THE RAILWAYS STATEMENT FOR 1910.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 906, 27 August 1910, Page 11

THE RAILWAYS STATEMENT FOR 1910.

Sir,—The Railways statement reached ineon August. 19. -The following;is what it .teaches us: That the total amount' of capital sunk in the New Zealand railways )»as, on March 31, 1910, .030,321.191.. -..-.-. Oof this amount .£13,692,639 was expended !-.in. the North Islam!', and :"#6,628,552 was expended in the .South Island. .:,'. ■• ■■.-. . ■ . : .... , An expenditure,of,,£2,93s,9l3 more in the South than in-the'North, and it must be remembered' that tho . expemUtuiu charged to the. North, includes the A' 1,000,000 paid for . the. purchase of the llanawatu line,, but: that purchase conferred no benefit whatever on the North, .for we already, had all the advantages it could give us, mid mi -interest tu' puy. Now wo shall probably have to contribute ~£28,000 per annum, for it is well to'remember that, tho Noi'th pays not less than 60 or 70 per cent of the Dominion's tax- ■ atiou'. - ' ''■'. ■••■■•■-.•' ..... ~ This. report; says that £1,268,759-was added-to the capital sunk'in our railways during 1909-10, of which jCtJS2,U27 was charged to the North and ,£616,732 tu the South. . . '.;.'" - ' . . ■ Let us now take, a glance at what we . have obtained,for this expenditure.- .We have during the year obtained 35 new miles of railway; of these 3-ythreo only, be it observed—were opened in the Northand 32 in the South Island, tho South gaining more.than 10 (ten) times as much as the- North did. : • Eighteen new stations and stoppingplaces were added during tho year, Jj in the North and 13 in the South; also *2 new private sidings, 2 in the South and 10 in the North. This shows that wherever possible, producers in the North are compelled to pay for their transit facilities, while for Southern'producers the nublio pays. Let us now-see what we have gained in traffic. : Ordinary passenger traffic increased by G80,998 fares. .Of this'increase the North contributed from its 1135 miles 393,162 fares, while the 1574 miles in the South brought bat 287,53(1 incicn.se. The total number carried in the .North was 5,791,868, who paid an. average fare of 2s. 1 65-100 d., say 2s. ljd. ■ The total number curried in tho South was 5,346,279, or 445.559 less than in the North, although the .North hoi 43!) less miles of open mihvuy than tho South ij£Bt ' ' '

The total of "goods" carried at per ton weight,' exclusivo of estimated tonnago of the coaching .traffic, was tons, 1,572,872 in the North, and 3,630,340 in the South. ■ ■■■ '.;..- The average charge for the transit of goods iii the -Vprth was 10s. 7 80-ICOd., say 105..8 d- per ton. Last year it was 9». 10 3-lid.' Tims the "goods rates against the North have been again increased in oue year. Dill, per ton. . In the South tho average cliargo was only Ss. 9Jd. per ton, or not much moru than half the Northern charge and actually 4s. IOJd. per ton less. The charge tho previous year in the South was ss. Md., so that according to' their own showing it Itas actually been reduced id. per lon, while in Ihv North it has -been ruiscit 91(1. As regards orcinary-passenger fares the charge was increased 2Jcl. per fsre in the

North. In the South' the rate was reduced i&. per., fare. :■;' -C .-**• s;*y \S/i : '. I could say a great deal more, but surely hav6 said enough" to'show that Sir Joseph .Ward's and tho Hon. Mr.. Millar's 'raUway.-policy is-not: to .develop'• the resources •• and promote the welfare of the 'Dominion," but. to .plunder: the North to the .utmost extent for tho supposed benefit of', the. in . the South.. They are doing what has ( been..done'scores of times in America, ; setting the transit .charges against one..district, in: favour ol another in order/to transfer industries, population, and property- values to. the- favoured dis-i tricts., That is what most certainly will take place if they, are allowed to continue.. It is only a question of time.—l am, eto., ■ ;■; . • ':'- ' "' ' .-. ' ■•'..•: : SAMUEL VAILE..: Auckland,.August 22, 1910., ; ■■•','

is compelled to buy blankets and occupy thn van,' or else bo considered out of pocket by having to pay lodgings at his home station, as well as where he is engaged ballasting. This is tlio .method iidoptoil of reducing lodging allowance expenses. "Why the Government does not, wish the . Unginedrivers,' Firemens', find Cleaners' Association to bo recognised is that they think tho locomotivo men might obtain better conditions than they are- at present receiving. If they thought this body of men would not benefit, the association would bo recognised in a very short tyne. Let the Minister take ii vote from the locomotive staff, giving the men a chance to come under the .Arbitration Act, and 91 per cent, would come under the said Act Votingpa liora wore issued lo the members of the A.S.R.S., and also instructions from the general manager, condemning the