THE FAILURE OF OUR RAILWAYS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 505, 12 May 1909, Page 8

THE FAILURE OF OUR RAILWAYS.

SOOTH ISLAND LINES. SOME REMARKABLE FACTS.. (By Samtjel Vaile.) It is very gratifying to find that the publio of the Dominion, especially of tho North Island', is at last waking up to a sense of the wrong which has been dono them in the matter of railway construction and administration. It is especially gratifying to see tho Primo Minister denouncing that fraud, tho Otago Contral Railway. . ■ , Our railway accounts, as I have many times said, aro kept not for tho purpose of imparting information to the public, but for the purpose of concealing the real position of our railways, and making it appear they are oarning a rate of interest they are miserably abort of. For this reason I am unable to give the cost of :the different railways herein dealt with. It is purposely, oonoealed. It is pleasing to find that the Prime Minister and the Minister for Railways are at last obliged to confess the shameful waste of public money that has been made in constructing and administering many of the South Islana railways. '.' During tho twenty-sis years I have been striving to bring about a reform in our railway administration I have more than onco drawn attention to this, but my desire to avoid dealing with so great a question'in a provincial spirit has led me to be somewhat remiss in this respect. Now,-how-ever, things have v came to such a pasa that provincialism hae become a virtue, and. I would earnestly impress upon the M.P.'s, chambers of commerce, • railway leagues, the press, citizens' leagues, and tho citizens generally of the North Island that it is their duty in the best interests of tho whole Dominion to combine and present a united demand that of all future railway allocations at least SO per oent. shall be expended in tho North Island until both islands are on an equality as regards transit facilities.. May I ask how it is that the railway returns to March 31 have not been published? Has there not boon sufficient time for'the "arranging"? I am of opinion that tho Department will be very clover if it can by any means show that the loss during 1908-9. was less than £800,000. ■ It ia more likely £1,000,000 or more; The Minister for Railways, the Hon. J. A. Millar, has expressed his determination, to close all railways that- do not. pay 3 per cent. I suppose this is according to the Dopart"mont's way of keeping the account, hut, even so, it is a very big order. In the hopo of giving the publio somo idea of ite magnitude, I append the following information as to tho. number of trains run on some of the southern lines.

'We will begin with the late Mr. Seddon'e much-favoured district, Westland. Hokitika to Ruatapu, seven miles. ■On this lino two trains only run threo times a week, with one extra trtjin. on Saturdays, or, say, seven trains a week. . ' ■ : Groymouth-Brunner, eight miles—two trains each way daily. '.-'■;'. . ..." Greymouth-Otira, 51 miles. On this line there are eight trains during the week from Greymouth to Otirn. There is no train , at all on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On the return journey there are also eight trains during the weok. ■'■•■■.. i .... Groymouth-Hokitika, 24 miles, rune 14 trains each way per week. .. '•' .-"'"" 1 Westland 4n 1907-8 had 125 miles of railway, which cost £1,613)987, or £12.911 per mile, and this is how 90. of those miles wore made use of. I should have said that Wostland's gross railway roveniio was £121,206, while interest alone oost us £64,559; Christehurch to Oxford West, via Kaiapoi, 41 miles only, 6ix trains each way during the week. , Rangiora to Oxf9rd West, 21 miles. Two trains each way daily. , ..... Christehureh to Southbridge, 31 miles. Note: This 31 piles "for the purpose of reckoning faresand .freight; ia deemed to bo 15 miles only.' , ;'. : Two trains each way daily., i Christehurch 'to Little River; 36 miles. Two trains daily. ■, ■ ■ '■■_ :_■■■'j Timaru-Fairlie, 39 miles. One daily train each way with an extra train on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. ■ Waimato-Waihao Downs, nine miles. One train each way daily. , ... Oamaru-Kurow, 43 miles. One tram daily each way. , . _ ....... . Oamaru-Tokarahi, 25 milos. On this line for the first 13 miles .there, are two daily trains, and for the other 12 miles one train on fivodays in/the week and one. train on iour days. .' ■ . : ' Oamaru-Ngapara, 17 miles. For tho first 13' miles two trains daily, each way, and for tho remainder two trains daily on four days of the week only. Gore Junction-Waikaka, 16 miles. One daily train each way. Mosgiel-Outram, nine miles.' Two trains each way daily. ■'■ , ■'. Milton-Lawrenco, 24 miles. Two trains daily; '■ '• :. • ■■•• ■■■■ ■ '-'" " " ;. • ' '•' ' Sheffield to Oxford West, 12 miles. ' One train each way twico a week. ' Rakoia to Methven, 23 miles. One daily train from Rakaia, with an ■ extra one on Tuesdays and Thursdays. , On the return journey there are two trains' on Tuesdays and Thursdays, on those dajs only. Waipara-Domett, 32, miles, One train daily each way, with an extra one on Wednesday.; •• . ' • ' ' . A ''■'■' Palmersten-Dunback, nine miles. 'Two trains each way 'on, Tuesdays. • There is .no service on Thursdays or Saturdays, and only one on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Ashburton-Springburn, 30 miles. One, train daily each way. '■■ ■/ - ' - ' Otago Central, 143 miles. On this wonderful lino there is one daily train from Dunedin, which stops at 12 out of tho 35 stopping-stations on the line. This shows how little business can be 1 done. There is another daily train as far as Omakau, 120 miles. From Clyde to Dunedin there is only ono train daily. . , 1 Balclutha-Catlin's Rivor, 23 miles. Two trains from Balclutha, but only one daily from Catlin's River, with an extra on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. . .■■'...- Waipahi-Edievale, 27 miles. One train each day on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Two trains on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and -three trains on .Saturdays. Gore-Lumisden, 37 miles.' Two daily trains with, ah extra one on Fridays. Invercargill-Waimahaka, 26 miles. Two trains each way on Mondays and Wednesdays. One train Tuesdays, Thursdays,. and Fridays, and three on Saturdays. Invorcargill-Orepuki, 43 milos. Two trains daily each way. ' Thornhury-Nighteaps, 25 miles. One train daily each way, with the exception that the return train, does not run on Mondays, Wednesdays, . and Fridays. Lumsden-Mossburn, 12 miles. Two trains each way on Saturday, and one on Monday, or, say, three trains a week. Hedgehoper.Winton, 13 miles. One train each way daily. _ ' If the Hon. J. A. Millar is to carry out tho policy he has indicated, it appears to mo that the whole of the 33 South Island branch railways .dealt with above, together with a few in tho North Island, ougTit to be closed at once. Whether the Minister's policy is wise, is, 1 think, very doubtful, There can bo no question that tho lines dealt with never ought to have been built. They certainly wore not constructed in _ tho interests of the Dominion, but in tho interests of certain politicians and landowners. Of the 33 branch lines dealt with, five, comprising 65 miles between them, not ono can support a daily train, some ■of them only throo trains a week. Eleven of them can oly support one train a day, and theso cover 283 miles. Seven more of thorn, covering 155 miles run —some oF them very slightly over one, but not reaching two trains daily, and these cover 233 milos. Nino more, embracing 222 miles, run two trains daily. Over two daily trains, I have not dealt with. - ' ■ Then we have , the Otago Central, 143' miles, running-one daily train from Dunedin for'the whole distance, and another for 120 miles, but, as I have said, there is only one return train from Clyde. Tho Prime Minister tells us that this "lino cost £1,280,000, and says it pays six shillings nor cent. .These lines make a total of 86S miles, out of the 1520 in the South Island. Most certainly those cannot be paying tlireo per cent. _ I will deal with the North Island lines in another paper/ '