AUSTRALIAN RAILWAYS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVIII, Issue 203, 31 August 1897, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN RAILWAYS.

Sydney, this day,

Secret evidence given by the Railway Commissioners before the Committee of the Federal Convention in Adelaide has been made public. Mr Eddy, after being informed that the idea of federating the railways waa not at present entertained, Bpoke strongly in favour of an interstate commission, and succinctly stated the difficulties in regard to deferential and preferential rates. Replying to a question whether there waa a difference in effect between a differential rate when purely local and when it goes to the border of another state, Mr Eddy said there might be a difference in effect, but if ib were applicable to everybody in the colony under like condition, he did not think ib could properly ba called unjust or unneighbourly. In forming an interstate commission preferential rates must be absolutely prohibited. The commission should be free from influence, and to see that the Bpirit of the Convention was carried out tho commission should be of such a nature that it would carry tho confidence of all tho Statoa. He thought the commission would have to deal with the question somewhat in thia spirit, the main principle to animate the policy of rate lixing to be that all traffic originating in adjoining States should be carried over the railways in other States at rates entirely in harmony with the rates applicable to all traffic ot a like character for like distances in such States, thab is to say thab any traffic originating at any place in an adjoining colony muft pay when passing over tho line? of .another State exactly tho same rates as ure paid by the people of thab State j there ought to be no difference.

Meliiouuke, this day,

Tho recont Conference of Railway Commissioners on uniformity of gauge show 3 that tho adoption of tlio Victorian gauge, sto 3iti, would coat four and a-quarter million, while tho adoption of the New South Wales gauge, Hit B^in, would cost £2,3G0,000. The Conference was therefore of opinion, that tho New South Wales gauge should ba adopted. Having regard to the nacioual aspect of the question funds should be provided from a loan raised under federal control, and that no portion of the cost of tho unification of gauge should be charged to railway capital.