ARRAIGNED.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 2, 27 September 1907, Page 5

ARRAIGNED.

RAILWAY ADMINISTRATION ANALYSED. AMENDMENT URCENTLY HEEDED. THE TRUCK QUESTION. I. Below is given the first of a' series of articles on our railway , administration. The writer, who Is well qualified to express an opinion on tho working of this groat national asset, has been commissioned by "THE DOMINION" to analyse the methods of the Railway Department with the object of demonstrating the weaknesses of the system as they appear to the expert, and to indicate where amendment is called for. The issues involved ( are of such importance to the country that rhs tem-perately-expressed finding;: should arouse wide public i interest. The Railways Statement for 1907, lately placed before' Parliament, provides plenty of material for reflection and inquiry. . It.is widely recognised, more or less indefinitely no.doubt, that tho various railway systems of the Dominion have, to date, absorbed a very large proportion of the Government's total borrowings, and present indications are that, if our long-observed policy be continued', our loan requirements for raaiiy years to come will bo largely applied to construction of new railways, and further equipment of those now being oporated. Outstanding Government loans to March 31st last, tho end of the last financial year, aggregate £00,000,000. Of that sum, railway construction and equipment took, for lines under traffic, £23,504,272. Measured by our population, that is a large sum, and its largeness becomes emphasised when we-take into account that there are many important producing areas that are still railless, and roadless also; and it may !>o noticed, by the way, that the settlors in those districts havo to. contribute their quota to satisfy the interest bill on railway' loans, from year to year, because tho excess of railway. revenue over working expenses is not sufficient to fully discharge that obligation, and it is thus necessary to draw on revenue from ■other-sources,- Customs notably, ta make .up the shortage. Cost and Return. Where sources of production are ■widely separated from principal areas of consumption, tho best and cheapest transit, from one to the other, in the absence of '. conveniently accessible water carriage, is that afforded by .railways. To this proposition, how- ' ever, there is a limit which is'excmpli"fied by Cape Colony. That possession has an extensive railway system costing 'about '£8000. a mile; hut .tho traffic has not warranted a greater expenditure ithan about £4000 a mile. In countries whoro the economies of business aro most .studied (Belgium supplies aii.instanco), ..little ..or light railways are vory advantageously operated.. / ■ Thus, if the capabilities of a district will not justify a capital out-, lay of, : say, £4000 a mile, the happiest ■■results may-be;achieved.-by an expenditure of half that'sum, a principle that-can be expressed in simple form' by observing that it would, obviously, not be economical to employ &"boi'SC"Dird cart," when the' needs of the situation could be fully met by using..a wheelbarrow. , If the principles on which railways ate /constructed constituted an-exact science, wo would, doubtless, be called on to rccogniso that it would not bo ■economically sound to construct a railWay unless'it'could bo conclusively established that the average value of the average production of the country, proposed, to bo served,, would, with allied -or contingent , requirements,' provide transport charges sufficient, at least, to'-pay'interest-on cost and Working expenses, including full provision for. all' renewals necessitated by wear and toar.

It is not often that the New, Zealand railways are subjected to anything in the naturo of extensive criticism — a circumstance which recalls thb observation that .a proposition to. vary the rates of pay for the charwomen has provoked more discussion in the Houso of Commons than a proposed appropriation of forty millions sterling for the Navy.' That is to say, the latter ia a too colossal subject for the average member to tackle; and ho loaves it alone. To sonic extent the same holds true of •our' railways. However desirablo parliamentary criticism of tho administration might boj it. is'not seriously attempted,, because our representatives have not tho time, nor tho requisite technical: knowledge, to enriblo them to •effectively" deal.with it. True, grievances are sometimes ventilated.in! the House, but/.they., are, usually, only of; a parochial nature.

Government .Policy. ..... At t-his.!s.tageit seems desirable to quote .thb following ..policy 'statement by the Bight-Hon. the Premier, in the debate on Supply, during the present session—vide page 187. of Hansard:—.. • "Tho Right Hon. Sir. J. G. Ward "(Acting-Minister'.for Railways) would like to intimate ,to "the House what the policy waa in regard to tho administration ■■: of the railways, of-this country. First of all, the Government, with the object of developing tho country, was satisfied to have a comparatively small return on the ■ ; ' money ; invested, in the railways, sq. as .to return by this means as much as possible'to the users of tho railways, and, indeed, indirectly, -to those, who did ' not use .thcni. This policy had been' in operation for some time;.it.wan. deliberately arranged, and conccs- ""■ sions on all classes of produce, minerals, timber, and passenger fares ..had been made-more than oncei !. : .It:- was csseiiliai'-that Qi'b wh'olo' policy of railway administration; should bo based, upon whnt must, on 'impartial examination, bo recognised as business lines, and tho whole business of „...the„ Department was carried on '"'on behalf of the country as a [Teat commercial undertaking. That, briefly outlined,, was the policy of tlio Gevernmnnt as regards tho railway system. . ."

Results. Now while the (10-.-ranjcnt-'s nolle?, as expressed above, -it 'ndmip'bV. it filainly' invi>:-{ iiVntion (if i.Jia Department's results with a 1W" to nsocrtjiinintr. •.rhot.hw the? .iopr"!slit all that the o:i»«rvH!iiv» of sr.<}\ a policymight bo e.? pe-Mod to realise. Tho Minister of Acri'-nltnt" rtehs that the <rn>>*;tion vf :.11.-.;-ii:c tK,-, dato of t.ildtiir t.Vie sL'iin rnf.rn>« i-ifl 1.0 consiijnro! when 'ar amij.'iOnmßt ;s hfiwp made to tlin Btfcl Art, Mr. Witty,, who '.ilicif.x* thii statomar.f. \mhiw to have the nitrons UVmi on >I»nHRT7".I. ?p 'th =iI r. morn retr.m oonli'. bo pivm;- just eftns Rh«-irina and tnf.iw. '.hitc, is nKuW. Nt nrnstrnt, tivir.j; t* «n nv.nr noinit ranriv! fri."?. '" 1 « disi'vH to unnthiT durtrij; th*> "wfh r.f Miry. "Tho T/R:ad sr<'. Ivrii'e Asrrwisfrwi tlill triD aroiiju n reu-proff-ssicr- lht* of ]»«(". tit oxpnrts. I think I wiS nsk tho Onntnrr.r.rr r.i!li--» !•,-«?<( «•{ Governors fn establish r, rW!r fur tufl •rohinnt."- -Mr. Cn Low.