COLONIAL RAILWAYS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5449, 13 September 1878, Page 2

COLONIAL RAILWAYS.

Avery 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 tho 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 oppn for traffic. Tho cost of the whole was £14,562,983, being an average of £15,642 per mile. The earlier lines constructed wore very costly, the average for 1981miles being £40,932 per mile. These are for the most part double lines. Of later lines, 7321 miles in extent, the average cost has been £6728 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 aocom- “ raodation at stations, should not have “ been sufficient everywhere, not only in “ the past, but for many years to come.” Tho net revenue from all the lines gave 3'73 percent, upon their capital cost. As the money borrowed for construction coat for interest 5'43 per cent., the difference, —with a slight reduction for capital not included in loan account, —represents what may be called the annual deficit requiring to be covered by contribution from the Consolidated Revenue. This deficit amounted for 1877 to £189,000 nearly, but was reduced by interest accrued on the unexpended portion of loau to £160,000 nearly, which was the actual railway deficit of interest for that year. The working expenses of the linos amounted only to 52*16 per cent, of the gross earnings.

A very curious and instructive table is given in the report, for tho purpose of showing the progress of Victoria in railway works as compared with other countries and colonies; we reprint the table:

(a) All State property, (b) 3000 miles more have been surveyed, (c) All State property ; floes not include 19 miles of priva’e line, (d) All State property : dooa not include 45 miles of private lino, (c) 833 miles State property ; 1207 miles belong to private companies. '■ Approximate. In New Zealand there are 220 miles in course of construction; in Canada, 1027 miles; in Victoria, 101 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 tho Australian colonies, or than even America or Great Britain. This wonderful _ indication of progressiveness will becomo/moro striking when we add to the 1052 miles of railway now open in both islands tho 325 miles described in Mr Macandrew’s statement as being now under construction ; this will give a total of 1377 miles already provided for. If we add to this the 0381 miles of the future as projected, wo 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 1876 about one half mile of railway to every thousand of population. At present we have about 21 miles to every thousand people, and when our schemes are completed wo •shall, if our population remain stationary, have about 5i miles ; that is a larger proportion per thousandby ten times than that of onr effete friends at Home,. With justifiable pride Mr. Macandrbw told us’the other day “ that if New Zea“Jand 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 ‘Lesser,’ Britain.” Lord B l.achford’s fear of the removal of the seat of the Imperial Government from London to the Antipodes may be prophetic. The table is really worthy of careful study and consideration. It is very suggestive. In a supplementary memo., dated July 12, the’ hop. Commissioner of Victorian Hallways reports departmental changes so opposite in character to those which wo have recently made here, that we quote the passages ;

In the month of January certain departmental changes took place which were rendered ne-esaary by the reductions made in the engineering staff on the ath January last. Among other changes the offices of the different resident and district engineers wore aholishe 1, and the whole of the work performed In them was removed to one central office in Melbourne.

Previously those offices worked from separate de* signs and plans prepared nnder the superintendence of each resident engineer, without any attempt at uniformity, and the expenses connected witii the pre* paration of these in so many different forms was necessarily very great; Designs and plans for ail railway works aro now prepared in the central office only, and tills enables a la'ge saving to be made by ensuring uniformity of design and consequent cheapness of production. Further, all designs of every description are now carried out so as to be as far as practicable adaptable to every line to be constructed In future. Wlille tlio Engincer-ln-Chief lias still the general supervision of tlio whole of the engineering in connection witii the department, the branch has boon separated into two divisions, one appertaining entirely to "Construction" and the other to "Maintenance." Each of these has been placed under the supervision of an officer whoso solo duty is in connection , with the division under him, and who fa directly 10- ’ sponsible to the Engineor-iibChiof; ,

Tho effect of the foregoing changes has been a greatly reduced cost in working the branch, not only by the lesser number of officers required, but also by 'the l.rgely decreased number of plans and designs, and the consequently more rapid completion of the office.work In connection with hew lines, &c.

Here in New Zealand we 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 Engineer-in-Chief. In Victoria the very opposite course is being followed, and it is curious-that both should be justified on grounds of economy ; these grounds in the Victorian case have all the appearance of soundness. Mr. Macanurew has given tho public an official assurance that the changes which he has made wore “ not “ studiously intended to lead up to “ the political separation of tho two “ islands,” and it must therefore be owing to our insular 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 New 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. Macandrbw, and that tho 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.

1 MH Year. Siiiii — ■ ilfiiiiliis Allies open for trohic. 2SHS«d Miles open to every 1000 inhabitants. iiilissiiii dumber of inhabitants to