Railways Administration.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 7, 3 October 1907, Page 5

Railways Administration.

AN ANALYSIS OF RESULTS. MISHANDLED TRUCKS. 11. . In tho preceding article dealing with tho administration of our railways reference was made to the Government's policy and the " businesslike" lines professed to be followed. That while the policy as oxpressed was admirable, it plainly invited investigation of the Department's results with ■ a view to ascertaining whether they represent all that the observance of such a policy might bo expected to realise.

Entering upon that investigation, one's attention is at once arrested by the striking features that during'the ten years ended March 31, 1907, 401 miles were added to the mileage under trailic, and the expenditure of capital during that time amounted to £9,778,458.

If the added mileage mentioned (401) cost more than £9570 a mile, the average at date for tho whole mileage, and it probably did in respect of extensions of the North Island Main Trunk line lately brought under trailic, by , reason of some' of the works on tho same having been .exceptionally costly, it is still clear that a very large amount of capital was spent on auditions and improvements throughout the railways generally. 11l fact, the Departmental figures disclose that.

While 2055' miles had cost, at March 31, 1898, £7831 a mile, the cost of 2456 miles at March 31, 1907. stands at £&5/U a mile.

It might naturally bo expected that a "great commercial undertaking" declared by its Administrator-in-Chief as being conducted on " business lines," oil which a number of millions sterling had been expended, with the object of securing greater efficiency, would show the &90/0 a mile outlay to have produced a better return' than that of si7s3i, but unfortunately for tho Minister, in view of his recently declared policy, and for the country, the expenditure last year absorbed £69.06 per cent, of tlie rcvenuo, whereas in 1898 (prior, to the hugo outlay which was to secure improvement) it took £02.30 per cent. That, is to' say, with improved equipment, tho working expenses of the railways take £5 15s. 2d. more out. of each £100 of revenue, than was required before the improvements era began. Looking at 'tho results in another way, one finds that in 1898 the net rcvenuo for each mile run -was 31.39 pence, while in 1907 it stands at 28.79 penco. It must bo emphasised hero, to prevent misconception, that tho' term " net revenue" means the revenue over and above tho sum required for actual working expenses, which is not sufficient to pay interest on cost, and which interest, as previously mentioned,-has .to be largely drawn from' other sources. Off the Rails. The fact of the matter is, wo aro "/Off tho rails " of sound finance, and business economics, as regards our railways—a position largely due to over-capitalisation in tho' form of equipment which exceeds requirements —not bv any means a new error in railway • practice, but one that tho experience of older countries should havo taught us to avoid. Rolling stock and interlocking and, other safety appliances aro verycostly, and an authoritative warning has boon given beforo to-day that all of them may bo multiplied on a rail.way" to such an extent as to utterly sand hooelessly destroy it as a paying proposition. In tho Ministerial address prefacing the last Railways Statement it is set out that wc- had on our railways, available for traffic, at March'3l last, 14,279 trucks, but that number includes those set apart for maintenance- and other departmental requirements, and which are really non-com-batants so far as public traffic is c'omcerned. Excluding those, thero were 13,838 of various' kinds capable of an averago load of seven and a half tons. The total weight hauled last year was 4,592,000 tons, equivalent to 332 tons a truck—a ridiculously low duty, inasmuch as it would havo represented only forty-four journeys for each truck with a full load during the entire 313 working days of the year, or only forty-four journeys each way over a distanco of fifty miles with half a load on each out and in trip during 'the-entire year. There is no "longhaul" traffic on'tho New Zealand railways, and tho .distance of fifty miles, mentioned above, is a reasonable estimate of the haul involved. Of tho total quantity hauled (4,592,000 tons) . the Picton, Nelson', West-port, and ' Westlaud sections respectively, with an aggregate of 230 miles, carried in 1413 trucks tonnage in excess of one-fourth of the whole; the average duty , per truck , on those lines being for tlio year 849 tons. Thus over only one-eleventh of the total mileago fully one-fourth of the total tonnage, was carried m only one-four-teenth'of tho total truck supply. Tho other sections, having an aggregate of 2197 miles, with 12,425 trucks, carried 3,628,318 tons-, an averago of only 292 tons, or about one-third of that of the capacity of the trucks, or onethird of that which they could have been made to carry if under vigilant control with traffic offering. Tho figures given herein are in some cases identical with .those given in the Departmental returns, but whero that is not. tho case they have been deduced from figures appearing, in the last Railways Statement. It is quite clear that tlio perennial cry of shortage of trucks is not duo to a paucity of vohicles, but because sufficient use is not mado of those availablo. Now, in the face of ascertainable facts such as these, can anyone seri.ously claim that the Department is operated on "business lines?" A Common Abuse. On all railways there is a tendency by users of trucks (who do thoir own loading or unloading, or both) to utilise them as storehouses, and that abuse is a widp' source of trouble to railway- managers, and. if not sternly checked, results in much inconvenienco to users of trucks generally. It is true that provision always exists for charging demurrage on tnose held under load, or that may be unjustifiably detained for loading, but enforcement of tho provision provokes hostility on the part of those called on to nay, and ft complaisant manager who is not held immediately responsiblo for results will forego the charge if ho can and draw on tho workshops for further supplies.

A shipowner will not brook any delay to his vessel by dilatoriness of consignees in taking delivery of their cargo, hut in that caso discharges and stores at thoir risk; and no good reason exists why tho same practice should not ho observed in the caso of railway trucks. lii commenting on insufficient use of 1.100,000 "freight cars" on United States railroads, AY. W. Whoatley, an Amorican authority, concludes in tho following terms: —

" This ncgligenco of our railway managers to make proper use of their freight equipment lias resulted in a wasto of capital in useless freight cars estimated to amount to £25,833.000, with an interest account of at least £1,M1.000. Tlio cost of maintenance of this Hie equipment is about £2,083,000 a year, to suv nothing of the cost of track room to hold them, locomotives to move, them, and the other minor yet necessary expenses which their existence involves."

It is contrary to usually accepted notions that such a defect could exist on railroads owned by people who aro widely credited with heinjc very alert to make the most of things. American students of business economics havo lately, in criticising railway administrution, pointed out that tho fierce competition, existing for traffic over rival routes, with the prac-, tico followed by the owning companies of vying with each other by going one better" in providing equipmentequipment vastly in excess of transport requirements—has brought roads, which in other circumstances would have remained good proporty, into a plead that the position was forced 011 them in their, struggles for existence.Thcro is, no doubt, a good deal in this, plea, but wo cannot advance it ill palliation of our error. ,

It must bo mentioned that our present excess of truck stock will shortly bo increased by the addition of 887 vehicles now under construction in tho workshops—the construction proceeding with exceptional, haste under workshop overtime. conditions. If, the Department will seriously consider this quostion it, must recognise that while' its locomotive power may be sufficient for all the haulage duty that transport requirements of the Dominion call for, it would bo altogether incapable of shifting the truck stock if the latter bad to be employed to its full capacity.

The. heroic course, suggested by " business lines," would bo to soil the surplus trucks, but how would such a proposal be received in Parliament?