POLITICAL RAILWAYS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 734, 5 February 1910, Page 6

POLITICAL RAILWAYS.

SOME STRIKING COMPARISONS. [To: the Editor.] Sir,—The table which appears , below forms part of a'series I am preparing, showing how shamefully the public funds are used for provincial, political, and party purposes, if not for private ones. I have, known the facts revoaled and to be'revealed for a long time past, but havo hesitated to publish thorn, they appear to me to.bo so disgraceful, however time .flies, and transit is too. important a matter to be trifled with. '■',:■'

Over thirty millions (.£30,000.000) have been placed in the hands of our various Ministries to invest in railways, and this table,'every figure'of which is taken from th'o" public records, shows how shamefully, or, rather,- "shamelessly," they have, abused the.trust reposed in them: It clearly was their duty, year after year, to carefully watchh'ow the/various railway investments ..were paying, ■" and. to make the largest investments in those districts which ;were giving .the best'results. This, they certainly did' not "'do,: on the contrary,; they not only made -the largest expenditure in the least productive districts; but .'from the''very' first they imposed heavy, differential rate's against .the.-North Island, the richest and_ most productive portion of, -the'.Doinmion, and so retarded its progress all thoy : could.. .. . ; -■ _Last, year, if the South" Island users of our railways had had to pay the same passenger" fares, and the'same goods; rates" that were/charged in ■ the \orth, then on. the. transit, of these two they would have had to pay into.the.Treasnry more than they did pay. ; On the!whole traffic of the year there is little doubt that, they; obtained an. illegal and .unjust/ preference: against of. at least three-quarters of a million. 'Surely the.Dominion has suffered enough'., wrong in.the unfair distribution 1 of,transit '.facilities;, without, havmg..,this" additional, yearlv. burden thrust upon them.fbr let.it be remembered that the sum-named is for last:year's business only.;';.;" -, ... , . ..Table,, showing "the unfair appropriation,of the public funds' in '-railway- construction. (See the Eailway Statements for the; years mentioned.).: : . :; :■..'

..' ■ • ■■■ ■; • -g.3 •■'..■• ■■SS::\ g»5 .■■:'''-.: •.-■'"'•.:■«H 05IH Kojß 1875-Mfles open ; ,_; ''78' :"• 199 .''. 181 Capital-ex- - ■ ■ - : "v :' ' ■- . pend'ed : ... £1,130,890 £2,439,752 £1,308,862 1885-Milesopen _ "■■■'■'■■ 525 :.-- 952 . '. 427 Capital ex- -.'. . :'■'■• .'....',■'. ,v . ponded .'... £4,375,117£8,481,510£4,106,393 ,■; iSaid, to'■■.be ...'.• ,-.; '. ■ ■•'■■■ 'net revenue ■~ :. ■;.'•'.'"■ •- :,-- earned ■'-;.. £86,744 £268,942 (£182,198 1890-Jliles open .. ' -, : 672 :: .-1437'; 465 ,'-'. ...Capital ex- ' - -. .■.'-■.,: pendod , ... £5,685,695 £9,479,063 £3,793,368 .Said ..' to' be ,: ■ '. . net revenue ' :' ' '>-'V/ • ; . .-.''■ ''•'• ;■.■ earned ~£113,362 £299,420.';£18,658 1895-lKles open .... :. 760 1,233 ■ -473 •■■';. Capital "-ex-':, i. •.;.:.. .'•.',.• .',.-- ponded .;... £6,318,104 £9,824,563 £3,505,459 ..;;,.Said .to be ', -.- ..' . ■', :'' net revenue ■ '' earned".'...'.. £148,520 £270,171'.:£121,651 1900-Mles open : .; '•; 824- . 1,280', ••■ 456 .'Capital ex-'. ', ''••'.'•'' pended .... £7,096,001 10,458,271 £3,362,270 ■ ■...; Said...to ;: be... .■■ '-.r .-'v.- '•..-.■■-.■,- .':•"■-■'.-net revenue■'.••.., ,'., .-.■-'. : . ; '.; earned;'.._.. £391,711 £211,889 1905-MUesopen'...' ;:■'. 919 • 1,455 ':' 536 :.'.'■;Capital..:.'ex- :■■■ -'V.' ■v.-:,i pended 13,668,451 ;:..;V Said-i.torbb'--'; .-.. ';■'''-•.:•• '.""-• ■• v,;>;'-inet revenue •.;-■■ '. ; . ■/-... : . .iU/.earned,;..;...-£322,664 £393,667; £71,003 ISCS-Milesopen:-,;.',' '1,132. 1,542 : - ,410 , ;'S:Capital';"; ex- : ... /.'*:;/';"' ■,^:f> , seaiei : ;:.; : £a,mM '■: :v.,-,v':'.V-V'.:r.'r": :: ..-.; : . -v- : '- '-'-.'.. ,',''/ ' SrfJ'd ;';.':;■■.■;••:'•.'■'•■■.;■" ■ ■;■,■■ ■.:.::■ gs-g- ---■ •'.■■•: Said - to'' -be;';' ;';■ .;'.;■'"'.:.-'?. Zg.~ ::,.;. net revenue'.' \ ...-." .:•"■ R "w: ;;.■:.:-earnea;™;V'£423/t67 .'£391,243 ; ; £32^24, ; note;'; that.','the ■'. 'last'-'; return',; is' for .»;.'period 'of : : foui.'- (4) years' only; "not .'five ;years. ': I; wish' also' to' draw particular attention .to the ;fact ..that' the '.above table is not.'iny statement: not'what,'',l; Samuel Vaile, say,,' ibut.wnat. the Government'says,''has been'done on our-rail-ways.; .It is probably' the most disgraceful .record of' the,.\ administration .of agreat:public Department to -be found any- ' Where. v ! ''■:■:■.':":.:•■'•';''■'<'' : :- v: ", ' •.:■"

■ This -is the truth,/ put' in' a'- form Jthat .the/public: can" read! and';un'derstand, arid yet' pur ■ Premier, Sir • Joseph;- Ward, -has ■ the ''audacity '/to■; publicly tell ,us ' 'that "the.North'"is"beirig. fairly'!'treated,'' aritf has.'been fairly -treated, .from -the ■'■ very first." -.'.'.Db'es'ihb sayathis • fto'm '• ignorance^ .or'-worse?;V.'.'''-v; .'.i-'Y'i'-v';; *-.-. ■':'".' : ;',i: ■)■.'>:*.■' . ■'■ When : we: remembei'.'the 'immense-dis-' advantage';,tb'e.,Nor;thihas, been . placed' under.;..by, the'.rpersi'stent ;locking-u'p,- not only of its.Crown..'and;Native lands; but ,also..the;:lands under the lands'for Acts,' in, addition ,to;':,its .deprivation. of, 'its /fair transit facilities, it' is difficult to'understand ;how ; .the; North, has.,'riot merely' held its "own- against :-the South,'.but Has • far. out-stripped ,it.. This' fact is fully brought,: out;, by what';-the; Government says' is .the:'net' revenue','earned by our railwaj's..;,;These facts, are: so-; important that perhapVl'.may be .excused for'ropeating' a;,little.:. ;'.. '■,'■' ..-,-.,,-' : ; . ,; Starting 'from -.1885;, and taking intervals of .every .five years, the net railway, rc-i .venue.'claimed by the Goverhinent to'be earned, by :the.: South'lsland' 'railways; I over, arid above that earned by the. North .Islandi ;was a's'follows:—dClß2,l9B,' : iElß6iosß,'l 4121,651, , £211,889;; then' the change rapidly, set in, and. in 1905 the excess in the; South T was but JE71.003, and four'years later ; the much, weaker northern. system had ■ the . advantage over" the ' South 'of £32,224. Surely, that the business to. be" done'in the North is ; rapidly increasing, while, that to'bo .done in/the South,is decreasing. Again, without transport facilities,: it would bo impossible • for thero to be • any- import or export trade-whatever, .yet, in spite of * much less facUities-granted to' the ;North: Island, ; its import' and. export trade, in 1008: exceeded .that of the South,' by no less than seven million'six hundred thousand,pounds; to be exact, £7,621,880. .y With the.above'; facts before -them,: it is impossible to imagine that a committee of men, calling: themselves statesmen, could, think. they. were doing; right in, vesting during the current year another ,; .£650,000 'of .the. public .funds in' ■that part of the Dominion which is proved to have : the least natural . resources,' the .least population,- much tie smallest: tradei" con tributes'far., tie :least revenue, and 'which> any' statesman ought to be. able-to see is already, over-railed; while' in the most productive, the .most thickly-populated • portion ■of the State, ! and . which contributes far : the -largest portion :of its. revenue .trade and , commerce, and is notoriously in want of railways, theronly propose .to, spend No committee of honest tradesmen would have come to such a decision, or been a party- bo such an absolutely ''• foolish investment ' )

.In a paper I.am nowjpreparing, Ishall allow, that the Railway Department is not the only one in which the publia funds haw been misappropriated, and used for political and private. purposes, rather than the public good. ' In conclusion,'let'me say this: I have felt that.as our'whole social••;system, indeed our. very existence, depends absolutely on transit, we cannot hope for real permone.it prosperity while our main roads, our. railways,: are administered almost wholly; for provincial and political, party purposes. There is more than enough land in the world to supply everybody's'• wants. .AH' we require -is the, means to get at' it. This, our. present Government is determined -we shall not have, if it can help it. ' The- Socialists and. single-taxers cry out againsL landlords. What we really want >is a thousand -landlords where we • now have only one: -.Wo want every man to be his own landlord; and this can never be until we have' ah efficient and., honestly ad.ministered,transit.:system.—l am, etc,'." ■■'..-v.' TSAiroEL vaile.' ! Auckland/February 2,-1910.