The New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1878.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5440, 3 September 1878, Page 2

The New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1878.

A ybey interesting report on the Victorian railways for the year ending 31st December, 1877, has been presented to both Houses of Parliament in Melbourne, for a copy of which we are indebted to the courtesy of the Hon, Commissioner of Railways. Information of the kind furnished by this report is valuable to us in New Zealand as a standard of comparison by which to judge of the results of our own policy of public works in the past, and as a test to apply to the proposals made by the Government for the future. At the close of the period above mentioned there were in Victoria 931 miles open for traffic. The cost of the whole was £14,502,982, being an average of £16,042 per mile. The earlier lines constructed ■were very costly, the average for 198 i miles being £40,932 per mile. These are for the most part double lines. Of later lines, 732£ miles in extent, the average cost has been £0728 per mile, exclusive of rolling stock. With regard to the earlier works with double lines, the Commissioner says—“ With the block system “established throughout the whole of the “lines, there is no reason why a single “line, with the addition of siding acoora- “ modation at' stations, should not have “ been sufficient everywhere, not only in “the past, but for many years to come.” The net revenue from all the linos gave 3-73 per cent, upon their capital cost. As the: money borrowed for construction cost for interest 5-43 per cent., the difference,— with a alight reduction for capital not included in loan account,—represents'what may bo'called the.annual deficit requiring to be covered by contribution from the Consolidated Revenue. This deficit amounted for . 18/.7 to £189,000 nearly, bofwas reduced by interest accrued on the unexpended portion of loan to £160,000 nearly, which was the actual railway deficit of interest for that year. The working expenses of the lines Amounted only to 52T6 percent, of the gross earnings. , .. . A very curious and instructive tamo is given in tlio report, for the purpose of

showing theprogress of Victoria in railway: works.as compared with other countries and colonies; we reprint the table:

(a) All State property. ( h ) 3000 miles more have been surveyed. (c) All State property ; does not include 39 miles of privno lino. • (cl) All SUte property ; dons not Include 45 miles of private line. (e) 833 miles State property ; 12(47 miles belong to private companies. * Approximate. In New Zealand there arc 220 miles in course of construction; in Canada, 1027 miles; in Victoria, 161 miles. New Zealand, it will be seen,heads this list, and already shows a greater length of railway, in proportion to the number of the population, than any of the Australian colonies, or than even America or Groat Britain. This wonderful indication of progressiveness will become more striking when we add to the 1052 miles of railway now open in both islands the 325 miles described in Mr Macandbbw’s statement as being now under construction ; this will give a total of 1377 miles already provided for. If we add to this the miles of the futuro as projected, we shall have a grand total of 2317 miles of railway ; rather a tall scheme, perhaps, for a population of 420,000 people. In England they had in 1870 about one half mile of railway to every thousand of population. At present we have about 2i miles to every thousand people, and'when our schemes are completed wo shall, if our population remain stationary, have about 51 miles ; that is a larger proportionper thousand by tenlimes than that of our effete friends at Home. With justifiable pride Mr. Mac Andrew told us the other day “ that if New Zea“laud goes onward as she is now doing “until she reaches her first centenary it “ is hard to decide which will then be the “ ‘Greater,’ which the ‘Lessor,’ Britain.” Lord Blachfokd’s fear of the removal of the seat of the Imperial Government from London to the Antipodes may he prophetic. The table is really worthy of careful study and consideration. It is very suggestive. In a supplementary memo., dated July 12, the hoi>. Commissioner of Victorian Railways reports departmental changes so opposite in character ■to those which we have recently made hero, that we quote the passages ; In the mentli of January certain departmental changes took place which were rendered ne-cssary by tho reductions made in the engineering staff on the 9Lh January last. , .. . Among other changes the oflices of the different resident and district engineers wove abolishe l. ana tho whole of tho work performed in thorn was removed to one central office in Melbourne. Previously these offices worked from separate designs and plans prepared under the superintendence of each resident engineer, without any attempt at uniformity, and tho expenses connected with the preparation of these in so many different forms was necessarily very great. Designs and plans for all railway works are now prepared in the central office only, and this enables a la-go saving to be made by ensuring uniformity of design and consequent cheapness of production. Further, all designs of every description arc now carried out so as.to bo as far ns practicable adaptable to ev*’ry lino to be constructed in future. While the Enginoer-in-Chief has still the general supervision of the whole of tho engineering in connection with the department, tho branch has been separated into two divisions, one appertaining entirely to **Construction” and the other to “Maintenance.” Eich of these has been placed under tho sunrtvision of an officer whose sole duty is in connection with the division under him, and who is directly responsible to tho Engincer-in-Chicf. Tho effect of tho foregoing changes has boon a greatly reduced cost in working the branch, not only bv the lesser number of officers required, hut also by tho I»rgely decreased number of plans and designs, and tho consequently more rapid completion of the office work in connection with new lines, &c.

Here in Hew Zealand wo have been separating the Public Works Department and the railway administration into two establishments, one for each island, and we have abolished the office of Engineor-in-Chief, In Victoria the very opposite course is being followed, and it is curious that both should be on grounds of economy ; these grounds in the Victorian case have all the appearance of soundness. Mr. Macakdrbw has given the public an official assurance that the changes which he has ' made were “ not “ studiously intended to lead up to “ the political separation of the two “ islands,’Vancl it must therefore be owing to omrinsular condition that that centralisation of engineering skill and authority which has been found to be economical in, Victoria, should have been found to operate so differently in Hew Zealand. It is still more remarkable that the honor of making the discovery that it is cheaper to have two centres than one should have devolved upon Mr. Macakdrew, and that the necessity for it should be coincident with his wellknown political views upon the questions of Insular Separation and the removal of the seat of Government.

■ $ SSSs £S ilili r Year. iiisiii Population. ili’iiiiliii Miles open for Miles open to every 1000 inhabitants. miteiii Number of inhabitants to every mile open.