RAILWAY SYSTEMS

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 888, 6 August 1910, Page 10

RAILWAY SYSTEMS

: —-V— ■ NEY/ ZEALAND AND AUSTRALIA, COMPARISON BY HON. J. A. MILLAR MR. HERRIESJN REPLY. .in interesting' comparison of , tho railway systems:;of New Zealand'and Australia was made by the Minister, fof Railways : (the . Hon. J. A. Millar); in-the course of his speech in the.Finaii-; cial Debate: in the House ,of. Representatives Mast :: evening. .Mr/ .iVlillar admitted _ that there was , a certain! amount of dincontent in regard' to.Hhe. New Zealand railways,;' hut claimed ■thatithe;.position,was much better'hefe thjiriin Australia;' Thero wore .men being promoted ,every year from the second grade into' tlie first'grade, but there could be only 'a. limited number taken into the higher grade every year. His experience in Australia had been that for every complaint made in Now Zealand there . were half a dozen , made against the Baiiway Commissioners in the Commonwealth.. In overy paper on the other sido there were complaints about the railway; management. But he; had 'gone 'ito' chiefly to see -whether, under the 'commissioners system, tho. railway employees and the public were hotter- treated than they were in this .country. Ho- found that the commissioners;:J!aid higher salaries to - six or .'eight ;or--;ten of 'tho biggest men in th'e ! Department, .but the rank aiid file were far:'.better paid in New Zealand, fand the %'ctual working conditions ?;ere.,bcttet;'here.". He had obtained a , large number of figures showing the wmparisomViwhich were taken from theT: latest; Gazette, given . him, byjt the.; commissioners. He hoped .to hayo,;this.: iriformation printed. 'With Toward t-o-conditions -of .work, wages paid,; and r the;- .proportion of' expenses paid out r of-revenue,'-the position was better, here, than, in Australia.

Political influence arid' Commissioners,

He had gone to the commissioners themselves for .information, and lie had asked the commissioners- if they voro free from jMlitical: control. Their.' statement upon this point was of quite a different character from what lie had heard here.

i. ... Mr. Herdman: Do you state that tlfey . are subject to political control? Mr. .Millar-.-I say-{hero is as much • ■ political/ control as here, and the comj inissioners.'themselves:complain of poliI ■'■" tieal. o'ontrol. Qno of tbem said: "It ' » no:-.use.my doing anything, becauso' ~ tho moment I,attempt to do anything |' ' any Act of Parliament is brought down ;u . to,vover-iide.it." Another man told mo ij ' that ( he; infinitely .preferred to take a ii' reoommendation from a., member, of .. Parliament than from any outsider, be- .'. cause: he knew the member of.'Parlia- [' mentj and.-he did ..not know who - the . Others'were. ' ' Comparison of Wages. Taking the average of .the wages paid ii . tfor the..whole;service in' each case the ji'. figures rwere as ifollow:—New Zealand, £141; Victoria, ■ £136; Queensland, ij% : ■ f 122.; .New' South, Wales,..£l2o; South "i ' Australia,"£ll9.' In "1897 there was no ,j[ 'man in the New Zealand Department • receiving a salary of £1250. ' That' started in 1902. ■ In' : 1897 in tho New •; . Zealand Department Hherb .wire'' three-■ jj • men receiving, £900. and: two af £700.,. ;i| -Other figures for.lNeiV; Zealand were as ■ : .;follow.:—£190 a .year (1897): 19. men, ft?, 01 ), 40 . (1902) 122, (1907) 74,.. (1908) • ;j ®°- . There were only ,60 in ' . • becauso' had ' received t : ' increases: There: were. no men: in 1897. -.ii:. -125.. .6d.'id f day,';ahd none' in 1901, 1902, and 1903, but in 190S there vjl were 229 men receiving 12s. 6d.. and in .Vj' 1910 280;;, Other-figures were' as fol- ' /it'' l? w ;t: 12s v a (1907) 63, (1910) 49. ij. 1910 the -rest of'the '12s. men. had :]! increased, to 12si AVith regard • !'' tolower wagesthe' comparison was as follows:—9s. per day (1897) 289, (1907) if Hl?' 3 - Per day >(1897)' 490, (1907) i ; £ ?. 25 » 6d. per, day. (1897) 1007, (1907) , Right through the piece thero .' r/ ■, , u an increase in wages in New-' . Zealand especially in.the lower ranks. Clerical'staffs Compared. :1; Take the clerical staffs: In one grade! !;... -there-were in New Zealand 46 men at'-an-average of £236, "in New South ji, Wales 115 at £232, and in Victoria 122 : :: .at £203. In the case of porters 833 in J\ew Zealand averaged £129, in New. ', couth Wales 1500 at £106, and in Vic- : ji. 1043.at £112."' Higher rates were paid in New Zealand in all cases ex,,cept It had. to be refi- Diembered, however, that the classificaij. tion and conditions as regards engine- - drivers:-: were different in Australian -from 'what they were in New. Zealand .. In iNow..Zealand, for instance, enginedrivers . got .a, night allowance of - 4s ■ . ; when away from home,, in' Victoria the" got only Is. for 12 hours away and 2s j| for 24 hours-: The hours of .labour were n the same; but the' conditions arid pa" .' wore far superior in.Now Zealand . Jj. Mr. 'Massey: What.about the cost of living ? . -•. . . • •; ■!;."< Mr. .Millar, resuaihg, : said that the : '".;v position- in Australia was somewhat " • i! siro«ar % to that* in New Zealand—-the r rates were so.high in the towns that i; the people were being driven into the - '} suburbs;to live. As far as he could see ■,t' ;i living was about the same.' i, Oh, no; the , cost is '■I much cheaper in Victoria, for instance. Freights and Concessions. Continuing his remarks, Mr. Millar •! asked if the commissioners in Austra•.lis. had made anything like the concessions which had been'made in Now Zea- . land. As Regards' freights, there were so:many different classes .compared with ji the number in Neiv. Zealand.- Since 1895 the producers in New Zealand had ] had two millions put .into their pockets • ; Dy way ; of,concessions. The concessions on live stock alone, in New Zealand last j i;jear were equal to ; £86,000. As instances of-.the reductions which Were made in New Zealand since 1895, when tile Government took over the control of the railways, he instanced the following in : regard to the carriage of sheep;—2s ! miles, 225. 6d. to 17s.' 6d.; 50 miles 38s. 9d. to-305.; 100 miles, 58s. -9d. to :505.; 150 miles, 71s. 3d. to 625. 6d It-had to be remembered in connection with the matter of freights that the bulk or the trade .in Australia was over long distances. As regards agricultural products, the rates for 25 miles were:— S e !/S 1 ? 11, i' ' ls ' 4(l - to ,6s. 6d.; New South Wales, 2s. lid. to 12s. Id.-Vic tona 2s. 6d. tolOt8d. ; South Aiistra2?' lid tn l°l 111'' n Vcsfc Aus tralia, 4i t it m i, ll ' i Queensland,' 2s ■Cel. to 15s. sd. llieu, again, lie would give the rates over 300 miles :-New ' -Zealand, 18s. to 375.: New Hm,+iWales 17s. 4d. to 99s.'Id vicW ln S 'lMa 10 \V ? d V S ;° U ' h Australia . to 1045.; West Australia, up to 1093 • Queensland, up to 108s. And yet thero were some members who would like to see the New Zealand railways nlaced Tinder commissioners. Mr. Massey: I have never said so. , Mr. Millar: Well; Mr. Herdmaii holds ' that the; public Departments should ,be under the control of non-political hoards. The Cost of Coal. Resuming, : Mr, Millar said that he did not.believe that: there was a ,man in ; Australia who c-ould have done better, than those who had had charge of the railways in . New Zealand. ..... Especially was this the fact . . when it was considered that the cost of coal was so much lower in Australia. In New. South Wales-they got tho coal ■ at. the mines for Gs'. {id. " - Mr. Massey: 'What'about Huntlvp

Mr. Millar: You can't get coal in Now Zealand equal 16 tho coal in Australia for loss than 21s. 10(1. Mr. All-en: You do at tho Stato coal mine. . Mr. Millar: I am talking about delivered. "• .- 1 Continuing, Mr. Millar said tho Nmv South Wales coal was costing tho Now Zealand Government 2d. or 3d. moro than local coal, because they could not got it in sufficient quantities. It also had to bo remembered that in Australia _ thoy had long stretches of coal which worked in with one another. Mr. Buchauau: Tho broad gaugo makes a difference. Mi - . Millar: Twenty miles of nar-row-gauge lines are being put down in Australia at present to every ouo milo of broad gauge. ' v Resuming, Air. Millar said that although tho North Island line was only 3ft. Oin., there was only a difference of iiino inches in tho extreme, measurements as compared with the cars used on tho, broad gaugo. "Uttlc to Loam." Ho had often heard members talking about tho cost of maintenance in Australia and New .Zealand respectively, but during his recent visit to Australia ho got a great surprise. In Australia if £120 per mile were spent on maintenance a district engineer would get a memorandum from the commissioners. But in New Zealand maintenance cost as high as £218 per mile. • As a rule, not more than"£ CO or £80 • was spent in that direction ■ in Australia. "New Zealand," added Mr. Millar, "has very little to learn from Australia in : regard to railway management."

MR. MERRIES IN REf>LY. VICTORIAN PUBLIC BETTER OFF. SOME COMPARISONS. Mr. Herries (Tauranga) said figures in his possession showed that the freight, charges in Victoria were cheaper than ours up to 150 miles, ami beyond that distance we might be cheaper. He contended that, tho greater part of the stuff was railed loss than 150 miles, and, * therefore, - the public were better «ff in Victoria than in New Zealand. Coal was carried cheaper in New Zealand, but ,only coal that came -in the C$ classynative coal .that was, inot bituminous. As regards, the railage of live stock; trucks-were' taken at ;a lower rate in' Now > Zealand. . For instance,; in Victoria it cost _20s to carry a truck twenty miles, and in New Zealand 15s. In ' Victoria, liowover, they had the bvoad gauge, and he believed these trucks would accommodate half as many.sheep again as the New Zealand, vhich would make the Victorian rates lower than ours. With' regard? to fares, there was, no doubt that... our long-distance fares ; woro cheaper,. and our short-distance':.'-'.fares very much higher. He thought,the.,.Government should«cncouragelfsUburban. traffic more than it did at;pre^ni..v;V-V-l^r'':.'l'- ; A Different .Comparison. Mr., Herries quoted the following figures with regard to freights in support of his remarks :— Manure. —Twenty miles: Victoria (five-ton lots) Is. 4d, two-ton lots, 2s. 2d.';* New '"Zealand f (Class.'B),' 3s.> Bd.; SO miles: Victoria (five tons), 2s. 10d., two-vtons 3s. 10d..;,.New Zealand, 6s. 9d: j" 100 miles: Victoria (five tons) ss. 7d., two tons 6s. 4d.; New Zealand, 9s. Bd.; 150 miles: Victoria (five tons) 7s. 4d., tw,o ! .'tons 85..,10 d.; .New Zealand, lis. 9d.'• -

Grain, miles:. Victoria,. 2s. Sd.',-..Neiv Zealand 3s. Bd. ,60 miles: Victoria ss. 6d., ; .New Zealand- 6s. 9d.; ■100 miles:. Victoria Bs. 9d., New Zealand 9s': 8dl; .150 smiles :'iVic&ria .7s. id;/'New Zealand lis. "9d.

!.Sugar.-^Twonty'miles: Victoria,: 6s. :3d.,,New ! Zealand ,125;,; ;50 miles ': -Victoria 13s. 9d., New Zealand 26si-lOd.; 100 miles:.Victoria.26s. 3d.,' New Zealand'4ls. 6d.; 150 mile's:'3Bs.-'.9d, ; New Zealand 495. lOd.

: Coal.—Twenty -miles :'; Victoria - 2s. 6d., New. Zealand, (p),/3s. Bd., (q). 2s. 9d.; 50 miles: Victoria' 4s:' 3d., New Zealand (p) 7s. ; 8d.,. (q),.55,. 5d.; 100 miles: Victoria''Ss." 4d., New Zealand (p) 9s. 9d., (q) 75;.'4d.; 150-miles: Victoria" 10s. 10d.,'New Zealand (p) 10s. 7d., (q) Bs. 4d.

■ Sheep (in truck/ full,rates).—Twenty miles: Victoria 205., New Zealand ilss.; 50 miW: Victoria 385.,' New Zealand 30s. -, 100 miles:: Victoria 735. 6d., ;New Zealand 505.; 150 miles:, Victoria 865., New Zealand. 625. 6d. ~ The wider Victorian trucks "would hold, one and a half times as manysheep' as the New Zealand trucks. ■ ...

As tho Fencing Master in tho play of that name, to bo produced at the Opera Houso on Thursday evening next.

Part of the crooked spiro of St. John's Church, Gloucester, is being removed by Mr. W. Lai'kins, the Bow steeplejack, an it -is in a dangerous state. The spire, which is' 190 ft. high, is 700 years old. About 20ft. will be cut off from tho top.

Six of. the last nine Derby winners were ridden by Americans. . A minute's delay in treating some cases of croup—often the length of time it takes to go for a .doctor—frequently, proves fatal. To savo worry keep a bottle of Chamberlain's Cough Remedy •in tho house and at the first indication of croup give the child a dose;.. Pleasant to take and always cures.—Advt.