New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 1877.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 4934, 15 January 1877, Page 2

New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 1877.

Thk speeches of Sir Hercules Eobinson j and Sir George Bowbn on the progress of railway construction and the financial I results thereof in the colonies of Victoria and New South Wales respectively, to which we have previously referred, have been productive of great practical good. Each colony in the Australian group has been set a stock-taking, and cqlonial Governments are put into the position of being able to go to the money lender, to show what has been done with the loans of the p&st, and to prove that while the security to be offered for new loans is unexceptional, there is a prospect of more borrowed money being expended with a similarly successful result. The Australian papers have been to a good deal of in exposing their own satisfactory "condition, but either through ignorance or inadvertence have misrepresented New Zealand. For instance, in one paper a comparison between Victoria and New Zealand is instituted on the basis that New Zealand has but: 238 miles of railway open, when ■' the extent of running railways is more than double. We propose therefore, while acceptin" 1 the 'facts put forward on behalf of the Australian colonies as correct, to add to them a more accurate statement of New Zealand railway statistics. But a glance at the growth of railways throughout the. world during the past fifty years may not be out of place. An Australian contemporary sums up ( the, advance in a few words:—"The world's history .has no record of the genius and achievements of past ages that can in any way compare with the results and growth of railways during the last fifty years. ; In that period it is estimated that there have been built 150,000 miles of railway. The. mind can scarcely grasp sthe magnitude of this great work. Some notion may be formed of it when it is considered that -it represents six distinct lines of railway, each completing the circuit round ■the globe at its greatest diameter. The earthworks removed (upon a very moderate estimate) if piled together, would form a pillar half a mile square and over a mile in height. The wonders of all the ages ( of antiquity sink into utter insignificance when compared with this monument of the industry of a single generation. Nor' is the effect of the comparison lessened by the consideration of utility." Bacon . remarked that " easy conveyance for men and commodities from one place to another" is one of the '' three great things what make a, nation. great and prosperous ;" and there can be no doubt but the same philosopher, if living now, would agree that railways effect the desideratum in the highest degree. Indeed, it has been happily expressed " that rapid circulation of mind and body is the distinctive feature of " bur railway system." The 150,Q00.miles of railway referred to are distributed as follows : British Empire— " Miles; Miles.;, United Kingdom .. .. 16,449 ' India 6,356 [ Canada ... 4,002 Australia ■ .. 1,541 New Zealand .. 700 29,048 United States 71,665 Germany .7 .. .."...' .. .-.'.'. 12,207 France .. - .. 10.833 Russia .. 7,044 Austria 6,865 Italy .. 3,667 Spain ... ... /.. ... .. .. ... 3.401 Sweden and Norway .. .. .. .. 1,049 Belgium .. .. 1,801 Netherlands.. ... 886 Switzerland ; .. ..-.', 820 Portugal , ..,,.-. 453 Denmark '..'■' '.. .. .. ' ..' r. 420Greece .. .. 100 South America, Japan, &c, say .. ... 1,953 -..,;,- V 150,000 Sir George apparently endeavored to make, a, point for Victoria by quoting the following liable 1 :- '' ! .V , . Persons. "Victoria has 1 mile railway-to'-every - 890 ~ United States „ „ „ 691 Germany „■ , „ r. .. ~' : ~' '2428 France ,» ' /» ,» 2940 United Kingdom „ ~.„.. ~ 1916 ' •Europe „ ,", " .. S46i . New Zealand can stand this-teat better than Victoria, - for we can show, a mile of railway for every 567 persons. But the test is of little value. It was pointed out at the time of Sir George's speech that a truer comparison is afforded by ascertaining the miles of railway to the square miles of territory. .'■ The .'following' table on this basis shows the position New Zealand holds inthe" British dependencies. , ' . Square :' '-■■.'?< »' • -•'.-, Miles. United Kingdom, 1 mile ra'lway to every .. 7 Tasmania .. ~ „ „ .. 34 Victoria .. „ „ „ • .-. 141 New Zealand .. „ ' „ „ .. 143! India „ „ „ .. 245 New South Wales „ ~ „ .. 740 Canada .. .. ~ „ „ ..836 Queensland .. „ • „ „ ..2542 South Australia "„ r „ '<, .„ ..4739 The United States, on the'same basis, has a mile of railway to every 34 square mileS.,:' But even-.this does not fairlyreflect the comparative industry and advance of : tHe several colonies of years. - For instance,-Tasmania's railway expenditure may. be.piit down at the outside at a million of money, and-- the number of running miles at 170, yet she shows a better percentage than;any of the other colonies which have spent their five and six millions, because her territory is> not that,of New Zealand and Australian, colonies. New Zealand in such a comparison stands at a manifest disadvantage b'ecause of the large tracts of land "within her borders which can never be traversed by the iron 'horse.';."•...'''•?"'.,/. '','' u.y-''-',-; ■'■::■■-■■■:■■-:''.