RAILWAYS AND MR. J. B. WHYTE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8664, 5 September 1891, Page 3

RAILWAYS AND MR. J. B. WHYTE.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, — J. B. Whyte's letter which appeal's in your issue of to-day is simply astounding in its cool assurance, and the gratuitous insult it offers not only to Mr. Cox, the Mayor, and other speakers who took part in the late meeting, but also to thousands of his fellow-colonists from one end of the colony to the other. The position is this, Messrs. W. Couyers, J. Stoddart, R. W. Moody, and T. D. Edmonds, all railway men, who to say the very least of their qualifications were fully the equals of our Railway Commissioners, in the earlier stages of the contest carefully and patiently investigated my proposals, and they all signed a statement to the effect that the adoption of the new system would add £200,000 to the net railway revenue, Had these gentlemen no reputation to lose ? Did they require Mr. J. B. Whyto to teach them? Then a parliamentary committee of ten spent between two and three months in investigating the new system, and reported that in their opinion it ought to be tried. Does Mr, Why to mean to say that those gentlemen " had not even a rudimentary knowledge of it ?" It was the misfortune of this colony that Mr. J. B. Whytewas one of this committee. He exerted himself to the utmost to prevent a favourable report being given, and failing in this he contrived to set added to it the ridiculous conditions which he knew would render the report inoperative. The Chambers of Commerce of Auckland, Napier, luvercargill, and some other centres have passed resolutions affirming that it ought to bo tried, and the retiring chairman of the Canterbury Chamber has just expressed a hope that this will be done. A special committee of seven was appointed by the Auckland Chamber of Commerce to investigate this matter, and they reported unanimously that in their opinion 110 financial loss could arise through trying the new system. Nearly every local governing body in the colony, and many thousands of my fellowcolonists, have petitioned that it may be tried, and the Public Petitions Committee of the present session has _ recommended the Government to comply with the petitioners' request. Captain W. C. Daldy—one of onr clearest financial men— and Mr. Andrew Bell, have also carefully gone through my various calculations, and satisfied themselves as to their financial soundness. Not only so, but they proved their faith in them by joining others and "myself in an offer we made to the late Government to take over the Auckland railways and try the new system at our own risk. We offered not only to give'a guarantee against loss, but that after the first year we would guarantee a 10 per cent, increase on each previous year's revenue. • We also offered to give substantial security as to our ability to carry out our engagement, to render accounts and make payments monthly, to maintain the lines and rolling stock under the supervision, and to the satisfaction of, the Government officials, and to hand back the railways at any time on receiving six months' notice. I think this showed not only great faith in the new system, and something more than a "rudimentary knowledge" of it, but also an earnest desire to render the public a great service. These are the undoubted facts, and in view of them Mr. J. B. Whyte's statements can only be fittingly described as a piece of presumptuous insolence. I am not aware that he has ever given any proof of his ability to deal with a great financial question,_ nor, indeed, a great public question of any kind. Prior to seeing Mr. Whyte's letter of today, I have never been able to fully understand what he has been driving at. The following paragraph, however, enlightens me "Then perhaps ho (Mr. Cox) may get a glimmering of what Mr. Yaile's contention really is, and be able to judge for himself whether simply doubling the total traffic must necessarily bring the present net revenue under Mr. Vaile's proposed fares." Thank you, Mr. John Blair Whyte, but on bejuvlf of myself md my friends I disclaim

all credit for conceiving this brilliant idea. It could only bavo.emanated from your own powerful brain. Does Mr. Why to really imagine that I and those who are with me have been contending for all these years, that if the 817,000 -fares required merely took a journey from Auckland to Remuera, that that would produce the revenue required 1 We arc not quite geese. The fact that Mr. Whyte lias got such a ridiculous idea _ iuto his head, proves? his inability to deal with the subject. What we all know is this : that in the groat we must get the increased number of tares stated to be required by Mr. Fife, and that in the gross they must also travel the number of miles stated ; but it by no means follows, as Mr. Whyte says it does, that they must each take the same length of journey that is taken now. It should be apparent to everyone that if— say, for the seven to ten mile distanceswe obtained an increase of three fares where we really only require an increase of onethird of a fare, that the extra two and twothirds of a fare must go. in reduction of increases required at other points. I cannot understand how Mr. Whyte can have fallen into such an absurd error, and suppose that everyone else has followed him in doing so. Mr. J. B. Whyte's letter throughout is a most offensive effusion, and could only have been prompted by the Litter hostility 'he has always shown to the proposed reform. am, &c., 'Samuel Vaile. Auckland, September 3, IS9I.