The Waikato Times. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1877

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 850, 27 November 1877, Page 2

The Waikato Times.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1877

E^u'il and exact justice to al men, • Ofnvhatever aimeoi j;ei-.-4.iaai.»u ielij{i ntt r IJulita-ai •..■■■ y. ■.'■;■

-.•■•.-* <• ■? - , * * ■ *"'. ■ :tlera, shall the Prea-j tlife Pkupjlk'.-. v'm- i iiiHi.nniiii. lT'fn'\Veil -l»v iiiHi"!! 1 . „,,| u i!ir*he! >*■ in

-Tpf]*^ r is no; o;her mutter of nlmiijHtration of eq'inl import tncy perhaps i.Withrth-ar of o^r railw»..s jn-.New .Zealand. Wiien the i/reat sura total of New Zd land iudebte'Hneia Cbme.4' to be dotted" up, our rdiways -wi11..; be the chief asseL we shall have to' show for all that vast, expenditure/- liicrease 'of population we shall have, it i« true, but increase of population does not necessaiily mean increased happiness; or. wealth to ana ion. Oar t lilways, .however, are an in;rinsically valuable nsse-, anl by good management may be made directly arid indirectly av< profitable sec off fyeu,, that .-.rioUbns waste aiid '/lavish l : expehditure in the. J^jlnpf^ of nearly twenty millions' sreilihg, wtiich was the consequence; of the j^reat mistake in fe^'^%^^ J'dios Vogel -the making the "ihtro-iuotiun of the [)ab(ic works .oheran antecedent to Lhß abolitio4o|'» W viuci u lj Bm , | t

n i^uae, however, cryiri^ over spilb ri»rk. The-lqatfa. are' gad>^ nnd morn ne^d to be cbruraoteU to 6uish fche achttme of- wprks whioh the money ■already ej||»en(jeJ his only partly tjo»tiipl«JbedJ Maeh flfj^s was laid by •;th(> Colonel TreasiirVr, as far back as the sessioa -ot 1875, on what fche rail *r.»y inc »nrie would do for the colony. Two years, however, . hav« ■passed and ■ these fiuanjiial Hopes have not been realised. Nor is it d.ffiault to-under.staa I why it is ao. From orie end of the colony to the other . thi re has been qkib angry remonstrance aijaiast the mismiuatjement of the colonial railways. We in fch s part of Nhw Zealand know how utterly at variauon with ordinary business principles has, bean the management; of the Auckland lines. I hese, howHver, are- ao , solitary instance. „ The local p're.-s in the. Smthcrn Provinces;; haji teem..'d for y-HVH past w th si m i kr cwu plaints, from the people <r»f those diatriots And stilt the .system* has re-nained uuctmnged. Here ; and there h j slight concession in detail, but the system is the Same. This li id beeome so great a grieVanoft that it o)uld no longer hs overl volojd. Tie fact sfai'yd 1 parliament in hw face that the profits oh "the \vor'kin.;» railways were far less than was >mticip;ited, and then followed the apjioint, uent of commissioners, as iu the case of Auckland, anl of a cormuitted on railway uianagerneufc by th« Housei The report of the inter U no<v befuro the country and contains many a«iiuiiable rccommeudiitious. . The commitree would seiim to havn recognised the pribciple, which the government did not— indue 1 -never does : when it undertakes to do wnat would bast be carried on by private enterprise — : i hat the rxiiway'B ar« made for the peop% not the people tor the railways}' Cinder present managemfmt on* would imagine th it ihe interests of, the general public were antugouistio to those of the railways, lor they are a: ways made to clash. Bit th ? s .should not b*. The profit on the wording of the lines is i matter whioh mt)r,e largely concerns the general taxpayer than the civil, or ia this c ise un ;ivil servant, fue [Hibiic hiis a ri^ht to deinatid that 'wo great objects shall be held hi view in working the railways of the colony ; th -. on« tiiat they shiil be worked at the 1 "best' possible a tvautage to the people coiL-coively, aul he othei- th it-they shall afford th.-; .jreiitest pos'dible conve liwiife to ihe individual, trfivpliitig mh\ freiifh despatching public; Government imnage-nent takes a narrow view of the first principle and ignores th^ -ee fad ; v al together.. A . wise an.l 'iiusiness appreciation of < he position would com blue the two and indoiusr so push f ach . to the ez^remest possible limit. And therefore we are glad to'*' see'* -that the committee' has endorsed the recommendation of i- thrf commission appointed some little time sinae to euq lire into the work- : ing ol the Auckland "and Mercei* line (now Auclclarid and. iVewcastle), uid has rec jmtnended that the Auckland, and WVikato railway shall be f leased for a period of seven .years. . Ths is wliat is needed to show the government wljaccan really be mfide out of our rail ways and how they can be mado to subserve to a very larafK extent, the work of sot'lement Place the Wai kn to railway in the hands of a business firm and it will p'ish tfaffio to the utiuosr, by increasing convenience aud hiti.iiiw the happy mediui.u of charges whit-h will give to the public tho lowest possible rate of fares aiid' to th" ; company the highest possible profit in return. This the government does not attempt to do. lb ac s simply on the plan ot m;iktn^ those who must' travel or who rnu t send their go td.s by rail pay the high st possib'e Hiitn "thit can be ex:orted from them, and ,whij?e ten v/0u.1.< use the Jine .under a different By«tem one only doe< so now. We have a notable instance of thi > at the present nioment. The Waikato Review aud Races have uo mean attraction for many people and knowing ths, ' ifc was thought desirable that Auckland visitors, should-'.' be encouraged to attend them by obt liniug a , reduc tion iu the railway fare. Application was- made, to the rmnasfer for n leduction, and he, himself wiiliug, >>as not sd'owed o'y his . superiors in the department to' entertain the proposal. The -matter,. .however, was hot .illowel to droo. A telejrr;»<n was sent to the Premier at Wellington, and', a. reply 'received frcm/ tiie Minister of W"orkß. that iusrr cti -ns had been givon. to. charge single fares for re'iirn tickets. Such intentio i was never advertised by the local manager! tithe Vucklaod oapers, and, instructions^ only wove given to. .hi , stntion-inas/er to iasue BUch ..tjcket3 between Auocland and Mercer. The consequence is, that Bjo res of persons who would have visited our races to-day, aid, many at the:n made the tour of Waikato, ha\ e remained at. home— thy railway treasury has lo3t 'he pi ct)if ;4) inaiiy tiokeia without S iving a aiuirle item of «'xr.«-a ex■jiendihire, and -it. may be VVaikaco has los' some few futn e settl v<. We give thi- hs an institnees of th.presen« working of the line, ami who will ...ay b-it that Hie change efF:i:ted by binding it ov^r to private enterprises tain, ot but b« for the btsttor. The i-6-.ior't of (he com >uttee is soniewiiat leiiihy, and we give fr Un it, herefore, th-^e recommendations which more imniediitely aflfect the public convenience and comfort. i'hu report go.:s on ro say thai it i.i j exjJßilicaG that tiie ruii.wa;B ouou for

n>ont to railwiys under construe tiVitfio bu under a sojihrate manage^ tio.i; tbut there .sbould\b« a permanent Upmtnissiotier ot ' :R always j that N"ew Zetlanl co<tl be asel -on railways; ;that tlje bli)ck syntem be adopted^, on all i lines with tunnels; %hgb it is iriexp-dient at; preaeat to lease riilways, but as an i xperiinent, it is deniruble to lease I he Auckland and Waikato Railway for. a period ot savon years ;- that .sutßcient trains b« ru:i on Buudi*vs to meat tue public* requirements ; that railway tickets should be purchasdd at s)ip,.s like postage scamps, 01 at Dhe railway stations at tny timo during office hours. The committee recommen I that increased facilities should be given for reduced rates for the use of special traius, the railway mdriugers.()f th« different sttctio. s to have tlisoretionary power. Tue co in in i ttee that it is II >t the duty of the Government to provide sWrage for grain, wool, or merchandise, and that-sdeh a rate fov storage, where forced upon the railways, t»a adpp> ed as will aet as a liiOhibiiorjr one, an I the o-munittee consider that every facilioy sliould be granted for the erection of private scoria 1 witu- sidings ti the railwiy, at the sole expo.weof che apjilicants, or upon such oth r terms as m;iy be agreed upon. The committee con-' sider that hoivever desiraole it may oe to have a uaifjrni mileage rate tor p.issengor fares, absouce umlormity caunot be adoptel, aaU u disoretijuary p>wer must be left/ in oUh hauds of thie r Minister to alter the rates in regard to distance and competition, and other looai circumstances. The committee would strongly i-ecp.um Mid that all tioke.s, excepting return tickets .uud excur sion oned, should be available uuiil used, i'rreapecoive of tho date of the issue. . ■■ " : ,