of powder, the other was ordinary merchandise, and weighed nino pounds. Another box contained t\\ enty-h ye pounds of powder, and the cost <»f getting up that and the package of eight pounds w.ia fom teen shillings and elevenpence, almost sixpence per pound. Is it any wonder people grumble at the excessive rates charged V The coot of a truck for taking hay to Auckland is raised from £1 19 a to £2 3-j, while the cost of a truck for compressed hay is £i fis, double what it is for ordinal y hay. Now, as it is hardly possible to put five tons of compressed hay into a truck, the freight is about £1 per ton, thu* effectually preventing the farmer sending hay to the Auckland market. It is no Übo dilating on the necessity of reform ia the matter, e\ eryone is aware of that, but with characteristic apathy people will content themselves with grumbling, and let matters take their collide. They do things differently in W.vnganni and the South. Indignation meetings will be held there, and pressure brought to beat on the Government to try and compel them to reduce the prohibithe rate* at present in force. There is no reason why a similar course should not be pursued heie. I have on several occasions got double furrow ploughs up from a fhrn for which I am agent, and on no two occasion-- can I remember the freight being the sime. I got one up this week, and the fioight was lls sd, yet I has c got precisely the same kind of plough up at another time for (k Od. This will continue to be the ca^e as long as the Government have control of the railways. Many people are inclined to blame the traffic manager, but he has to obay orders ju&t the &arne as any other official.