Nelson Evening Mail THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 1910. NEW ZEALANDS RAILWAYS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLV, Issue XLV, 18 August 1910, Page 4

Nelson Evening Mail THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 1910. NEW ZEALANDS RAILWAYS.

i.\ dealing with the New Zealand Hailways we feel it only fail', at- the outset, to mention that, .sinee he has been in 'charge -of this nnpiilant department <;f State entcipri-e. 1 in: Hon. .J. A. -\iilia.r n;::s eifcc.ti/l : ■ ci.sidera.hie i. e.| U'o vcincn t ::i lire uusat i -factory conditlaiie prevailin ;: whi.Mi he t>eok ollice. lint whilst there i- i'.r.provenii.-lit. theie is si-ill a great deal awai.tin'_c t . be dene, and .the, .Mini.-lev's optimistic remark- in the House of Representatives the other day v, e think hardly rcpn-cnt the position as itre.illy i-s. ( 11.' would have hi.s hearers believe that the Niw Zealand c- ::.p:i!( ;1 fa.vonrabiy. ;nid even more than favourably, with the Australian -y-U ill.--. Certainly he wa,s ipiiie justiiied in drawing atteiit:: n io (ertain natural adeantae.- enjoyed by tile Coiiiui! 'f.vr-.iltli sy.-t.nis which New Zealand do, m.t ]iii.-!-v-. One of ihe.-e is the :ow cost of bii.un inou.-. coal in comparison with the price paid in New Zealand. Thou the ran. of wage:-, is hiuhei- in New Zealand, whbli although cot :■:: vi'iv much ejaaler. makes .some difference. And aean '. h,. Au.-iiaii.au .ailv.av iH.tiet- are swelled bv a large suburban traffic which me iJoiuinio,:! dees "" l I'^-'r-I'.lii it i- i'Ue- , - ; : 'ig to j.--. into details. Writing in ,\"-. ■ lulu >'. Ib'oß. .Mr. \Y. H. Herri. -. -M.F.. who i.-- r, g:,;ded a,, an aide critic of rai'way finance, pointed ( ;ii- L liiat the three a, at let.- , f the pa\ ing i-a.pai it y of a railway at e tile net eainiiti.s pel- imile of rail way. i ho net earnings of . .-,, ■'■_, m j K . I'vi-iy 1 1 -a i i! I lilts, a ml the in I «.■,-, ru in e- ' in ; If i ■' -; oi een.-tru- i [• -n. In all lie. -■ leani:. - b /.n:-. s .- !; ,w \, v . Zealand to I. ■ in a di- m! \ ant e. ■■.,■■ „.., ;„,. ; t : oii. faking I he ligur.-s for i he linan eial year l'J'J'J. a- those for L<)H) ha-, not \et In en made public, i; ], , tl . n ii i; ,!.

although the c-:inil 114 ■-. jicr train mi!'.: :n Xew Zealand were miuh higher than in Australia, the n<_-t earnings in the Dominion were smaller than llio-e 0.1 any of these States, with the exeept ion < f the jiraotiealiy bankrupt- system < f Tn-nri-nia. It will be .-ci-ii, therefore, that t lie diil'eren:-e inn.-l be in tile disproportionately heavy working expenses in New Zealand. And these expenses equaJUd C7.u9 j)er train mile. In We. tern Australia the expeus-e rate was 61.01 per train ii-ilc. in Vietoria it was 52.84. in South Australia 46.83. in Xew South Walts 45.72. and in Queensland 33.50. IVoeeediug furllier. while the working expenses, of the sy.-ieni in .New Zealand repre-ented 72.19 per eellt. of the laming~. the pi opo: i ion in W'e.-tern Australia was 67.10 p-er ti ill., in \'letor:a 5J.G2 per cent., in South Australia 56.02 per i-.-nt.. in New South Wales 54.91 per cent., and in Queen-land 54.01 per et lit. And wiia.t is nuforui'sat e so far as Xew Zealand is n. ■! is tha.t the proportion of working expeii-eis toward- earnings in New Zealand ha.s been allowing a toii'.ihued i:ui. a: • v.hil-t in the. Lamunionwealth the t:udeney has been always to dcevca.-o.

A compari. on ovrr a period of ten vcus shov■■'.-=. !'<■:• in.s.t ance. tliat the ))id- | portion dl' working expen-is, in i-.-irni!!.n-» fell from 63.C9 ti-;i- cut .to 59.G2 per cent, in Victoria, from 5j.43 per cent, to 54.01 per .rut. in Queensland, froin 62.43 per (cut. t» 56.02 in South An~tr;i!i;i. and. I'r.-M-.i 77.11 per cent, to 67.10 j;cr cent, in We'tern Au-tralin. In New South Wales and .\"i w Zcivlaud th e pi'"pcrliou increa-ed. but only to the extent of from 53.34 per cent to 54.91 per cent, in New South W'nics, v.h'ie in New Zealand the peivoiitae.e rose from 63.26 in j 1899 to 72.19 in 1909. In other- wonK i M j 19C4 it cost New Zealand, in round j figures. £66 to earn £ICO. in 1908 il j eo.-t £7O IC-. and 1909 £72 4-. lint it j iiiH.'t in fairness be .-la ted it is expected that the figures for this. yea!'. as the Mini-tcr fere.-hadowoJ two months ago at Dii-u din. will show a di-tinct improvement on pa.st years, lint the fact remains 'that there is isliiLl. i!>r;m for improvement, and in etolea vourini; to reduce the working expanses, which, it he-be-eii shown, are ni high in New Zealand, til" .Mii'.iister i.s certainly procecdinu in the right direction. As statu! above, the 'L'asmanian railways are in a vi rv had -fate—in fact, mi had that in IGOB-9 the. p'ercei'f-'.ge of nel earnings tu cai' : i:i.l invested was :?-■) h.'W as 1.90 per c::nt.;Jnd the tr< nbie i.- in regard l.>cc.s;ly management. It i- at Ica st ,- igniif emit that Ta-miuiia io "the only A iv- l ralian Slate whose railwav are under Mini Serial control and management. In t'le other State- tht'' .lines are managed hv t'"in■n i.-.sioners. This is a point which may well bear cou.-idcrat ion by New Zealand, ers. The t'cna.j, ling wa.s written last evening, and l.hi.- memine; 1 h-• . - ' ..'rtiino for the ynii' ending .March 3i.-t. 1910. came to hand. As predicted in the article, the fiu'iire,- for this year show do-', ided improvement :r. a.ll departments, and the ( oivern.ii cut may well lie con gratuLaled upon, the result ; lni't. as 1 I .shown above, there is .-till much to do. The present ;idministration has had to I face tli.- pitiful results of political em.tro; of the railway in the past, and it is curious in one way, yet not in another, to ,ci. the .Minbler <-i it! l; ii l _;• „-i> t( liacicu.siy to politic;!; control.