MR VAILE'S SCHEME. A Reply to the Challenge.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2169, 3 June 1886, Page 3

MR VAILE'S SCHEME. A Reply to the Challenge.

TO THK EDITOR. Sib,— l hava just read Mr Edgecumbe's challenge in your issue of to-day. In these hard tunes such a chance of paying off one's overdraft is not to be passed over. But before entering in the competition it is necessary that we should settle certain preliminary points. Ist. It is evident that no one can actually demonstrate the correctness or incorrectness of Air Vaile's calculations 'except by a prolonged trial of his system. The utmost that Mr Vaile can claim to have done is to have so stated his case that a competent jury will believe that if it were tried it would realise what he 1 says. Similarly, all that his opponents can be asked to do is to adduce such facts and arguments as will convince a competent jury that his system if tried would not realise what he claims, and this I take to be the meaning of the challenge. The question then arises, " Who are to judge?" I have too much respect for Mr Edgecumbe's common sense to suppose that he means that he arid Mr Vaile's other supporters are to judge of the merits of arguments against their favoured scheme. If the test is to be a real- on© the decision must be left to thoroughly impartial and competent men. I would suggest a committee |of three, modelled after the English Railway Company ; say, for instance, the Chairman of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, one the Commissioners of Railways in Australia, and Judge Smith, to represent commerce, technical experience, and logic and law of evidence, respectively. (2.) We must understand beyond cavil what is Mr Vaile's scheme. To that end it will be necessary to hand each competitor a document containing the entire of Mr Vaile s ■cherae, with any arguments Mr Vailo may adduce in support of it. To this the competitor will have to reply. (3.) Those who oppose Mr Vaile's scheme do so partly on the ground that the public have no data on Which to calculate the results of any scheme. To conclusively answer Mr Vaile it is essential to obtain certain statistics from the Railway Department. These are contained in certain returns regularly made by the stations, and their production will entail actually no expense. lam asking the Minister for thebe figures, but of cuur*>e cannot tell whether they will be given me. If then these points can be managed, Mr Edgeouinbe may count on at least one competitor for bis premium in yours faithfully, Waikato. Tuesday, June Ist,