OUR RAILWAYS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 43, 16 March 1909, Page 2

OUR RAILWAYS.

I AX APPRECIATION. i- Uy Telegraph.—Press Association. il Auckland, Last Night. ;i In tlic course of a conversation toe day, Mr. W. M. Fehon, who was for e man.v years oue of the Railway Coinr 'liiissiouers of New South Wales, and - who returned to Sydney by to-night's i. boat, gave some of his impressions of ■ the NVw Zealand railways' system, over e a great portion of which he has recently i- travelled. "I think," said Mr. I'ehon, n "considering the great difficulties tint t your engineer have had to contend d with in regard to sharp curves and steep '1 gradients., that you have u really good s system, and one that will compare favorably with Uie larger railway systems in Australia. In view of the nature of the country over which your lines trav--0 el, New Zealand has done the right thing 1 in adopting the narrow guage of 3ft din, ] Which is the same as that in use in I, Queensland. Tasmania, Wwtralia and s on ii purl ion of the South Australian lines, iiltliong.li in Victoria and New (i South Wales the guage is of course 1 broader. You seem to have u good class ir of engines and carriages, and your trains l ( keep fairly good time." "Yes, tli'n speed of your trains is also t very good, when all things are taken , into consideration," h aid Mr. Fi-hon in , reply to an observation on that point. '"Where the road in favorable your speed 1 is as good as that oi the Austra--1 linn railways. Your fares and freight rates are also based on a very liberal scale. New Zealand is also ahead of the Australian railways in regard to the dining car system. Dining care were adopted in Victoria a few months ago, but they have not yet been introduced ' into New South Wnles. The "sleepers" I on the Main Trunk line are very comfortable, although, of course, the com--1 parttnents arc not so roomy as tlicy ara on the broader guage lines in Aus- ' tralia.