The Manawatu Standard (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on the West Coast. TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 1885.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 56, 4 August 1885, Page 2

The Manawatu Standard (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on the West Coast. TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 1885.

In a recent issue we showed by some figures compiled from the New Zealand Times, that the revenue of oi)i'. railways was decreasing to an extent which is suggestive of the urgent need of reform. From the very outset our railways have been constructed, maintained, and managed after a system not at all m accord with the popular idea of I the rh'tness of things, or such as would be calculated to make the expenditure, reproductive, or to assist m tlie great work of settlement and colonization. To our mind the result is surprising, not so much m the fact that the decrease of railway reveliue has been so considerable, as that it has not been very much greater. A consideration of the various phases of, the question proves beyond doubt that had our railways been inaugurated under different auspices and carried on under a different regime, the result would have been that instead of a decreasing revenue, the railway element m our origiiial Public Works policy would have, more than realized the most sanopiue anticipations that were formed with •' regard to it. It is generally admitted that a great number of railways m both Islands havejbeeir constructed m localities wlierj; a heavy cost of construction has been unavoidably entailed, where the. risks of accidenfare proportionably increased, the wear and tear of locomotives and rolling stock excessive, the cost of running abnormally: high, and the actual benefit to the travelling or mercantile community and the Colony at large infinitesimal as compared with the results that would have been attained under| other conditions. We need only point to the route taken for the railway between. Turakina and Matarawftj or to the Rimutaka tunnel, as evidence m support of ouv contention that the engineering has been either grossly bungled, or that political influence has been brought to bear m deciding the route to be taken, with the result m either case that the respective undertakings can never be otherwise that costly, unproductive, and dangerous for traffic, to an exceptional degree. Similar instances could be multiplied ad infiniium, but it is not necessary to enlarge upon the. feature of "political railways'" which unfortunately are as. familiar as household words from one end of the Colouy to the otherJ Tbc evil is one that is not likely to' be remedied during the present century, though there is very liittle doubt that m the course of time the exigencies of increased traffic 'jivill necessitate the alteration of many of the existing railway routes 'in order to diminish wear and tear, enable heavier loads to be hauled! and a higher rate of speed to be maintained. The feature which more directly concerns the Colony at present is the iniquitous, absurd, and almost prohibitory tariff both for goods and passenger traffic, the rinevif able. effect of which is to materially : diminish revenue, besides pmwnting the railways being the benefit to the settlers which they otherwise would. We hfive written many times bri this subject, being firmly convinced of the correctness of the- views which we ourselves, together with a large and increasing section m the community, hold with regafd to the question with which we are now dealing. We do not, as a matter of opinion, expect tha' any agitation will be productive of much practical effect m the dosired direction until the removal of the present antocratic personage, who possesses the high sounding title of -** (General Manager of Yew Zealand Railways," has been effected, and some person endowed with more practical views^and more common senjse ■. ideas is appointed to sueSdejbdJL him m that position. We used the term " autocratic advisedly, because it is a well-known fact that Mr Maxwell exercises lii's official powers pretty well as he pleases, acknowledges no superior, and permits no one to dictate to him, but uses his own discretion without resrard to the suggestions or recommendations of Ministers, or anyone else. In fact, his authority and dictum seem never to be disputed of questioned s and it is pommonly asserted that he would be a bold member of the .-Executive who would dare to try to convince the loi'dry 'Maxwell against his will, much less attempt to coerce him into the adoption of any course sugr gestive of reform. This popular theory with regard to the respective relationships believed to exist be^ tween the " General Manager of New Zealand Railways" and such inferior and unimportant personages as, says the .Minister of Public Works,may be altogether erroneous, ] but the fact remains that no representations made with regard to an improved conditi-n of things, m re- j gnrd to details of railway mana/c- j ment, even when backed up by the ' intervention of one or other Minis- [ ter spin to be of any avail, and the Maxwellian rn.,ime still prevail", and ern«inp. m the attendant with jneyitable result that year by yea.r our

railways become a less and less valuable asset, and yield a revenue that with each successive periodical return seems smaller by degr.es and beautifully less. It appears so ab-sin-d.^stojjiwthnost incredible that eveit^Ttyro or theorist should adopt a system equivalent to increasing the tariff m order that a certain line of railway should yield larger financial returns. The experiment has been tried over and over again, and always with the same result, viz , a I decrer.se m revenue. The only way to make railways yield better returns, is popularize them by bringing the tariff within the means of those who chiefly contribute towards, the revenue. Take for instance the sawmillers. Now, it would appear that so far from anything like encouragement having been given to. the Railway Department to the saw millers to extend their operations, ' every possible obstruction and vexatious regulations, have been brought into operation, apparently with the sole object m view of embarrassing and irritating the sawmillers, and displaying a pretty and quite iricom. preheusible antagonism towards those engaged m a most important industrial undertaking, employing labour to a very large extent, and m which is invested a vast amount of capital. The resuls is that sawmilling operations on the line of railway arc m anything but a prosperous state^ which condition of things reacts with disastrous effect on the trading community as a whole, diminishing the circulation of money and retarding progress m every direction. There can be no two opinions that the railway tariff is unreasonably high, and that were it reduced within reasonable limits, the effect would be that not only, would many industries be initiated j which now do not exist, and those at present languishing become pro^ sperous, but the traffic returns on the railway would speedily assume a more satisfactory aspect than set forth m the present periodical returns. The whole subject of railway reform is capable of such ex-, ten ded arg uinen t and an aly sis, th at it is difficult to deal with it, even m outline, within the limits of an ordinary newspaper article. One feature cannot be disputed, viz:, that unless some essential fundamental reforms are effected, not Only will the traffic returns dwindle down month by month, but all branches j of trade and industry will suffix to a serious extent, because of the retarding influence on commercegenerally of a railway tariff that is based upon erroneous and misleading theories, the progress of settlement will be retarded to -an incalculable, degree, and the settlers will experience greater depression, stagnation, and scarcity of money thari: 'lias yet been their lot to Suffer from. With othei phases of this all-important question we will deal m an early issue, having already exceeded pur originally intended limits. Thesubje^t. is one that should occupy the. thoughtful consideration of all sections of the community.