NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 15094, 10 September 1912, Page 6

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

NARROW-GAUGE LIGHT RAILWAYS Practically, the only reason for the construction of a narrow-gauge line is cheapness, and no doubt in certain cases a considerable saving can (says Engineering) be effected. But Mr, R. _M. Livesey,. the locomotive superintendent of the County Donegal Railways Joint Committee, points out that in some instances, there is very little to be gained from the point of view of economy. ' No railway, he says, should "be built of narrow gauge if the cost will exceed £5000 per mils, and then only if the proposed line will be for ever isolated from those of standard gauge and the traffic is always likely to be small. It would be decidedly better to build si "light" railway of the standard gauge. The mileage of narrow-gauge lines in Ireland is no less than 525, of which nearly all is 3ft gauge. The disadvantages of a narrow-gauge line altogether outweigh the advantages, if any; and Mr. Livesey summarises them as follow, so far as they exist on the Irish railways : (a) Steep gradients; due- to following closely the contour of the country, in an effort to save money in banks and cuttings; (b) sharp curves due to similar causes; - (c) greater ' overhang; required, in order to provide ' reasonable accommodation, with consequent greater liability to overturn; (d) greatly reduced speeds; (e) great inconvenience and loss, owing to break of gauge when coming into contact with a line of the standard-gauge; (f) a certain amount of cramping of pa;\s, and accompanied by reduced accessibility. With regard to ' the first two items, it seems that very little thought was given s to future working when many of the ■ lines were projected. A comparatively email additional outlay in the first instance, em'ployed in reducing grades and making Easier curves, would have been repaid many times over by the savings effected in working. The only, limits to the size of narrow-gauge engines,- etc., are those imposed by the weight of rail in use, permissible loads on existing, bridges, and necessary clearance of existing structures. The gauge itself has little influence on the size of engine, if speed is restricted ; the greater tendency to overturn on curves can be counteracted to a large extent by giving the .outer, rail ample super-elevation. This is relatively. greater for the narrow- . gauge than for the broad-gauge for the same speed. The comparatively highspeed of 40 miles an hour is quite common on; the more important narrow-gauge lines. In the working of the 6tock particularly of engines of the heavier type, more attention is required to be given to lubrication, and a.larger quantity must be used in the case of narrow-gauge engines than in broad-gauge. It is generally and roughly assumed that a narrow-gauge engine, travelling at, say, 30 miles an hour, has its moving parts doing as much work as .a standard-gauge locomotive funning at 60 miles an hour.

OIL FUEL FOR THE NAVY. The appointment of a Royal Commission, to investigate and report upon the supply of oil fuel for, the navy is a natural outcome of the pressure which has been brought to bear for some time past, upon .the Admiralty ; to pay more attention .to the advantages attaching to this class of fuel. Naval officers of the new- school are already converted to the use of. the liquid fuel, but it. still remains to ascertain the capacity and regularity of existing. oil supplies and to arrange for the construction of storage accommodation upon a scale adequate to the requirements of the British fleet. Such a project cannot be carried out without careful consideration of many important facts, and it is, therefore", unlikely that. oil will rank as more than an auxiliary. fuel for a considerable time to come, though eventually, there are many who believe that the position will be reversed, and that coal will assume a secondary position as the normal agent for

raising "steam. The points which the Commission will have to consider in addition to that of supplies will be- the question ;of expense and; also ;of safety. sThere, ( is little doubt that the use of petrol in the' stokehold of our- battleships will be the means, of, the • saving. of large sums ; per annum in respect of wages, for the number of stokers would be enormously reduced. : As against this, however, must be ._set the. fact that no matter what: amount of care be taken, fires will occasionally break out in times of peace, while on '■ active service they would probably .be inevitable on vessels using oil fuels, and this aspect of r the situation, will undoubtedly engage the serious attention of 'Lord Fisher and the other members 7of the Commission over which he is about to preside. A; battleship in flames, ; with/i many thousands V of . ; gallons of oil; on board; would not only represent almost certain death, to everyone, ,on board, but would constitute a terrible menace to every other vessel within a very considerable distance. The exponents of oil fuel claim, however,' that means now .exist for' dealing with an outbreak .of fire,, but it still: re-, mains for thejh to prpv6 their contention in this connection, and it will be necessary to carry out practical'tests before the matter is finally decided. ' For' this purpose a number of hulks are to be experimented with,, and the advocates of oil fuel are prepared to demonstrate their ability to destroy any outbreak of fire which may occur. Such »an exhibition will afford valuable evidence regarding the various* points which at present' remain to be solved in connection with a change which, if ad«pted,.is bound to have effects of a very far-reaching- character upon the internal administration \ of the British navy, and, presumably, those of" other countries 'as well. . I "' ... ~...;; 'V.

POLITICS 'AND FRIENDSHIP. Nothing but unhappiness, ' says Sir George Kemp, the retiring M.P. for Northwest. Manchester, lias resulted from his connection with politics. "Fortunately," he' says, ""some people like * politics. Honestly I myself loath politics, and have always done so. I hold strong views* and therefore I was sufficiently foolish id 'go jnto Parliament. I leave Parliament without the slightest regret of any kind. People dislike the party system* and ■.': inveigh against it, but as .soon, as a- man takes up a different view from his party he is: subjected, to the active dislike of the party to which he belongs. Politics have ! been a source of unmitigated dislike and unhappiness to mo. If anyone wants to lose his friends, I advise him to go into politics. 1 For every friend made twenty are lost. If a, man wishes to be thoroughly disliked T; advise him to go into -Parliament., If you wish to see the lower side of ■ life, go into politics and into the House of Commons. There is.no place that I would like less to be put in than the House of Commons, and'l leave it without the faintest regret Of any kind. Indeed, I am sorry that I ever went into it." '