PROFESSOR ALDIS ON MR. VAILE'S CALCULATIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 8404, 4 November 1890, Page 3

PROFESSOR ALDIS ON MR. VAILE'S CALCULATIONS.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—ln view of the statements made by your correspondents signing themselves Old Buffer," " Older Buffer," and "George Anderson," I thought it necessary to procure some authoritative opinion on the subject, and therefore wrote the following letter to W. Steadman Aldis, Esq., Professor of Mathematics in our University :— Auckland, 23rd October, 1890. To Professor W. S. Aldis, Auckland University. Dear Sir,—lf you take anv interest in the railway problem, you will most likely have noticed some of the statements made by men claiming to be railway experts as to the enormous increase in the number of fares required under the proposed new system to produce the same financial results as we now obtain under the present system. I forward herewith a copy of a table prepared by Mr. A. C. Fife, the accountant to the Railway Department. You will confer a great favour upon me and render a service to the public if you will be Rood enough to reply, and allow me to publish your reply, to the following question :— Are the calculations in the column I have added showing the increases required substantially correct'/ I am well aware that there is something ludicrous in asking a man in your position to reply to a question that any ordinary schoolboy should be able to deal with, but in view of the absurd statements that have been made by men who should know better, the weight of your name would have a good effect with the public.—l am, etc., Sam Vaile. The following is the Professor's reply, which should, 1' think, settle the question :— Auckland, October 28, 1890. To S. Vaile, Esq. : Dear Sir,—There can be no doubt that the column which you have added to Mr. File's table is deduced with substantial arithmetical accuracy from the figures of the preceding columns. This statement must not be supposed to commit me to agreement with all tne inferences you have drawn from it, in the paper which you have been kind enough to send me, some of which seem to me too much to ignore the fact, that as regards the untried system, the table is hypothetical and not statistical.— am, etc., W. Steadman Aldis. When the Professor kindly handed me the above reply, he did so with the remark, " You might almost as well have asked me to certify that two and two make four." I think so, too, and my letter shows that I felt the absurdity of the position. The increases required which the Professor shows I have calculated correctly are as follows :— For all distances not exceeding 3 miles, l-14th of a fare. Over 3 and not exceeding 5 miles, £rd of a fare Over 5 and not exceeding 7 miles, 3-sths of a fare. Over 7 and not exceeding 10 miles, £rd of a fare. Over 10 and not exceeding 30 miles, li fares. Over 30 and not exceeding 50 miles, l| fares. Over 50 miles (all distances) 4i fares. " That is to say, that these numbers and fractions of numbers must be added to every one fare (passenger) that travels now. Your correspondents hare sought to make it appear 1. That the gross total of fares required is the increases that must be obtained. 2. That nearly the whole of this travelling must be done at the rate of 50 miles for 4d. 3. That there is no higher stage fare than 4d. 4. That for the distances most people travel the proposed reductions are not sufficient to induce the extra travelling required. The table above and the table below will show that none of these statements are correct.

The present fares will in some instances be reduced by the use of return tickets. Tlio statement has also been freely made that in order to secure the necessary financial result the traffic " must first be distributed " in the proportions shown in tho table of increasesthat is to say, that notwithstanding the immense alteration in the fares charged, people must still travel on precisely tho same lines that they do now. What an absurdity, and this from " Railway Men." Is it any wonder that we suffer ?

What Mr. Fife's table shows is this : that to procure the necessary financial result the travelling in the gross must be equal to such a distribution, but it by no means follows that it must be on those— that is to say, the same—lines. In conclusion, I repeat my challenge to discuss this question in public. lam not afraid of the whole army of railway men, but I venture to say they will be afraid to accept my challenge.— am, etc., Samuel Vaile. Auckland, November 1, 1890.

PRESENT AND PROPOSED FAKES. Present Fares. Proposed Pares. Miles. 1st 2nd 1st '2nd class. class. class. class, a. d. s. d. s. d. e. d. 3 0 9 0 61 5 12 0 9-00 04 7 16 10 J 10 2 1 1 51 12 2 6 1 8-1 0 OS 14 2 11 2 0 16 3 4 2 31 19 40 2 8 s- 16 10 21 4 5 2 11J 24 5 0 3 41 27 58 3 9-20 14 30 6 3 4 2J