Value of the Railways

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 179, 27 April 1931, Page 10

Value of the Railways

Sir, —It is the usual thing nowadays to condemn our railways. No one seems to get deep enough and find a few facts which may account for these annual deficits. Had the railways not been constructed it is safe to say that nine-tenths of the land between Wellington and Auckland would still be in a virgin state. Palmerston North and such other inland towns would not even be villages worthy of a separate name. Thus has the railway added hundreds of millions to the capital of the country. Who is and has been deriving the benefits from that construction I am not concerned with. Sufficient that they have proved their worth. Few will disagree that it is population that makes railways pay, so a comparison with England—-where the railways are also not paying—New Zealand stands out majestically. In round numbers Great Britain, with her 44J millions of people, is served with 20,000 miles of track, or 45 miles for each 100,000, and New Zealand, with 1} millions of people, with 3300 miles of track, or 236 miles for each 100,000. Viewed from this angle, we here in New Zealand have five miles of railway to every one mile in Great Britain. Truly a wonderful service. If the railways lost five times as much annually as they do at present, that would be an infinitesimal interest on the capital that they have added to the countrv. On a similar basis Canada has 63 miles and Germany 57 miles against New Zealand’s 236 miles.—l am, etc ” J. MILLER. Wellington, April 18.