RAILWAYS V. ROADS.

Southland Times, Issue 1304, 6 September 1870, Page 3

RAILWAYS V. ROADS.

To the Editor of the Timet. Sib, — Would you kindly afford room in your paper for the following quotations from speeches of honorable members in the House of Representatives, for the consideration of those gentlemen in Southland who, for some years, bave, in public and private, denounced railways and advocated roads as the more economical and useful mode of opening up a new country, and who have done so, as they constantly averred, on principle. "Let them (especially those of them who were ardent re-unionists, and road advocates combined), note particularly the quotations from Messrs Macandrew and M'lndoe's speeches : — Mr Rich. — " For instance, tbe line from Christchurch and througb Otago to Southland, would pay perhaps better than any Une in the Australian Colonies." Mr Ludlam.— " He did not mean to say that it was unwise for a country to go in for railway construction — it depended upon the state of tbeir finances — because, although a railway might not pay directly, it might answer the purpose of the State to lose money upon tbe railway, in order to foster tbe industiy of the people of the country." Mr H. S. Harrison.—" They all knew of the wonderful effects of the railway system throughout tbe world. They knew what apparently insuperable barriers tbat system had overcome, the prejudices it had swept away, how rapidly it had converted a listless wilderness into a smiling country, teeming with life and energy." Mr Stafford.— " I think that on this question, of the construction of railways there are often very hard words uttered with respect to them in comparison with ths construction of common roads and bridges. Nothing is more common than for people to say, if you purpose to construct a railway in any direction, ' Will it pay for the cost ?' But you never hear tbat observation made in reference to a common road or bridge.. _ I know that in tbe province of Canterbury they have originated a system of tolls which go far to recoup tbe cost of constructing bridges. lam not prepared to say tbat if all bridges could be constructed on that principle, it would not be a very wise and judicious principle to adopt ; but we know tbat bridges are made, not with the view of repaying tbe money which it may cost to construct them, but to increase the facilities of intercommunication which tbey afford. Why should nvt that principle be applied to railways also, and thus make tbe wilderness productive, and increase tbe resources of the Colony? I would willingly soe railways constructed on the cheapest and best* considered plans extensively in New Zealand." Mr Macandrew. — v As to the expediency of the Ministerial proposal, none can fail to see tbat tbe one thing needful for New Zealand is population, and the opening up of the country by the cheapest and best roads — that is to Bay, railroads." "Now, witb regard to the question of roads, I should like the Committee to be acquainted with the rather startling fact that, in the province of Otago, it actually costs as much, or nearly as much, to make metalled roads as it does to make railroads in Norway and Sweden. That is to say, railroads in those countries cost £3,000 a mile, including rolling stock, and I believe that is about the average cost of metalled roads in tbe Province of Otago. On tbe other band, notwithstanding the fact that we ha?e been cutting down tbe expenditure very considerably — a circumstance which has given rise to a good deal of grumbling, and to newspaper skits about bullock drays being dug out of tbe main *roads,--notwithßt£mding all tbat, tbe maintenance of metalled roads is about £216 a mile, an annual charge which I confess I do not see how the Province can very long afford to pay. So tbat with us railways are an absolute necessity. lam not prepared to say what tbe annual cost of maintaining a railroad is, but I am perfectly certain it is nothing like £216 a mile ; at all events, it will be much less in this country than it is on the great lines at home, where the traffic is so much heavier. Tbe honorable member for Timaru, in alluding to tbis question, seemed to indicate that there was no available country in the Middle Island, or, at all events, in Otago, through which railways could be taken. Well, Sir, I beg ta assure that honorable member, that if this policy is carried out, we will, for half a million of money, be able to make a railway from Port Chalmers to Lake Wakatipu, and thus open up about half a million acres of land, which is now theproperty of tbe Crown, a large proportion of which is tbe very best agricultural land in the province, and which, if the Hundreds Regulation Bill is passed, which I had the honor to introduce the .other evening, we will be able to lay our hands on whenever we require it. I know, Sir, that it is said that these proposals which we are considering will involve the countiy in irretrievable ruin. I must say, as far as my own province is concerned, that I look upon them in quite an opposite light. So far from involving the provincial revenue in embarrassment, I ■believe the policy will relieve the revenue of that vast annual drain which is now going out for the maintenance of main

roads, and enable us to devote a portion of it to other purposes." Mr Hall.—" I assure bim tbat # I approach this part of the subject witb every inclination to look favorably on railway extension. I happen to have associated with honorable members of this House in a work of this kind, which has proved very beneficial to the province in which we reside." Mr Kynnersley.—" He believed that railways were at the present time very much required, in tbe North Island, for military purposes, and in tbe Middle Island, for purposes of colonisation." Mr Fitzherbert. — " A railway does not pay as a railway ; it is not tbe direct, but the indirect, returns tbat we expect. I am sure the Colonial Treasurer will acknowledge as a true axiom tbat the real security is not in tbe returns of the railway, but in that which is the real security of tbe public creditor, tbat which is tbe justification for the country going into such works instead of private companies — prosperity to every homestead. Whilst, therefore, a railway may not be paying tbe interest, the advantage gained by the country at large, and by individuals, would be more than a return." Mr Birch. — The question of railways was a very important one, and one which had occupied the attention of the people of Otago for a long time. There was no doubt that if tbey had railways in the outlying districts of Otago, it would be of great service to tbe province. They had great resources and ample land, and if tbev bad only a railway connecting Christchurch and Dunedin, tbey would be opening up as fine a tract of country as there was in New Zealand." Mr M'lndoe. — " At tbe same time, be did think tbat a railway scheme, such as that initiated by the Government, would, as a whole, yield as much as would pay the interest and sinking fund on the capital that might be invested " The line of road from Dunedin to the Clutha Ferry bad cost tbe province nearly £6,000 per mile to construct and maintain it for two years, and at the last session of the Provincial Council of Otago they actually voted £1,000 per mile for tbe maintenance of that line of road, which was consequent upon the immense amount of traffic which took place on the road. If a railway, # constructed upon economical principles, could be maintained at a small rate per mile, it is a strong argument in favor of the General Government initiating a scheme of railways upon a cheap scale, so as to avoid tbe immense expense tbat i tbey would be put to by opening up a system of common roads, such as bad obtained in Otago." It will be noticed in these quotations tbat Otago regards ber roads as a serious burden. The principled gentlemen alluded to above, probably arrived at their conclusions according to the evidence of tbeir senses, forgetting tbat this kind of evidence is sometimes utterly false, and often misleads ; it would, and did, cause men to believe and assert the earth to be a fixed centre, round which the sun and planets revolved — but every one now knows to the contrary. Otago bas a great extent of roads, and is apparently rich ; Southland has railways and is apparently poor ; therefore join Otago, down with railways, up with roads, is the kind of argument which prevailed, I think, to some extent among Southlanders. Tbey concluded tbat because a piece of railway was mismanaged in construction, railways must therefore be altogether ignored. — I am, Sir, Yours respectfully, K.