WHANGAREI-KAMO LINE.—THE MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS' TELEGRAM.

Northern Advocate, 30 June 1888, Page 3

WHANGAREI-KAMO LINE. — THE MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS' TELEGRAM.

The following letter from the pen* of Mr Samuel Vaile, of railway reform fame, 1 which appeared in the " Star "of Monday will be read with, interest : — . Sib,— This telegram contains the following ' statements ; — 1. Every hand that could be discharged has i been, and there is next to nothing going on. i 2. When the mines closed the passenger P traffic fell off, and we raised the fares on the '. remainder to prevent the revenue falling to the ■ same extent, ' 3. The stoppage of expenses is due to the r stoppage in traffic generally. E 4." Yaile's system is not in operation at t Whangarei. { THIS 13 MY KBPLY : ) During 1887-8 the Government system was r working 20 weeks. The comparison is, there- • fore, unfair to me. This* proved by the more favourable returns for the hist few months. FIBBT STATEMENT. I 1886-7 — Ko of Employees .. 22 t 1887-B— No. of Employees .. 10 , Or 12 less, f 1886-7— Total tonnage hauled, 32,654 tons, f 1887-B— Total tonnage hauled, 13.09G tons. 3 Decrease, 19,096 tons. \ This decrease was in minerals only. Does the Minister mean to tell us that in order to handle an extra 19,000 tons of coal on a line j with everything in running order it would be ' be necessary to more than double the entire t staff? I There is moro doing in the other classes o) l goods tarffic than there was in the previous year. SECOND STATEMENT. „ This is obscure, and certainly not correct. 1 Before the alteration fares varied from 3d f oi , half pf a £ econd-class returned to Is 9d for a fist-class single.

Now, the only fares charged are 9d first-slast and Gd second for the whole of any portioi of t)ie entire length of the line. The effect has been that the average fare paid was 5-Bths of a penny more than last year, but to four out of five stations the fares have been greatly reduced. THIBD STATEMENT. It is very easy to provo that this is iucorret. 1886—7 — Train mileage ran 17,058 miles 1887— 8— do. do. .. 12,000 „ Decrease . . 5,038 If the system remained the same, it follows, as a matter of course, that the price per milt of running 12,000 miles would be greater than that] of running 17,000, but this is whal occurred :— s. d. 1886— 7— Cost of train mile (17,058 miles) .. „ 4 0 1887—8— do. do. (12,000 miles) .. .. 3 5£ It is very clear the saving has not been effected by the favourite process of ceasing to run trains. POETH STATEMENT. Of course it is not " Vaile's system; '* we all known the Department would say that, but what they may choose to say does not alter the fact. It is my system, pure and simple, so far as it possible to develop that system on one stage only. So far as the public isconcerned,itmattersnothing whether it is my system or somebody else's: there is no disputing the fact that a system has has been nut in force by which enormous facilities have been given to the public, and revenue increased, and immense saving made in cost of administration, and we want to know why this system should not be put in force on the whole of our railway, as it holds out a fair prospect of saving the country at least four hundred thousand pounds (£400,000) per annum. — I am, &c, Samuel vaile. Auckland, June 21, 1888.