SUBURBAN TRAINS AND LAND SETTLEMENT.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 574, 31 July 1909, Page 14

SUBURBAN TRAINS AND LAND SETTLEMENT.

WHAT CHEAP TRANSIT MEANS TO A COUNTRY (By Samuel Vaile, Inventor of the Stage or Zone System.)' ' Without, motion there is not, there cannot be,- any life. ■ • ■ ■ £;. >, On tho power to move the'wholo social 'system.rests./ Suspend motion, and the uni'verse'itself would fall to pieces.//, . '../■_■ E2.v: Therefore,'-' iny thee/if. is that the transit -•; question underlies • every, other social qiies-. tion, and/that if the'transit system of a country is radically wrong, none of[h its j ' .other/social can be quite'right. ' If ivO .would', prosper, we must keepv.tho i: channels of motion—the means of'transit— •• /as free'as/possible. . ' ■' " At present- our railways., are.; blocked'; by an- invisible toll-bar at every mile; is -this to the\public,^advantage•'' /'.

■ '.:J have read with much interest the numerous contributions which have lately,'appeared ■on this subject .in 'the editorial and corres-pondence-columns.,of the New press, ft is-a pleasing evidence of the awakening in■"terest which is,-being taken in our railway affairs. ,•-•./. ' '

In dealing with this subject, tho question arises : What'is meant by the/term suburban train-service?- If merely au increase of tram services is meant, then to a large extent I am'.-with the movement,, but- if/what railway, men usually Understand: by a t suburban train service is meant, then, I am wholly opposed.to.it.' Fortunately, this xlass of ser,vico„'so far, wa'have nover had in this country, although attempts/have been made to introducerit.. , ■ , I ;

•v Our neighbouring State of supplies ' : an example of what it really means. iThere'tho'suburban area is said to be fifteen miles round the - chief• Post OIEco m .Melbourne', but- this area is. sometimes extended, as from Melbourne to South \an Yeaii; 22J miles, or to Diggers' Rest; 20J miles. What l reason for-,this extension I cannot-say. Probably 'the influence, of sonio ,large landi owner. . It-is, howevor, a differential rate in . favour of. these,. and all - similarly-treated dis-' tricts.. . • /?■ } The point to which I . particularly wish" to draw attention' is this: that within this suburban area i the fares charged are consider;'. | ably /less/'than .half ', thosp -charged in /all districts' oiitside' 't^aCqV^VS'Pius inste^ce,! -suppose"'a man wishes to travol-froravMel-|;bbUrtie'-& 4 31.imiles,/ : the charge-would'be for .the. first ;15.. miles to. 1 Sydenham;''first-class • Is. ; Id.,' -but . for /the remainihg' 16, miles .".it .would , be: 2s. '7d., 3s. Sd m all i .-Melbourne, to-.Sydenhamis 15, miles,- first-' ■ faro. Is.:. Id,;, 'second • 9Jd:,vfirst return Is: 8d , second Is 2d. - ' - - Melbourne-to miles, firsts lid., :SCCond*'B4d:," first roturn 5d., second Is. Id." is-Epping. favoured at tho expense of other districts? . .- C'-.I • .'. , ■.•'"v.V . . Melbourne to South -Yan Yean, 22J milos, •^s^lass^.ls/ 1 -id/,, second' ls:;.// : '/. V^jLet;.'.us'?-see • now. how ■country : towns.and districts"/:ar&;. treated. ',-. : : in Tieitona, but anyone residing or. doing business Ithere .has/.to'ipay/' more /than, (double the, fare the'.'Melbourne"man;pays... ' "i., ■f. Ballarat to Lai Lai is but .-12} miles, but 'the' fare Ms . first 2s. and: second :Is. 4d.,' as ■ against - lid. and BJd. -for 15 miles round •Melbourne. ,Why? .. ■ Shelburn ■to Muckelford is ,15 'miles, and the'Jcharge is first 2s; -4d.'and'second Is. 6d., Ss^gdl:, -.;'/ sfrj ;13 only, • but. second'--is;. 4di, ( -' firstTWiiriis3j;/2d.^^bnd : ;2s.;'2d:v'^^^ .i.'Dltima- to'Lalbut is 15}-miles, and. tho. ; second Is/ Bd., .firpt' returii-'4s., second 2s. Bd.-' ~Z \ • ■■ : J;':l^i^fM^s^*that; v -aS : a": nile, - the. charge' the' j,/considerably/more !, -three/:times, as much as to the dweller in' the ; great city: Tho wd .'unfair sysI torn—-if:Bystom :: it/,canube.^.called —of levying transit charges could, "aiTd 'can only be to de- : and: districts, •and concentrate-tho population in tho'great kcitieSi'iHnd.'that.Ht has,had this effect cannot "be doubted.'-'"i- " , /■

.'.When'; to. this, senseless. systoin„of. charging "for passenger 'traffic-is added' '-through! rates", for goods and "special rates for quantities," /which are' merely differential rates in favour 'of' the cities and:.-large tusers,, it; is easy to ..understand .the enormous" growth/6'f London, New York; Sydney,• Melbourne, or the four chief; ;citiesj.;of • ,'this!; Dominion,; as,- compared with".the- growth of ;the' country districts sur-rounding-them.. I-..-./. > ■ THe^ouripusivthi'n'g--is that this, suburban train system is. : Mmost 'iiniversally supposed ■ tb/ relievo," the .congestion of: the cities. That 'this/is; not.'so (the. experience' of'every country indeed .WO: need not- go beyond Auckland City for a proof. Tramways . are 'the /.best : possible form of . suburban railways. ?Has- theirj'instalment 'here relieved the coh-.' igestioji .of.,our', city?. .Most, certainly it has not,; Its growth was never so rapid. All the. tramways "have is to add a bolt of papulation-about-two and i a half miles <wido ali;if6un3;'it,Swhilo; ; the/population of the,' old city remains as congested as ever. If we want'to relieve the congestion of the cities, .w'e inust find out some', plan .whereby, a/man can make a living on five acres pf land situated ' 200 miles .'from '_one of'our great ; seaport!, towns, v a'nd', certainly!-;'this: ; can never -•he "dohefhy charging the country'•'dweller more 'than- ;double,. .the,' transit, charges' that are charged to.tho city' 'resident.' - '-:

;'." Ili this' Dominion we have not a suburban railway system,., but 'the 'transit ..advantages, •'given''to its cities are. so great tha"t whilein: 1891v:i.6r 'every. 100// persons .in the equntry, inyi-which' included;:.all •town'sr'notf'cbnstijutoi! "\ks''tbioughs 1 /?thor.q. were':76 cities. .'.The'.propbrtiort' -of city .dweller's' during' the last .fifteen ''years -has-riseuvt6'.92,;;ss.'■.; liyothor words, ;when ; tlib T riext-'ce'usus '4s' 'taken KM ; 1911)" we'shall find: that half our population is already piled up in:our,.cities. What will this; mean iiv the ■future?-;-Can; we;wonder at depression? at the ■ cry, of unemployed when-this state "of affairs exists in . this , young, 'country.- ,' We ought; to remember that city dwellers are hot .producers.' -They are. simply .improvers '■•,.and-' ■exchangers, '•"'■"-'- > '" '■■";.; ; :,-.,! .. Newspaper, leader writers havo repeatedly', pointed out. fhat. all that; ,we want to, secure prosperity' are greater : facilities tor'-settlirig.the Hand. .-They aro;quite. right,, and the' very,-■'first: thing-wanted,is transit facilities". I am .aware that many, able men think "that ihe',first -thing : - wanted /is goodland Jaws."•' But what can these'do? : . .It is' 'fbrgotten : that land; without transit to it and from it' is: absolutely worthless.". Without transit how can any produce be got out of it ? .'We;':have ..reason to, believe, .that-.-there is. good hind in'.the'. planet but what.'use'is it, to us'?,- We-have-no transit' to for/from', it.'

Nothing would promote land settlement so much-as a' cheap and simple railway ! traii-> sit .system,'^;.system that any .boy or. girl capable'"of the" postal .system 1 oould comprehend. There is no reason what-: ever, whyVwe shouldV.not.have:this,' except, Instead; of the utmost simplicity obtainable we have the greatest complexity, confusion, and mystery that it . is . possible for tlie human to produce; .There is; nothing'.to equal it in the whole world, nor is thereV anything clse'rth'at"is producing ; so. much 'poverty 'arid; Social unrest, and wo may bp assured that, wo shall ndver set thcse ,- things 'right, until; we'.find ; out some method 1 of' distributing the; population more evenly .over th,e land, and, this can only' be,. 'done by a proper', transitsystem;' but certainly {not- by :ehargin'g;. cpuh-{ try.' dwellers more ' than tnice-■ the amount charged to city dwellers. , , ,v '•Vlf we couldbufcinduce our.legislator® to re-; member-> the "undoubted-:■ faot ' that ..wealth; -'is : onlyobtain&blfe by. the.' application ;'of labour] ,'to laid,and' 'that' f in order •; to apply_ this 1 labour :the very, first requisite 'is transit system,' they..{would soon . see /how the present senseless systeih' of railway rating) blocks all progress, andvthey turn.out.of, office any v Cabinet . that : refuse<l: to"at * o'nce" : b'ring into the _ markert^'the 1 now locked-up. Crown and Native lands of the North Island; What is tho'.reaJ motive for : the strenuous effort that is still being made to keep, these\lands out of the market and, unsettled? It is undoubtedly' the la4t\dying effort of ii certain set of politicians 'to maintain the ascendancy of the south over the north ; by. preventing the. settlement of tho' nnrtJiwn ltodij / ' • . ~

It is worth' while to consider- the effect suburban .traffic has on 'the general railway revenue. If the effect, is to concentrate population in the .great cities and •to retard of the cbuntrv towns and districts, tnen it' must injuriously affect rail-. yp-y revenue, because it : must mean increasing short-distance' ' and . decreasing Jongdist<ince''transit;.''.SupjK)sei ;for instance, half" the people-now r living \> at Rotorua ■/■(v.ere. brought in and; pkcpd round OtahuliU, it is quite clear that; they could not require the services .of the; railway to anything like the extent they do now. 'Yet this is tne ; system railway- men favour. . Have: they: studied ? Do they know? . Surely if a railway, has any mission; at all,, it is .as a long-distance machine; but every . effort .is. made to encourage, short-distance: traffic, simply because •it is the easiest way of .getting'hold, of the present' pound, without any"- consideration for .the future effect'. .

; Our great effort ought to be directed to so altenng our transit system and,our .land system as to ~ enable thousands of . our .workers to live on from half an acre to ten acres of land, and yet to be able, to; get to and,, from ..their., daily .work,, in, thetowns.; We ought,/;for ;mst4ihoo,"'iri' Auckland;" 'to ,have a bridge' across !the Waitemata, and tten the immense', stretch, of/land: we; have there'would be 'sj>eodily/.' subdivided, into. holdings. Were'this.: alteration made i(as it undoubtedly can,/and ought,'to ! ,;b'e) bow, enormously the wealth and .general prosperity of. the'whole community.; would be increased.'/ Suppose that ."only/ another .thousand of.'.our workers were. living on 'plots of land instead of. in/the /crowded streets. of the 'city,.-what an ;incrws'e*pf ; production,- and consequently wea] th 'it: would j mean.'Even :,from half :an acre," - an industrious family could. add': considerably to t their. income. reduce,',their : i outlay ■ onfruit and/vegetables aiid : medical attendaioe,' while on the larger' holdings,inany/'smairindu^ries'vitiich'arpino.w 'neglected could' be on. While/.individually . this ' might ' "not , r /mea,n muqh;/,to "'tho, community 'it'would- : ttiean a great , deal,; and ; it 'certainly would produce a better- and .happier raeo of men and women. ... H;'«oncliision I should' like again te'i'drawattention 5 to. the fact th at' it is.impossibleth at ; any' system of railway.' administration/ which : continuously/'builds up city population and city land values, at tneexpense" of country /to^vns/indi,districts, ,can/b(j,-.to 'the""general advantage.Tips/.tnej.j)reSent>- system'' undoubtedly'does:'','lt :lias now,'been on'.'trial ; n • this .opiiritry/for. "over" tliirfy-ijine : .y<jars,- : 'and .as. everybody . kriows, ' has'- proved"':/a' most dismal failure; . ..The .'stage, system' is the only; alternative so . far' offered. This has -beenvoii tiial 'for- 'over twenty '/years among '/many, millions of people, and has proved itself an -.unqualified -success.,,'- Why is -it., not-tried jn'/ .this country ? '' •" .