RAILWAYS NORTH AND SOUTH

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 717, 17 January 1910, Page 4

RAILWAYS NORTH AND SOUTH

:!' A little •■.attention is due;to the railway i;efciirns published ;in>Thurs-; ■',clay's , '. Gazette .'■!.: As'.'■ we :.', Have' noted . on fpreyious loccasions; the conditions; 'aro.suchi. that'!;the; first'half; of thio- ■ fiscal to. September—is ■ /generally-mcire advantagoqus.for the railways: irifthe South than-for those; in the; : the.-year; proceeds' ihis;/island ; ;make,.up';thp;';leeway/and ; "wind -up. with. ; a bettjjr,.absolute ,return', than .accrues:from'jthe.So'uthern linesi ;and'; a lastly} bette'r;relatiye'f',return';;per '.iiilei , --i'The,leeway,/;as -we : have.'beet;/noting .monthvby, being': very;rapidly made;lip indeed, i arid •the''. net .'return ■■ per .-; mile); in; ; this . island rgrows imontlily;;;mbre; : .greatly' superior; toj;theVnet; return; per" mile. i across..ftCthe'sx;!Strait; 1 /.: ; ';Thursday.'B ' Gazette 'contains .thefigures;' for'. !thc; .' f our December I',. il. : ; They.'j.resolVi themselves' intoV.tliJß.:-'* i:>>-; V'' , V;":ipw' J ;': :: feonth.K ; : ;;Net,;returi' ; f :-r^37i69d, :\ vThe ;;superwrity ■ ;of.:.'-.the'^Northern. lines ;,as . money,-ear'ners—or,- rather;. ;the:extraordiriai'y.'inferiority of'the •JSouthern -lines-—be comes .more^dlear; ,when We ; : cbnsider' the 'net J earnings : per mile of (railway. .;'• There afe : only 1135 ; mile's.' in;, this - island, /arid .15.71 > in the^outli;; , Theearnings per'mile; .are.'.as :follow'jfor ■ the '.month under 'notice:,;-' ; :':j' ■ ; v-';:'' : ■:': 'y:--- : -'"'-?:- A '■'.' : -'. , , ; '.T- : - ; :'NortIil ; : ;; -'^-;'" :: 'V'/.;;;SoutliK'"'«i:-: ' K.K \-^4i:4s/.;2d; v ;'.;; : ■■■"■• i9s. 9a, . "•; The;following.tables Ehpw,the. eral ; ;tendency;. v ■:■!■ H " • ' ■'■'■''■ ■■;-'' •J. >Netreturni;pr four;,. ;■South'.•.;North..': "'•' weeks ending. ■'"•■' ■''':-.' : ■'.■"■'£ ':.■.-■ ■■•■'£ : ■■ .September -iVS ■■■;;..:'.;..:.;■ 15,865,: : ,'i21,H4'.' ■•■':. October ■.■lβ;} 20,365 = ■•21,717 Z 28,771 37,150 :-: .-■;■ December , U : ; ...;.ii:;i;; .37,690 ;;■ 46,774. ; Earnings per;mile ';'■:•"'' ■"■'North'.'-.,; for! weeksenßing. ; Jt;.s;. : <L'i :■'£ s. d. ; September 18-....:. :iO:4 8 ' 18 12 16 ;..:.V:...;:12\6 6:;: 19 2 8-; ; .'November■il3J:.;:. -18- 6■'■:S'"',- :32 19 0 '.. :;Becembcr n-y...... : :.23;10 '..?0,-'.'4l , ' 4 .2 ' ;i The losses 'ion thq. Southern.•; system .are'enormous ';■ there is'"a;fair ; profit, on the iforShern lines. 'Yet'the; Gov-, .ernment'.'insists :-. on;-"expending the; ;bulk of thCcash available rfor con- 1 struction in building lines in the : unpayable' island,; aa; we' may: call AtJ Is ,it any-Ijwonder,, then,. : that the : railways as;, a whole contrive ;tb lose; ■ hundreds :of thousands;.' of,' 'every year'i}-;''. The following.<figures' .should dictjite the.policy of thlo Gqy-. -;! ■'.; ':'; '."■.■!'--' : -^: : -c;' ; ;; : ' , ;;•■>:■/' '•.:'•;■■: j;; v - : -:.Y :;,■ North;. . : V.Son'tli' 1 .,. . Island. Island. Populafn (Jan 1, '09) 547,879 A • : 442,507 Total.expbrtii (1908) ; £7,234,156 Sheep ■-.(JWSf :;.:.::.-.:.-■:■■ 11,632,201 .'■ 10,816,852 Cattfe C1908);|; .....v..1,394,74i;;.>- 378,582 In respect ;jof grain, the South Is- ; land leads,]!but the 'more grain .that 'is- carriedilthere, apparently, 'the groater. the! loss.-'; The t whole Huru-nui-Bluff vby over £100,000 toipay.expenses' every year.y VWhilo ;the|North Island: 'is;;', be'ingj neglected, ;despite its .'.capacity ■; to give;, a ; go6d. return .{or the-money, inyestedi "and ■ j/his ;in 'the face, of. bad management, the South Islandis';beirig: <pampered beyond all ; reason,': and ..!|s' annually : receiving a vast. sum for .the. construction of the most monstrous political-line on ;rocqrd, the .'.ljdlid'land . Eailwayr-a v line that cannoi; pay;its way.even the ; . best management. 6n. : earth' , ; for at; least Wb-generations... It Lie": tolcl of a crimiiialli when asked by the Judge, if ho -had anything. to sa-■• why senteiice "should, not; bo passed upon '-tiinvithat' he■,' replied,' "It's ..an subject,. your Honour, and -we'd test lei it , drop, altogether and say np;.moro about.it." ! So, ! we daresay, .our Southern friends may :wißh us to; .■cease • these . ''parochial" statements|jas'.to' the railway" situa-

tion. The Bubjecfc is too important, to the wnolc country, however, to be allowed to drop, since" a : . sane railway policy: that takes .count of the facts is urgently, necessary .in the interests of the national finances.