The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, JULY 14, 1909. RAILWAYS NORTH AND SOUTH.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 559, 14 July 1909, Page 6

The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, JULY 14, 1909. RAILWAYS NORTH AND SOUTH.

It will be remembered that the Ministerialist journal in Christchurch attempted last week to dispose oiour proof that the North Island railway lines return over 4 per cent, on capital while the South Island lines return less than 3 per cent.. Wchad taken'the total figures for the latest year (1907-8) that was at the time available for comment. Our contemporary took a four-weekly period and dealt only with the main lines, and it showed. that for that period' the "net profit" from the main lines was practic- j ally the'same for both islands. We went into the subject more, fully on Saturday, and we'are glad to notice that our con-; temporary has "backed . down" just-as completely as wo could desire. It says, indeed, with reference to its own figures, that it "does ■ hot pretend that these .figures, are conclusive proof of the greater earning powers of the Southern lines." That is a very satisfactory- confession.; For our part we do insist that the figures which'we quoted arc conclusive proof of the incomparably greater earning capacity of the lines in this island. We have nov objection to allowing our contemporary such consolation as it can find in the fact &at "the.Northern lines are not for the moment maintaining their supremacy." jlf a maker.of sou'-wester hatsiad assured us during tho'past week that "the ordinary hat trade, is not for the moment maintaining its .supremacy" over the trade in sou'-westers, ■wo .should not doubt hini. But wo : prefer, in, considering the railways.finances, to take whqle years in- | stead of elected moments. Let us repeat j onco more our table showing the earnings of the railways in the two 'islands in 1907-8 in, relation to. the capital cost'of the* opened lines :.'■,,, .;: .., ■ . ■:.. •■■■ ;• ■■■ ''■'■'■'-■■' "I- ■<■■-" ■",-. /Per- .-, :":: ■' '':•: , 'Capital : '..... Net centago. '■•'•■.■':■•■■. Cost. ; Revenue. to ':. ■--.'■'■': £ .' : , ■■£ "■■ Capital. North . ... 9,713,534 :. .416,000. 4.28 South. ;'.. 14,587,995',., ■,396,179... 2.d .During the year 190S-9 the capital cost of the.Northern lines increased very greatly, owing to; the necessity of including■;,the cost of -the! Manawatu line and the balance of the'eost of the Main Trunk line. These sums;were operating,as capital only, "during the fag-end:of thei year, and if the Government would tell us just what pro-, portion of that capital should be added to the capitaicost on March 31, 1908, we ■should be glad to construct a' table for the yearl9oß-9 similar to the one given above/ • But;in the absence of data such a tablci cannot be constructed., .' , . .. ■;,; We have no use ; for /newspaper ..con-,| trovorsy that does hot assist .us' to' instruct the public on the points on which it should receive instruction, and we. have vnbticcd our Southern contemporary's rash attempt to' break down tlic : plain facts'.of the railways financesi'dnly because we saw an opportunity of/giving fresh emphasis to the way in which ;tho-Southern, railway'usor.s.are feodirig;-upon.tho;;users of. the 'linesi;in; this, .island., W^ 3 ? ■ public ; in; this 'island, ■' and their representatives, in;: Parliament,.^must /clearly', grasp is that, this island has to make up the annual deficit which is due to the_ pampering of the South Island in.the matter of railway service. In time, perhaps, the South Island may, becomo .sufficiently: active to support its railways, but in the meantime it is clear that any proposal for/further construction in the South must be most earefulijj , , scrutinised. . Whatever money is,available for railway construe-, tion must bo spent where it will pay and wheroVitis requirod, and at present the ■■ North Island's claims -completely outweigh those'of the South. 'Nothing would please iis hotter than toseo. an improvement in : the South, not.only because one naturally wishes to- seo the whole.country prospering and making progress, but be , cause the better showing that tho South makes the less money will havo to come but of the pockets of the North. ■ This is : land, in the matter of the railways, is "keeping! , : the South'lsland, and selfinterest, no less than natural kindness, is tho spur to our hope that the South may ultimately keep itself.; In leaving the. matter for tho present, we have only to' note that our Southern contemporary, according'to the practice of journals of its sorti.'made no attempt to withdraw, or apologise for', its baseless insinuation that our-';flgures, which were taken from the Statementi- of last year,, were doctored to suit our purpose. ' : '