THE Grey Riber Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 1872.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1207, 11 June 1872, Page 2

THE Grey Riber Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 1872.

Just as all the difficulties that have arisen between the Government and Mr Brogden were all but completed, by some unfortunate accident the price of iron has advanced in the home markets to such a degree that the basis of all railway calculations has been to a great degree com - pletely upset. .;, When estimates as to the cost of the various colonial railways were formed, iron was lower in value by some 30 per cent, and hence it is evident that any tenders submitted by Mr Brogden must be increased in a similar ratio. The question then comes how is the difficulty to be met, and how can the Executive carry out the works to which they are pledged under the a^ared circumstances. We are not aware what the guage agreed on is, though, of course, all know that it is to be universal throughout the colony, so that if needed the same carriages, or trucks, can run on every line, and make, in fact, the tour of the island. The ideas o| the Government in reference to railway traffic are somewhat magnificent. They are pledged to extravagant lines, passing through the most difficult districts, and attended with a fearful outlay. IJnder all the circumstances it must be clear that the Colonial Government will have to cut their railway coats according to their cloth, and therefore, before they are finally and irrevocably committed to any peculiar system they had better consider which is the most economical to adopt. Everyone who has taken the trouble to inform himself on railway matters must have heard of the Fairlie system, or rather v of the Fairlie engine. The advantageof this is that it will run on the shortest possible guage, can turn curves impracticable in other hcomotives or carriages, and is most peculiarly suitable for -New Zealand. It is specially economical, the cost staring New Zealand in the face under the old system, would be greatly reduced, and the original estimates, under this system, would prove amply adequate for the wants of the Colony. Whilst allowing all the advantages of a railway in reference to curves, &c, which must occur, as a matter of course, in this Colony, the speed of the Fairlie trains uphill, and under every possible disadvantage, has averaged in many cases thirty miles an hour. This is speed sufficient for us for years to come, and if not quite up to the Great Western express between Paddington and Exeter, is quite as fast as colo- . nials will care to travel. Possibly, there fore, the iron difficulty may be thus got over, and by reducing cost iv one way increased necessary outlay must be met. We are prompted more peculiarly to these suggestions owing to the receipt of particulars of the working of the engines on the Festiniog railway in Wales, and we make no apology for quoting from an article in the Sydney Toivn and Country Journal on this subject. Our Australian contemporary, after giving the fullest details of the satisfactory working of the line in question makes the following deductions under the head of " Cheap Railway Construction." We may premise that a Queensland Railway Commission has been sitting, at which evidence in favor of a guage of 2ft 6in, at a cost of £2883 per mile ; of 3ft 6in, at an expense of L 3889 per mile, and another of 2ft 6in, to last for fifty years, at £3500 per mile. Another engineer estimates the cost of a 2ft Gin line, without rolling stock and over average country, at .£3200 per mile. Our contemporary, above referred to, after -stating these facts in detail, says : — " Whatever differences of opinion there may be in the foregoing notes of evidence, it is abundantly clear that all agree in discarding the potion of adopting anything like the costly and extravagant system of New South Wales. In fact, the experience of the whole world, excepting in the cases of lines between the most important and populous of manufacturing and mercantile towns, is favorable to the construction of cheap lines. The report quotes a letter from Sir Charles Fox to the New Zealand Commissioners, stating that the railway from Arconum to Conjeveram, to India, of 3ft Gin gauge cost only JG32QO a mile, including -telegraph and stations. The same authority states that the cost of 'a thoroughly efficient line' in Canada, ' including rolling stock, management, and all other expenses, has been reduced within £3000 a mile. After some further estimates, Sir C. Fox adds the following general conclusions : — 'Our experience shows that, through country of any ordinary character, where land is cheap, and heavy bridges are not required,.and where labor is obtainable at moderate rates, thoroughly efficient railways of the 3ft Gin guage can be completed, including everything, for .£3OOO a mile. With regard to general hints upon construction, it is mentioned that Mr Elsdon recommends steel lines of 531 b weight per yard for the Victorian lines,, where the traffic is heavy. The Indian Commissioners recommend 361 b rails for the Indian lines. Mr Fowler is favorable to a rail weighing 421 b. Mr Spooner, engineer of the famous Festiniog line, states that it was originally laid with rails of 161 bto the yard. These were replaced with 301 b rails, most of which had been in use for eighteen years ; but they were found too light for the'work, and eventually a rail of between 481 b and 491 b per yard, was adopted. It seems, however, that the 301 b rails had done good service, carrying an annual traffic of 240,000 tons." We cannot give details of the railway to which we have referred in this issue, but , will do so at an early date. We may, however, say that the Queensland Com- . mission has been unanimous in recom* ', mending it, and that it ia in the most , special manner applicable to New Zea- i 'land. If the Government think fit to i

construct railways on this principle, not. only will they fully answer all requirements, bit they will be lighter, cheaper, equally effective, and in every respect adapted t> the necessities and the circumstances if the Colony, We can only regret tlat space prevents us in this issue from gi/ing full details of the system W6 refer to,