SAIL WAY BLOCK AND SIGNALS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 7161, 29 October 1884, Page 3

SAIL WAY BLOCK AND SIGNALS.

TO THE EDITOK. Sir, —I observed your article on my " Patent Automatic System oE Railway Block and Signals." There will not be a model of these shown, as you state, at the Ellerslie Show, but my patent stretcher and fasteners for wire fences will be exhibited there. It seems remarkable that the New Zealand Government should try to discredit the invention of one of their own settlers and refuse to even try it, on the mistaken pretext " that it would be costly." The invention can be applied either continuously or at any part of any railway, and only when and where wanted ; the cost will be, notwithstanding its superior advantages in securing increased safety, economy, and efficiency in the working of railways, not one-fourth that of any other system ; while the working expenses will be only in proportion to the traffic, and is estimated at under 2a the 1000 train ftiile?, and dispenses almost entirelywith signalmen ; and being exceedingly simple and entirely automatic, will prove a great economy in wages and maintenance. Probably the New Zealand Government will continue fettered by departmental inertia till some terrible railway disaster makes victims of many of our leading colonists, and destroys more railway material than would apply and work the system on all places of their railways for years, where the danger and traffic are greatest, and till too late public indignation awakens them to the greit, almost criminal, responsibility of their neglect. I sincerely trust that vindictiveness to a former political opponent may not influence Ministers, to the danger and injury of the public ; for I cannot suppose that the Government of New Zealand is so impecunious that £203 would be a serious amount to provide. I may say that I have most favourable communications from great firms and companies in Europe and America, and I find that my invention, is, in efficiency, simplicity, and first and subsequent Co3t, far and away superior to the best yet invented. The best and most recent is the system of Messrs. Siemens Brothers, patented in 1879,1552, and August, ISS3, which has already been so favourably received that over 9600 sets of their device had been applied successfully, and there can be no comparison of even that system with mine, under which no such accident as that at the Newmarket tunnel could occur. lam not at liberty to go into particulars as to my negotiations with eminent firms referred to, or to state what replies I am making to their communications.—l am, &c., WM. AKOH. Mltrbat. Auckland, October 23.