RAILWAYS MANAGEMENT.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 923, 16 September 1910, Page 5

RAILWAYS MANAGEMENT.

A REPLY TO MR. MILLAR. REPORT BY N.S.W. COMMISSIONER. The Sydney "Sua", of. September. 6 printed a digest of Mr. Millar's recent ' attempt to compare the management of the New South Wales and. New Zealand railways systems to the disadvantage of the former.: On Septemfcr 9 it-printed Y. a summary of- a Teply furnished to the New South ,' Wales Government by this '' Chief Commissioner of. the New; South Wales railways. ■ • . •' In his principal, statement. (the' Commissioner states) Mr. MillaT referred generally ~to "Australia," and it is not,, therefore, easy to .analyse them. ' '. So far as comparisons' can be mode - bo-. ; ■ ■ tween this State and .the Dominion the.' facts are \ v *,■■; v Mr. Millar's ■ statements are, :theVoffi» ;■ I oial report, states, lacking in. that detail .'. . . information regarding New Zealand," which precludes their, being oftcctiyely \ dealt with, and. it adds, "in fact,special care seems to have been' taken-to omit '. details."- Where comparisons. possible, howoviar,. kho latest atailabl® New- Zealand official publications: have been pat side by sido with those at iSfiW South Wales or equal date." . -.: Political, interference with railway management is not.-acknowledged hero. ..■ and it is stated in the report that "there V is no doubt the object: (of the Railway Act} has lieert fallr secured," Aii lo complaints being frequent,. it-.- ia stated tliat; ' m. the New South .Wales service' they are no ;more, numerous . than,in all cither rail- 4 way . systems of any. magnitude, but ."each -v' crura is thoroughly ; investigated lind every effort. : made- to rectify it and guavu against repetition." .' . •:' Cost "of. maintenance- in New.' South y Wales is not, us ,Mrl Millar. , inferred, : : charged to - capital—not only' so, but-; improvements,' small individually, but.'con-.. siderable in the aggregate, are charged : to working expenses in order" to .eurtailv: the increase , in the'capital account. '• Regarding the conditions, .of '. employ- .- - ' ment, a. comparison without details .is of ;, no value; but it ;is pointed out - that the pay for ; all employees in the railway service of this State is per annum, and. employees. l can :take advari-'-te?a: of: the Industrial' Disputes'' Act; if thi'y wish to.do so. :

. : - General ..Comparison. j : .The,-systems of. the two countries ara ' . i entirely ' dissimilar, and . the . following - v:"j figures for the year ended March- 31 (in • ! New Zealand) and June 30, 1910 (in New ■ 'i South Wales), are instructive:— : ■:] N.Z. N.S W. \ Length of lines t (miles) . . 2,717 3,643 1 Capital cost *628,513,476 £48,925,348 ! : ■.! Gross earnings 3,249,790 . 5,485,715 .: O Working: expenses... 2,169,471 3,276,409 Goods and livestock • - : . ' (tons) 5,490,018 8,393,033' -I" ' Train: miles 7,569,166' 15,468,026 : Financial Position. j. '■ Notwithstanding ; , the proportionately , •lower ' interest charges' ,on the. : .cheaper construction of' the .lines in : New-'-i! 3.Vi -Zealand,.; and the large number:of : constructed in'; this State to.open. rip -the-''=j,:o country,' which; are of a non-paying, char- : •:{£ ; report shows that,: financially, ; the railways of this State aro much : - :.', better footing than thoso .of tho Do-, -i;. /minion.- ; ft'vf N 2 NS W< £. s. d. ,£ s. d. Percentage -return on;'' "X: ■ capital invested....'....: .3 16 0 411 7 Percentage .of . working '.V >. \ expenses' to earnings...; 66.76 59.73 'j V-'.V 1 '■ -S-:- i Charges. Under t this heading' the Chief Commissi I sioner - points .out: chat 7. geographically ' j there;is-no,comparison hetween -New: Zea- : J •/- *'-3 .land and this State. Here the commerce •: : -- i of the country is centralised (with tho . . * of;a"small percentage dealt with' j : ,at' Newcastle) at Sydney, fe. : :; V S distance traffic is carried, is,:on- the whole, iiv I considerably than: is'.expected-.'to.' ' ; :1 nfC'the case "in New Zealand,' where con-":' :)-] lyeiiient, ports , are.witlrincomparatively/ short distances of the interior.. • y: : i:X'i '. 'There is'ialso . the 'fact:, that', in New ' i.. -| Zealand "the, question : of competition,- with! -V :i steamers is an important factor—a condi- '■ ■ tion that, .is - practically non-existent, in . ' : -i this. State. - In view ,of this', it' is only' ' reasonable; seeing that distance from, thev' & -:i .M|siior.iov{he-p6r^.:;iii;°Kew'iZedaßd : is-. }:'■vi • limited, that the - comparisons, .to : ; be;' 1-, i:,' !§ fair, shonld bc based: on .short" distances.; ,'l'ho;, following are ::ratesV!applying.,for?^i ; V:i ,similar 'distances in the two :systems:— ■' v ?v. Single. : : -- Keturn'. Ist 2nd. Ist 2ndj ■ . . -s.d.s.d.B. d. s. d. 3 l'orirua (N.Z.), : :13 miles 1 9'1.2 8 6 2 4- ; Granville (N.S.W.) 13' 010 111 13 : ' s Otahi (NZ), 47 , miles . 6 (I i 0 12 0 8 0 < Springwood ■/:- V: >u (NSW) .5 3 3 4 8 1 5 * Kopntaroa < 65 miles 8 3 5 6 16 6 11 ff ~*~ Katoomba ' '' 'j? [ : >"-5 (NSW) 81 50 12 6 8 8 In regard to fares for long distance* % the following are taken as applying to • -the journays .'Christchurch-Dunedin (230 : 'X i miles) • oiid' Wellington-Auckland <; (428 . : J miles), arid, for similar Ain Newt; j South Wales: - v..- ')

. ; : ... ! Single. Keturn.. ; ;■K'.-f-'; .. lfit. . .2nd. . Ist. 2nd. s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d„ J New Zealand 28 10 ' 19 3 57 i 8 38 6 • ■New South Wales 32 11 19.: 6 -58 4 34 7 New Zealand ... 53 10 35 11 8 7110 " 3 Now South Wales 59 7 34 11 106 4 62 4 In these cases, however, steamer com- : petition exists : in New Zealand,:but not in..: '3 : this 'State. : . In regardvto particularly,-long't '• I-::] journeys,: say; from Sydney to Brisbane (725 miles);: the ordinary; fare? are, ,£t and,':;je6'- iirst-class single .and return -.respee-' .-' ' i lively, and. £3 12s. 6d; and . .£4 second- \ class. -- ■ :: The season ticket rates—second-floss yearly tickets—are 'especially interesting ■ in comparison, as follow:— . • '■ .;i Miles.-' N.Z. N.S.W. ■... £ 6. d. £ s. d. 5-576 4 3 9 l 10 - 8 7 6 516 3 s 20 — 10 10 0 718 3 t 30 - 12 26 ' 817 9 1 - , 40 - — 13 15 0 910 9 J 50 15 7 6 10 3 9 ' The report/also contains a comparison' ' ; of- the rates for , carriage, of, freight; over':' distances of 100,. 200, 'aiid 300 miles,: under the headings of grain, agricultural ma- , ' 1 ohiriery, mining machinery, : crude.-.; ores. . coal, and general goods, and in every: in- , . --J stance the New South Wales charges are : very appreciably, lower- than those in tha ■ ■ Dominion, excepting in the case of car- ' .' | riage of general goods' over- the - loiigcn'- 7; j distances, and there:, the difference is ■'* slightly in favour-; of . Now Zealand. It •> is pointed out that!a largo percentage of this traffic is imported, and tho fact . . ;that New Zealand has; lower-, charges for : '''J -the'longer. 'distances illustrates that thesecharges are probablyaccessary on account of competition by sea. Parcel' (141b.) rates arc also quoted for ... : 55,'50, and 100 miles, and here' again'; the' difference is against New Zealand,, where \;5 the charges ate, Gd., 3d., and Is. re» - j spectiyoly, against .the. Now South Wales .v rato3 of 3d., 5d., aud fld. , / ■ . ■ ■ . Train Service. "In these ntodern' times," (lie ro'poii i; states,' "it is-most 'essential:'that' transit - facilities, should .'- be ; expeditious. .The -'': Wellington. to Auckland ; express ■ talies ;• ■ i 15 Jiours 23 minntes to travel from W(-l- :■ - < lington to Prankton' Junction (341 miles).. The Melbourne express -.from Sydney, runs vi an equal distance in 10 liours l 7 minutes." - - Then the report concludes:Vrith a regret- V. y. j that a ton-miloago ' statement -for New ' i Zealand is not available—lvhioli would give, the average distance various classes of traffic are hauled, and so permit of a more complete comparison j being . 'given; -. V.J but' it is asserted that those girea "ara : i 60 conclusive that further comment ij quite unnecessary." j