NEW SOUTH WALES RAILWAYS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 341, 30 October 1908, Page 8

NEW SOUTH WALES RAILWAYS.

•NON-POLITICAL CONTROL,

TWENTY YEARS OF HISTORYv'.' ■ ~MAKING.

• statistics which are being quoted.' by, ill-informed persons to show the wonderful results of State control of the New Zealand, railways,-an oxtra.ct from the "Sydney Morning Herald" of last Friday will be read,with-interest.

It is worth, noting that while the New Zealand' railways lose from £100,000 to £400,000)8. year, and while the "profits on sunk to 3.33 per cent., ■ the profits of the Now South Wales system; haVe,' grown' steadily from 2* to 4J per ceht.i,('j.;; Her<i is; the* extract from the "Herald":— Yesterdftyrivas ; tlip anniversary of the in-troduction-of 'the , non-political system of controlling.th? railways and tramways of New South Wales, , : ttvkit.j' years ago; On October 22, 1888,; tlio Act under which Mr. E. G. M. Eddy '.wa'6': made .Chief Commissioner, and Messrs". .'.,olivpr .., and- Fehan Commissioners, came intp operation, and the wisdom of the change is ;amply.' demonstrated in the, condition to-dai'iiiof ;greitest asset the State possesses^-;'i , The v .'typV N Jiave been marked by a striking development in railway matters, and the op'oning';up"jpf the country has gono on apaco.lwj'thJa/jiberaJ-, administration, unhampered by: politics.! interference. Business has grown'-; almost phenomenally, and reductions of fares/and 'freight;: have followed as a matter of: Jpolicy .whenever - circumstances permitted. Mr, Eddy's term of office was reinany'improvements on the old system, his death, Mr. Oliver,' as Chief .G6mtniSsioner' f 'with Mr. Kirkcaldie and Mr. ,Fphaji;as>his .colleagues, continued the progre"ssjyeVpblicy,;.;whiln Mr. Johnson, the present .Chief./Dbniiiiissioner, has aimed during the shtjrt>tj|ft'eih'o has been-in the State to give ;New So.uth'-'Wales the best railway service; fiuKas Enjoyed. jailwayYjeturns form a convenient index to" the, progress of a country, and the figure's^-associated witfy 20 ' years of railway history, .-making:.;'in , New South' Wales are almost 1 amazing.:, 'In' 1888 the capital cost of the'lines]" was £57,700,000, while at the end 'or; the'financial'- year ended on June 30 last. tHe'i:ra|lways represented, a capital of £45,600,00,Q: v;The mileage of rails had, incroased'fduring/flh'e;. 20 years from 2114 to 3472,.and'tilo\e girhi 0gs grew from £21295,000 to £sjppo;Opp,'/.-The return' on capital invested , : shbws. a substantial increase from 2f per. cen|.'. to',4i per cent., and while tho railways' were worked at a loss in 1888, last financjal •y4ar'' ; ith'ey feturned a surplus profit of- £579,000.;","; The : percentage of working expenses;tcf';carpings also showed a gratifying decline!.

The foregoing figures do not, however, give a correct indications of the increase of business, owing.' to--;thp substantial reductions that .been made, in fares and freights from i during the 20 years. The number qfypassenger journeys in 1888 was 15,000,P00^-as'compared with 47,000,000 in 1907-8;-;./.The -goods traffic increased from 3,330,000 .' tons;. to' '$720,000 tons,, while tho live stock, .business showed an abnormal growth',-, from 63,000. • tons to 455,000' 'ten'K 'mileage- also, more than doubled -during the period, increasing from 6,666,000'mi1es in 1888 to 14,250,000 miles last year..'. .' , , v

So {ho jtraniways are concerned they have_ grown .'frbm ' comparatively small dimensions in 1888, electrical traction was practically'unknown in the State. Their capital, cost hasO'ncreased , from £877.000 to £3,7301000/ and the earnings from £236.000 to £1.(111,000, while the profits have grown from 2, per cent, to nearly 5} per cent. No record ,of passengers' carried was kept in 1888.. .but the' magnitude of the system in relation to the' domestic life of the city may be'gauged'from the fact that last year' the passengers numbered 172,000,000.