ARTERIAL RAILWAYS IN CANTERBURY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XI, Issue 696, 9 July 1859, Page 5

ARTERIAL RAILWAYS IN CANTERBURY.

To the, Editor., of the Lyttelton Times.

;.$ X]?>~;ln your leading.avticlp of ;the\6th'instant on. tho : i>wlwa^..qiiesti6a»-you',have'.'doiie me. t\ie honour _ to' notice a. letter 'written, by iii'e aiid inserted inVyour, previous is^\ie,. and to; expoke tlie fallacies 61" my ciilculafciuiis. . - r ■"■■■■■■•?

As you justly obaerve tliat .tins will be the most important subject of discussion during the next session, (thrpughJfrom.; the tfehor of'your article there can be no doubt abpiit.your opinion being formed,) I, feel.sure that you \ would be the last to throw anj obstacle in'the \vay of the.fullest discussion of so weiglity.a matter.' ,?: V' .'• ..You do Yourself but scant justice' when you say you approach the subject witlioufc any new facts to lay .before your .readers;,-,for-have.' you noV given us, if not the ,acfiiul,'afc least "an approximation to the actual figures given by his Honor the Superintendent: the first, I. believe, that; have been laid before the public by-.any recognized, authority P L You were quite right to say that, if I wished to convince by my figures, I stated my case in%a curious manner. 1 did.not wish tp; convince; but merely to .open a discussion which tnigiit perhaps |tlirow'somef" light,on the subject^ahd which has brought put/the "figures upbri which the'bright anticipations of the advocates, of tlie railway are based. These I shall take the liberty to examine; and, comparing them with'tho "results of experience, I am afraid they will prove quite, as fallacious as my imaginary data. • ; ' ' : r: . v > :■;:-::

_ Withregard to comparison of costof'construction and mairitenarice-of "ptir line With those of other couritries, perhaps it would.; be more ;to the point if I were to pass by altogether thoseof Great Britain and .the European Continent, arid: take the American; merely "observing, that 'the former," the most expensive, in "the old world, average £40,000 per mile; and the-latter (the cheapest).? £12,600; and that the working expenses, on theiformer sometimes reach to 80 per cent on receipts, arid are never under 50 per cent; and an the:latter-average 55.per cent; .while;the figures given by you represent an estimated cost for our line of. about £5,500 per mile, (exclusive of the tunnel) and only 25 per cent working, expenses. -.'!".......■ As the figures are not based upon the Lyttelton: and Chrjstchurchvl'.ne-only, "and as; it is ;youri opiniqathnt. the.lines;.from the Itowai to Tirriaru; are necessa^ adjuncts and.cannot b«.iboked up'oifas' distinct, they must of, course-' be' included, and/the wholetaken as the basis;'6f calculation. '

Supposing them;executed in Hvb years; and that' our population has doubled itself in. ; that time, we shall then have...one. .mile of railway' for. ey ery 137 of our population.; Brother Jonathan,--; the " go-l ahead". $ar, excellence,, has by the-latest returns! bhe; for every 2,200; while poor old John Bull ipan only afford one::for every 1:5,500.-"That will' be prttty well for little Canterbury. - - •; ■^statistical account of the twenty-eight principal . railways in the states of New England '■>. and Nevv York gives the average, costof construction at' £9,200 per mile, and; the working expenses ait 46.8 per cent on receipts. The writer observes, on the causes of cheapness of construction and;economy in working, ."that .the lines, with, certain exception's (few in number), are earned over.a dead level—of earthwork /there is but little—of: works of art; .'suchy as viaducts,' tunnels, &c., coinnionly .none; where they' are'ic'arried wer 'rivers arid streams, bridges are constructed in a rude but substantial mariner—of timber supplied by the roadside forest at no greater cost than that of hewing it • the stations, outbuildings, &c, are light and cheaply constructed of timber; the fuel for the locomotives is mostly wood, unless in the coal districts, where the latter is used."

In the Southern and' "Western States there have been some thousand miles of railway constructed at a considerably lower'rate, but the author observes that "it arises, from the fact of the.landed proprietors having gii;en to a.great extent their gratuitous co-operation," arid that the plant and working stock is of very small amount"

It is a Suggestive Fact that .these lmeSj notwithstanding their cheap: construction, pay; very small dividends in general: in some cases none.

', Haw are we better situated than America for constructing cheap' railways ?; In this .146 miles of railway,'besides.the bugbear tunnel, we have ten rivers to bridge over, besides smaller impediments. The freight of rails and all the plant would be at least, treble what it is to America. We are' destitute of timber, and have now to import .at enormous prices for our public works. The rate of labor is fully twice as high as it is in America. And, lastly, coals are considered cheap here at £4 a ton. And yet we are to construct our railway for three-fifths of the mileage cost of an average of twenty-eight of theirs, and to work it at half the cost; -■' ■•'.'■ • '''■■' ' ■ ' '■• " ■ :

With regard to .the calculations as to goods traffic, taking your .own figures, and allowing the singular, fact to pass without comment, that the railway, as soon as open, is. to shut up both river and road and swallow, all the traffic, I can only. make up an amount, less than half of the anticipated amount.'. Suppose our 500,000 sheep to have increased toi 3,000,000—0r.1et us settle the matter at once 'and"give the maximum- of 6,000,000, or 'a sheep to an acre—that would give 18,000,000 lbs. bf^ooj, or 51,428 bales of 350" lbs., each; say the average freight is 55.,.' ifc gives. £12,857. Let Us giveas much more for. grain and other produce— : equal to". 315,000 bushels at 6d. Taking your estimate of 17,200 tons as the present amount of imports into; Christehureh from Lyttelton, and adding 5,0 .per cent, increase for five years, we have 84,262 tons at 105.—£42,131. Giving Kaiapoi and the riorthits "proportion according to present lation,.and adding the increase, gives, say, £30,000; and treating Timaru in the same manner, we have £10,000 more; to which add the £18,000 estimnted as passenger traffic, and we have a total of £125,845, instead of £258,000. :

. I.have taken your own -figures for the imports, and have given you all .the.wool we shall most probably ever produce, and have increased the remaining exports twenty-fold, and yet there is £133,000 wanting. ' My figures stand thus. I will take the average cost of the American lines as the only/reasonable one we can take in the absence of the " London Engineer":— ■ ' : 146 Vniles, at £9200 per mi1e...... £1,343,000 Interest on capital .calculated for half the time of construction ... 200,000 In round numbers £1,550,000 Goods and passengers receipts ... £'125,845 Working expenses 50 per : ■ cent, on receipts 63,000 Interest 6 per cent: on . • capital 93,000 ■ ■ — £150,000:

/Leaving an annual deficit of £30,000 n^ofuv^np* ■posing;tbesame unoherlicil prosperity to attend the : province for the next five years. ■ You say that I omit to sct'ojF the cost of keeping metalled roads in. repair against the working ex^ penses of the railway. A, rail way necessitates moro than ever the maintenance;, of good and opening up of new roads, or how is the vast traffic you calculate, lipon evei'-to'roaeh it? And what becomes of:, the'-greater enterprise.?—"the civilisation of the ■ whole country by .permanent, road ing?" ' - 1 With regard to the stimulus to.bo given to the ; province, by the capital and hibnur introduced to . complete, thewoi-k, whatever might be felt would ,be scarcely heallliy, and would inevitably be followed by as great a reaction. As I -suppose I am a type of the class termed • timid and unpractical advisers " I.,would simply Kay.tc»r-my.self.t!iaf,,in.tlie.absencoo('the" London Engineer," I .consider myself quite fl s well acquainted .with the subject as most of my iellow-country-men,not excluding those who will ii.ive to decide the'mattevby their votes: As to timidity, itia a charge couimoaly brought against those who rulo their.conduct by:my nomenylature,- on the-part of the over sanguine. and.adventurous, Lastly, Mr. Editor, in spite of the curious coincidence you mention, I am sorry to say" I have.nevereven seen the Life of "George Stcphenson, though —to judge from t!ie excellent moral you deduced from it—it must be a very pleasant and instructive book. . ' . ' ' ' ■ '■■"•; ■;•':;;, I am, sir, your obedient servant, . COMMON SENSE. [We have much pleasure in publishing the. rail* way calculations of ' Common Sense,' as nothing can be so beneficial as a full discussion of.every side of -the question. He will agree; with us,: however, after looking over his last letter together with, the present one, that figures .may be found to prove anything. We can only say that the estimates wn adduced are not random- ones* and that they are based on professional calouh.turns:.which, we have reason fcrdepend on. As the»subjeot will ere long of necessity be much: before the-:public, we should only weary ouxv readers ■ by ; continuing, to r enlarge now on our view of the question ; bub we shall be most happy to give publicity to. any letter- from, our present correspondent or any other,person who, like him, appears inclined to give his .attention ta so important a subject.—Ed. L. T.J. „ , ; . :.