Road-Rail Transport
from Nagpur to Madras, then the shortest route would be
the Grand Trunk route crossing Balharshah and Bezwada.
In doing so, the freight would have moved on the lines of
the G. I. P. Railway, the Nizam's State Railway and the
M. & S. M. Railway This, then, is an example of through
traffic. Obviously the rates for through traffic will be
proportionately less than single line rates, since here, the
proportion of terminal costs to general transportation
expenses would be less than what it would be in the case
of a haul on a single line. The terminal expenses are
incurred at the termini of the traffic and in the case of
through traffic the number of terminal points would be
just the same though, if the traffic were to travel over
the length of line of each administration separately, the
terminal points would no longer be two, but two multiplied
by the number of the lines. There is one difficulty that
has to be encountered in the case of through traffic.
What is the basis on which a charge is made? The
answer is not difficult since a ' joint rate 7 would meet
the sitiiation, but the real task lies in ascertaining what
proportion of the joint rate should be allocated to the
different railways concerned, and, here, though the
principle of distance would immediately spring up to
one's mind and meet fairly'normal conditions, distance
alone is no sufficient criterion. It might be that a haul
of a thousand miles has to pass 200 miles of Railway
A, 300 of B, and 500 of 0. How then should the rate be
allocated; assuredly not always in the proportions of
5:3:2, Blind arithmetical accuracy is no modus operandi
in railway rates. Other factors have to be considered.
Tbe 300 miles of Railway B might -be across hilly country
where transportation costs, both initial and recurring, must
fee so Mgh as to justify a higher proportion, or tbe
260 &ale$ of A might be the length of a strategic liiSe
gh Łosts fer maintenance and upkeep. So, m
final ssmtjBfe i&e rate proportion may not be 5:3:2