CORRESPONDENCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9123, 3 August 1888, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE WHANGAREI-KAMO RAILWAY. -GREAT SUCCESS OF THE NEW SYSTEM. TO THE EDITOR. Sir, The Gazette to hand to-day contains the railway returns for June, and enables me to compare the working of the old and new systems for a period of eight weeks under somewhat equal conditions as regards mineral traffic, though that is still in favour of the department, and against me. It will be seen that in every particular my system is proved to be a most pro- ' nounced success. The comparisons are for the two fourweekly periods ending 26th May and 23rd June, in the years 1887 and 1888 : — J.SSB—Passengers (number of trips taken) .. 2017 887 „ i, i, ~ .. 1518 Increase 499 Equal to 82.9 per cent. (What ".bout the want of population ?) tons. 138S—Merchandise, tonnage ... .. „ 647 1387— „ „ 427 Increase .. 220 Equal to 51.5 per cant. 1838—Mineral, tonnage 2058 1837— „ „ - ~ ~ 2149 Decrease .. .. _ .. — .. 93 18£8—Gross revenue ~ £401 6 8 1887- „ „ ~ ~ •• 844 5 1 . Increase .. _ — — — £57 1 7 18&— Expenditure _ — -. .. £242 6 4 ISS7 — „ - - ~ .. 371 22 Decrease .. ~ .. » « £128 15 10 18SS—Net revenue £159 0 4 —During this period there was no 7let revenue, but tho working expenses exceeded the entire earnings by 26 17 1 notwithstanding the fact that they had more coal traffic to work upon. This equals £185 17s 5d of net revenue for sight weeks, instead of £8.1 for a year, as Mr. Mitchelson led the House to believe. I think it would be hardly possible to wish for a more complete success in every respect, than this little line shows my system to be. It is very evident that in our railways alone we have the means of getting out of cur financial difficulties, if we would only administer them on a common-sense plan. The Whangarei line is the only one in the colony that shows steady progress. The total railway revenue has fallen £16,363 during twelve weeks, and yet the estimate? for the year are based on the assumption of an increase of £45,000. —I am, &c., Samuel Vaile. Auckland,, August I,IBSS.

BRITISH ANNEXATION in AFRICA. TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—Kindly allow me to make a few remarks as to the inferences drawn by your to-day's leader respecting the latest British annexation on the Dark Continent. After mentioning the fact —which I quite believe that the British Government have annexed the sea coast of Eastern Africa from the Equator bo the Straits of Babel (starting from the former Zanzibar coast, •which from about 3deg. S.L. to the Equator is already British with the exception of the German protectorate over the Sultan of Witu)your leader says :—"Let) us not fail to also remark, as one of the most, important facts, that this territory includes the wonderful chain of great lakes . . . which resemble in their magnitude those of the North American continent," etc. But existing treaties between Great Britain and Germany do not bear out this inference. The fact is that the regions in which the Nile takes its source, and in which nearly all the said great lakes are situated, have fallen under German influence. The London Times of April 4, 1888, in an article, " Africa after the Scramble," has the following, "Probably Germany's most important acquisition since the Berlin Congress is the region which has been detached from the Sultan of Zanzibar, lying between Kilima-Njaro (this should read Mount Kenia) in the north and the Rovuma River in the south, and including Wituland to the north of the British line. The total area of the region dealt with in the treaty, to which Great Britain, Germany, and Zanzibar are parties, is about 122,800 square miles, between the southern limit of the British sphere and the river Rovuraa. But there can be no doubt that if she chooses she can go right westwards to Lake Tanganyika and the eastern boundary of the Congo State, as far as the centre of the west coast of Victoria Nyanza, while on the south she can follow the line of the Rovuraa westwards to Lake Bangweolo, and include the region lyinp between that lake, Lake Moero, Lake Tanganyika (Lake Kainolondo), and Lake Nyassa. This would increase the German sphere to something Like 400,000 square miles." And further on we read : According to the recent Anglo - German treaty, the stretch lying between the northern boundary of the German sphere in the Zanzibar country, over a line following the Sana (Dana) River north-westwards, across the Equator for some distance, and down to Victoria Nyanza, has been allotted to Great Britain as her sphere of influence." From this it appears that to Germany belongs the coast line from the mouth of the Rovuma (Cape Delgado, about 11 deg. S.L.) to the mouth of the Sana or Dana (about) 3deg. S.L. The region behind it includes the north of Lake NyassaZambesi Basin — Lakes Tanganyika, Bangweolo, Moero, and Kamo - Condo — Congo basin, and half of Victoria Nyanza— Nile basin. Albert Nyanza, the other Nile lak?, is in actual possession of the German, Emin Pasha (Dr. Schnitzer, hailing from Prussian Silesia), whose " province extends from 9 deg. to 2 deg. north of the equator, includes the shores of Albert Nyanza and extends far westwards into the Moncutter country." Emin Pasha owed allegiance formerly only to the Egyptian Government and the lamented Gordon Pasha. He may, of his own free will, hand his province over to England, or he may not. But I scarcely think that the fact of the British having annexed the coastline between 9 deg. and 2 dee. N.L., gives them a legal claim over Emin Pasha's province. The precedent of Britain claiming the territory north of the Transvaal Republic as far as the Zambesi, whilst the coastline of this country is undoubtedly Portufuese, stands in the way, if nothing else. 'hus, it appears to be settled that though the British have access to the Nile lakes, viz., Victoria Nyanza and Albert Nyanza, their actual sovereignty may be limited to the northern half of the shores of Victoria Nyan;-.a. I think it will be well to keep in mind *>hese latest facts concerning the political geography Eastern Central Africa;, seeing that colonials are very prone to talk •post fejtum, of so-called German aggression and the intrigues of Prince Bismarck.— am, &e., R. Fricke. Penrose, August 2, 1888.