PROGRESS OF OTAGO.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14579, 19 July 1909, Page 4 (Supplement)

PROGRESS OF OTAGO.

GAUGED BY THE RAILWAYS. Tim Hon. J. A. Miliar (Minister of liaihviiys), speaking at the presentation unction in the Railway Station Building.! )!i Wednesday, Juno 30, quoted from a•olurii—a special compilation— to show the treat progress the (Jingo raihvavs had made imlor the retiring Tratlic Superintendent Mr A. Grant) a;.d at Ihe stune time to irove that the district of Otjgo has made olid progress during the last 30 years. At the present time, said the jj. nister, here was an unhappy knack on the part if many people o! decrying (Jfcago and jaying thai ilik, once the forcnio=t "district ill New Zealand, was taking a. back seat. Uut he had hgiircs to submit to them that ivoiihl show that this was noi so. It was :vua that they in the .with h-:>.d got a ,'i' Kit start from flic North Island, which Had been handicapped by llr troublous :iniv7o of tho Maori war And it was true, ico, that of late year., the North h-land, released of its buidciis. had b;cu developing at a greater rale than the South, vet be did not think it roquind a ken eve to look inio the future and so That tile South Island must come lo ih->. from aga.i.i. He iviw quite aware that so far as the ii.'xf 20 or 25 years was tonc.rnrd the North Wand mu.-i ointimi-' a rapid rate if progress in compuri.-ou wiili the South, but afterwards people would comic back io the Bomb, and would take up the. rich lauds that were e.-mvheiv awaiting dewdopinen: -la:r.b-l.ii.it. wie-u country win opening mi so fast, were at prevent di-ipr-ed. The ligures h-' siMr.ti.-ni-d referred lirvctly to the uidways. and. taking that m an indicator of progress made, it ivouhl not appear as if the p?o;>!e of (Jiago had any roa--.->n to l:o dissiilisfi-.'d ivilh tho rale of development of the province. A comparative return of ill? general Irallie in (ho Duncdin di-dricl "or the vear.s Gi.'detl 31st March. ISBI. and 31st March. 1903. was shown thu= : _ 1861. 1909. rYaffic hand,- 219 MS Xmnlier of tickets ... 495.414 1 £98 ffii Outward tonnage ZIW 585.353 Inward tonr.ii-.'e 576 £6? CC9.J24 I'oaching revenue ...£('3.49.1 £171,508 Lloods revenue fAVSMd £552.172 I'lie inereis. a: Dnnedin pns-eiigor sialion done was shown ihes tin figures quolcd uppiying to ;!ie same yeais: — Trallie Year. Ihindi. Revenue. 13SI 44 342 612 £10 87-5 1909 131 592,683 £94893 Tontnge handled. 1831 52 201.801. £31.751 WC9 87 332,? M £75,117 In order to show the ral-> at which railway con?tru<tien has proc;c<!ed, the Minister quoted tho Mliiving figures: — In 1873 there were nine miles open for Iraflie in Duncdin diflrict between Uun?diu and Port Chalmers; in 1875. 17-a railway having been built to Burnside and vYY.Ion Park; in 1876. 03; in 1877. 159: in 1878. 215: in 1079. 245: in 1680 243; in 1881, 249; in 1886. 281; in IEBB, 295; in 1890. 310: in 1892, 339. A comparative re'urn of rolling stock in the riurunui-BliiO' s"dion between the rears 1881 and 1908 showed that in 1331 there wore 118 engines (poor in type and in haitiing capacity), and in 1908 there ivere 195 comparatively large, stiong loconotives; there were 208 ear? and vans '012 in 1903. 4C61 waggons (7709). 1,629.624 rain mileage (3.135.663), 788 miles open "or t'raflic (1233). The Minister quoted from a return -bowing that, in the 30 years between 1879 and 1909 passenger fares have been reduced by almost exactly one-half.