MUST BE MADE TO PAY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 506, 13 May 1909, Page 7

MUST BE MADE TO PAY.

THE NEW RAILWAY POLICY. j lIOING WITHOUT LUXURIES. .-.'J IBIiTBLEOUAI'II— I'lltai ASSOCIATION.! '■ I Christchurch, May 12 s;Tho :Hon.-J. A. iMillar, Minister for Railways,, mado ah''.; ; 'statement : at Methven-to-day,' in reply to a request 'that i. second train, which had ;been discontinued, 1 ■should bo resumed. . . 'Vv-y ■■-■Tne llijiister -asgured vtho; doputatioii .that, tho. duty/'he had; to perform,; : and ;would-Ktlll' further .;perform: ; in :'connectioii ' with- tho 'rail-'-ways; had not been a .pleasant. one.;'■ '-The deputation had: mentioned one or two lines which had more advantages than tho Methven line, but wore going'to be put oil tho same tooting as Methven whoro they did' not show,:-payab)o resultß.; J'lio Minister. referred briefly ,to',, the ./granting.' of i a ?'second train. For.years and years, ho said, Methven had only , a daily, tram; which.mot their .requirements. ;: In 1907,: Mr. Hardy got Sir Joseph Wa.rd to agreo to put on. a double ;trainj. on. the;; understanding that it was ,to get. three months' trial. It was Btated :that„ the thing was purely an experiment, and as it did-not given -last.year, : and.again' the -train' was unpayable, andr was. stopped. • The train s was undoubtedly;. run -in .-tho-interests -of - passengers, biit. passengcr. results sliowed that it waa absolutely,. impossible to - continue it. Increased revenue from passengers -was £135, :®fld;fe get amount : the Department had to: spend. £610.. • Tiio . deputation, -ho thought, would,.not run their own,businesses .membersVof tho deputation seemed tp nave run away-with tho -idea that if spccial trains could be 1 run, it! was. just as simple to run. fixed . trains. -: He .pointed- out .that the .country, was.-hard up f°r,•.rolling stock- all over Now Zealand. I Ihero wero domanda for trucks,-carriages, and i fixed time-: table, rolling" stock had ..to. be,' kept , standing w reauinoss. but. for a spccial train .empty trucks, could bo .marshalled-and ;sont any-1 where. The first cost of tho Rakaia-Methven i *»•;»: whole .was £100.000.- The rovenuo 1 lor, 1904; including the wjiole of the Rakaia 4 ' 76l ''for, 1905/. £14,306;i i™ M in!S' 186 j , f F 19 , 07 . £17,910; for 1803, £13,014. .Taking..these figures for .a rim f l i ? Vo ;3' cari l .on, the capital cost of I '.iiUU,OOO :.the:annual profit was-about ,£IOOO, \ P or , cent. If half per cent* wgto • lmeYfor: fe.©aing tho mam I ; railway,' the net -return oh .capital cost would onl^ ; bo l ,y /e pcr /cent. . ; -This being; so r would justified.^'increasing;his expenditure u^o Sa -vr O . c hance- ! of getting' increased results ? ;^.Nmther deputation'-nor anyone ! else could-hones%--continuo that 'course/ Ho return .of business on - every .district line .m . tho .country.. .Fivo trains nad.• already: been ' and on every branch,line where it was shown that railways ; were>not;,paying,':.it:'would be ,his duty ,to reduce the.services. ; Eitlier they had to curtaii expenditure, or increase;cnaxces if. the railways wero to be made to.pav. : There was a general feeling that .the railways should he .self-supportmg,.. and .that tho consolidated, fund should not be called upon to pay deficit...'He .was trying ti . rit 4 of the 'deficit ■ without. increAsitjg charges. -. : Some . had been granted ;in. tho .past,, but they had now to confino tho service to necessaries , until they could afford '-'vi, B ?"*' ux S rl ? s :'■ 'Th®-Minister assured the deputation that in, a month's time thev would have no reason to complain about the" Oxford branch, or similar/lines',- having, a . hotter' wmce. : ■Tho; whole country was going to be' IS - If-Parliament (lid not support, his recommendations; tho consolir^ nU B , -? uld -^ vc >-P ri y « diroct pant to the Riiilway'-Deijarfmcnt. Ho-was •, ect the .railways on : a „moro pay-' ■able.bas«,than-in % past,'.and ho was mly doing .what the -inajonty, of tho people in the country wanted. .." •. 1 .