RAILWAY TRAFFIC RETURNS FOR YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1885. UNKNOWN.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 2017, 11 June 1885, Page 3

RAILWAY TRAFFIC RETURNS FOR YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1885. UNKNOWN.

r Apoitionof the l.ulwHfty tralhc lcliuns hare been published ; ami some of the Government oigans m the South arc cxultinfia what they arc speaking of, and probably believe to be, a \ cry successful year's trading. These oigans claim that Os per cent moie has been earned this) ear than washjM jear, but this claim ib based on the \eiy convenient assumption that the 1477 miles of 1881 •> ost no more than the 1396 miles of ISSJ 4. IVhenwe get the full repoit we shall know more about thw. It appears that the gross earnings for he year have been £1,04-3,71*2, an inreasc of £84,408 ; but as the expenditure w .is was also increased by £34,036, the net result is only £50,372, and even this paltiy amount is not due to the inue.ised rates and the \ minted 'diiieiontial rating" system, for an examination of the returns will show that a Ba\ ing of 2} per cent, in the percentage of lev time to expenditure has been made ; this accounts for £23,328, leaving only £26,844 as the gain from increased rates, natuial expansion of trade, &c. Is not this a truly alarming result? and is it not wonderful that the department could have bi en so misled a* to imagine they could make £ir>o,ooo by a process which the result shows has only given them nndci £27,000 -an amount that would have been more than realist d by tliL ordinal y expansion of trade, without any changes whatevei ? It will be well to consider what this £27,000 has cost us, and I think anyone possessed of the most ordinal y com meici.il ability will confess th.it instead of seeming a gain, we have sustained a disasttous loss. In March last year the " difluential rating" system was introduced throughout New Zealand, and your renders will no doubt lcmember th.it the Government claimed that the result would be to add to the laitway . revenue for the year ju^-t closed the sum tof £150,000. When the first four months' fc returns had been published, I wrote :— piesent appearances it would seem that the gam is more likely to be undei £.10,000 than anything like £150,000." The result has again shown that I was right. I mention this circumstance because my ability to deal with the subject has been brought into question*. Let us now see what we have paid for the result obtained. First-class passenger fares were raised 10J per cent., and second-class 12 per cent. Result, a decrease of travellers to the extent of 30,758. What would the decrease have been had not the clitap exclusions came to the rescue ? Seaason tickets also declined by 9(1. Parcels thow a decrease of V2,H2i> ; ..-.images, 113 ; dogs, 646 ; and dray-,, 183. Houses show an increase of SO.S. The items parcels, carriages, and dogs almost always follow the course of the passenger tiaftic. The follow ing rates arc all calculated foi a 50-mde distance :—: — The classes A, B, C, and D may be said to comprise what is tenncd " meichand so.' In Otago, C'antcrbuiy, and Auckfreight t.itcs on clayjea A, B, and C "weie raisul 4 1 (itli per cent. In the smaller centics there was a larger mciease. Cl.i-.s I) was raised '2\ per cent, in Cintei bin > and Otngo, 34 4-sth per cent, in Auckland and Napier, 57 4 sth per cent m Wellington, Taranaki. Wanganui, andNehon, 85 l , percent, in Greymouth, Westuoit, and'Picton. Classes A, B, and ■trriTchide 514 items ; D, 71 items only. R-,ultof year's tiading, an increase of 15,303 tons carried. On class E the rate was raised 48 4-sth in tho Sorth Island and 86 per cent, in the North Island. The elas3 consists entirely of gain md other agricultural produce. R( suit, 17,633 tons less carried. Cl is* F, consisting of chaff and other low pi iced agnuttltural pioduce, was raicsd throughout the colony 3 7 Bth per cent. only. . Rcstilt, an increase of 560 tons earned. Class H (wool) was raised 8 4 ' per cent, thioughout. R"sult. 1>456 tons increase. Class X (timber) I have not had time at my disposal to investigate these complicated t.itcs The result shows a decrease of 4540 tons. Cl.iss L (firewood), no increase in rate Result, increase of 5115 tons carried. Cla-n M (cattle, sheep aiul pigs), rate raised 23 per cent, throughout. Result, 43 058 more animals carried. Classes N and P (miueials, including coal) To all the principal centres there was an aveiage lisc of 3 per cent. Result, an increase of 14 188 tons. The above analysis proves, I think, most conclusively the soundness of the theory I have always held with regard to railway tuthc— namely, that high rates ■uwly-^fipplc and destroy tiado. This >ml! \w made moie clear by the following tabu'ated statement : — Increase of rate. Decrease in. lstcla*-. 2nd cluss. ti.idcdnnc. P.i— n?.T-» 101. o W; 3:( ." r)i 1 S»'i-.iin tickea-> '•"» F.,.1«1s 12,<as C.U tinges )" D,,^ (>4<> J)i ivs ' 1^ t/iam, &.c. .. 4*2-5 / 0 to 8U/ O 17,033 tons Timber . 4 > JO tons Calves 23"' 507 Incieiscin trade. lbmet . No advance 803 C .ttlu ) -VW Sh.-i. 23/ 3!),!32 Pi.'. j 7 Mi f 'lUiff, JLc. «i ' •"•'» W.M.I H, 1 0,450 Mnch.uidHC, 4,',/ 15,.T,0 MinenN »'. -JhliW 1 licvvood No advance 3,115 In tho class of M (cattle, sheep, and pic-") th 1 ; clnef iucraue has been in sh"t-p 31 ,432 oat of a total of 43,033. This incicase is no doubt due to tee development of the fiozun meat trade. It will be seen that on all the ite.ins on ■which no increase in the late has been made, or on which the increase had been so sni ill as not to be appicciable, thcie has been a most satiafactoiy increase in the tiade done, an increase that fairly re-pir-senls the oidinaiy natuial giowthof out ti.iJe. Itvull alao be seen that on eruiy item — with the exception of Clas3 M -on which tlieie has been any large increase in the rate, there has also been a sciious falling off in the business trans acted. And it will further be seen that for the sake of this £27,000 we have ciipplecf our chief industry, thrown back for years the settlement of the country, and created discontent throughout its length and breadth. It must be borne in mind that we have not as yet had time to feel the full eflect of the cliange made last yoar. We may look for moie disastrous results during the present one. I think I am now entitled to say that not only has no one been found to mike even a decent pretence of showing that my thcoues as regards railway management arc wrong, but that the year's returns prove most conclusively and emphatically that I am right, and that it is only by mincing tares and freights till they meet the lefiuuements of the whole community that we cau ever hope to make our railways pay, either directly oi indiicctly. Within the last few days % fanner has lemovcd fiotn the Tamaki to Ngaioto, a distance of 80 and 90 miles. I Rather th.m use the railway, ho sent the whole ot his cattle, furniture, and effects by load. He consumed five days in the operation, and belicveo he saved money by so doing. What a commentary on our railway management! It should be mentioned that the l ail and the load run paiallel to each other. Auckland. Miy 26, IS,S"..

Notirt of issue of <i summons .igamst a rate duf mil' r' s ' l ' lv< rli^d ( N< win n . 11k Hamilton Unround Council intends on the 6tb July next, to mike and levy a general rate of U m the I . , A Good Auoi/vi — ' lo«um it up, six long ycirs of bcd-i iddcn sickness and suffering, costing £40 ptT ycir, total £'MO, all of wbich was stopped b> tlirco bottles of Anienc in C »\ Ifrp Hitters tiW n Ijv my wife, wlio Ins (lodl licr own house work for .1 year sinrc without the 10-, i <il a daj, and I want Gwrybudy to know it for tbvir btnefai. '-John Wbbm, JJutUr. find.