The First Government Railways Tariff.

On 24th March, 1868, a select committee consisting of Messrs. J. S. Williams, Rhodes, Potts, Hillyard, Fyfe, Knight, and the Provincial Secretary (E. Jollie), was appointed to readjust the scale of charges on the Southern Railway. This committee reported on 31st March, and on 1st April the Council resolved that a copy of the report be forwarded to the Superintendent for his consideration. The Superintendent replied that he could not concur in the report as he was convinced that the tariff was not sufficiently high to enable him to make arrangements for defraying the costs of working and maintaining the Railways and paying interest and sinking fund on the loans employed in the construction of the works. He pointed out that both the Lyttelton and Christchurch, and Southern Railways were local in their effect, and it would be unfair to call upon the Province to sustain railways assented to by the General Assembly and projected as self-supporting. He considered 50 per cent, should be added to the proposed charges for wool, and 20 per cent. to the other items, except grain. The tariff was gazetted on 27th July, 1868, to operate on and after 1st August. This was the first Government Railway tariff showing in tabulated form the fares and rates between the various stations. The charges were not based on a regular mileage scale. For example, the fares from Addington to Riccarton (now Middleton) one mile, were:—First class, single, 6d.; return, 9d. Second class, single, 3d.; return 6d. For two miles, Christchurch-Opawa, the second class single fare was 8d., while for distances of two miles and three miles on the South line, the second class fares were 9d. single and 1/- return. The first class fares for the same stations were:—Two miles, single, 1/-; return, 1/6. For three miles, single, 1/6; return, 2/3. The fares from Christchurch to Lyttelton and vice versa were:—First class, single, 2/6; return, 4/-. Second class, single, 1/6; return, 2/6.

For the longer distances the fares worked out at approximately 4d. first class and 3d. second class per mile for single tickets, and fare and a half for returns. For example, fares between Christchurch and Rolleston, and between Christchurch and Selwyn, were:—

There was no general classification of merchandise. On the Lyttelton and Christchurch line, general goods were divided into light and heavy goods to accord with the method of computing shipping charges. The rates between Lyttelton and Christchurch were:—

Wool was charged 3/10 per bale Selwyn to Christchurch, and 6/- per bale Selwyn to Lyttelton. Grain was charged at per bushel. The charges for oats were lower than for wheat and other grain. The rates from Selwyn to Christchurch were: Wheat and other grains 2 1/2d. per bushel, oats 2d. per bushel. From Selwyn to Lyttelton, wheat 4d., and oats 3d. per bushel.