CORRESPONDENCE

Auckland Star, Volume XXI, Issue 4192, 23 November 1883, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE

Railway Reform,

(To tho Editor.)

Sin, —I am quite content' to leave the public to judge as to whether my letter is a sufficient roply to your two leaders on tho abovo subjoct. As to figures, I have published them till I feared 1 should weary the public ; and I would willingly havo sont them to you again if I had thought you wanted them. However, by tho kind courtesy of your morning contemporary most of them aro once more before tho public, and a perusal of my paper will, I think, convince moat peoplo that I have carefully studied the subject. If lam not ablo to deal with it, I have at any rate done my best, and I shall very gladly welcome a better plan if some ono will kindly invent it for us. I- am not so silly as to supposo that tho system I havo invented will not bear improving upon, but if its defects aro so very glaring why do not you or somebody clso point them out ? So far, nothing approaching an argumont has been brought forward to show that my scheme is unworkable, or that my calculations. aro not likely to bo realised. All that has been said amounts to this- because as a mlo in England faros havo not been reduced below Id per mile, therefore we ought not to reduco them below that fignro hero. I say that it is a dis^raco to us if wo cannot invont something better suited to our own requirements than the English system. As to tho statomont of loss recently published, nnd which you think so "uttorly demolishes" mo, I will deal with it on a future occasion, and will from it prove conclusively that tho ratio of loss is increasing at a much more rapid pace than I stated in tho paper I read boforo tho Auckland Institute. Now as to Mr Milno's letter, 1 havo little doubt ho is right as to Professor Newmach's pamphlet, but a glance will show that his plan" is as different from mine as night .is from day. Tho samo romark applies to tho Belgian system. The information ho gives as to English railways is interesting and valuable, and shows what can be dono on well-managed lines. Mr Milne then oxpressos the opinion that the rato of fares proposed by mo would not directly pay, and gives as his reasons for thinking so that tho travelling accommodation is so miserable as to offer no inducement to travel, and that tho cost for labour, &c, is doublo what it is in England. As to the first objoction,Mr Milno is right, and it must be removed. As to the second, Mr Milno is mistaken. With tho wretched management wo havo hero tho cost per train mile is only Is C^d inoro than in England,and with good managomentit,no doubt, might be brought down nearly if not quite to the English standard. I am much obliged to Mr Milno for his suggestion as to a Railway Reform Association. I should bo most heartily glad to bo relieved from some of the work,and I may add that I think it is hardly fair, in a great public question liko this, to loave all the work, all the oxponse, and all tho abutso to be borne by one man. lam now awaiting the arrival of some data I requiro; that to hand, I will take an early opportunity of giving a public locturo, and again invite all and sundry to question and sift mo as closely as they like.—l am, &c, Samuel VaiXiß, November 22, ISB3.