THE HON. MR WARD AT RIVERTON.

Otago Witness, Issue 2413, 31 May 1900, Page 28

THE HON. MR WARD AT RIVERTON.

EAILWAY REFORMS ANNOUNCED.

REDUCTION IN PASSENGER FARES

INCREASED AND IMPROVED TRAIN

SERVICES.

(By Otxk Special Repok't&k.}

RIVERTON, May 23,

The Hon. J. G. Ward, Acting-Premier and (Minister of Railways, delivered an address in 'the Victoria Hall to-night, in which he anInounccd a number of important changes In the railway policy of the country. The Mayor (Mr D. Durbridge) occupied the chair, and the hall was crowded. Seats on the platform were occupied by Sirs Ward, Mrs Giltfedder, the Eon. H. Feldwick, Messrs Gilfedder, Hanan, and Morrison, M.H.R.'s. Mr M'Nab, M.H.R., vras also present. The Hon. J. G. Ward, "who was received with prolonged applause, said : Ladies and gentlemen, It is a very great pleasure indeed to me to be able to join with you in paying a tiibute of re&pect to your zealous and highly-esteemed representative, Mr Gilfedder. I feel sure that the recognition of his services which you are now giving him is fully warranted by the efforts he has put forth in your behalf in Parliament, and what you are now doing should act, as I have no doubt it will, as a stimulus to him to do his utmost for the benefit of the colony generally, as by doing so he must a&sist all parts of the country, and your district will advance in common with other pla.ee.-*. I much regret that to-night we are not favoured with the presence of our leader, the Right Hon. Mr Seddon. At the moment, as you are aware, he has taken a few weeks of rest — a rest as well-deserved as that of any other statesman who has ever held sway in the colony. Had he been iv New Zealand to-night I am sura he would have been piesent with us, and the bulk of the people of the colony will echo the wish that his respite from the arduous duties which he has performed for so many years may "be the means of restoring him to full health, and that before long he will again take \\p the position which he has filled with such marked ability. We are also unable to have with us our old and esteemed friend the Hon. John M'Kensie, who has, as you are doubtless aware, been confined to his house for a considerable time by a severe illness. lam sura that had he been able he would have been delighted to have been present with us this evening to do honour to your representative. Mr M'Keirzie has the good of this country at heart, and has been before the public for a great mar.y years. I feel confident that few, if any, people in New Zealand would nol most cordially welcome him back to the full restoration of vigorous health, so that he might continue to discharge those special duties for which he has shown fucli marked aptitude in the land administration of this country. We can only hope that lie also may soon be his old self again, and I deeply re.arret the enforced absence of both of my worthy and able colleagaes. lam sure we are all sorry, also, that the country should be deprived of the ! experienced and valuable services of my ! friend tho Hon. Mr Cadman. He, as you know, filled for some years tho position of Minister of Railways, which I now occupy, and during thai time he displayed adminisj tralive abilities of a very high order, and I effected a greai many improvements in the j rail wo y service of the country. I sincerely | regret that owing to the stale of his health I he should have felt it necessary to retire from ■ active participation in political life and from I the position which he so worthily filled. In I following in the footsteps of one who had I fco zealously done his duty, I have fully recogj nised that my task is anything but a light ! one, and I can only hope that when tho end , of my term of administration comes I may I have been as successful' as he undoubtedly I was. Upon my recommendation my col- | leagues have agreed to important alterations | being made by me, which I shall now have | the plcasiire of annouunoing. lam satisfied ! that these alterations will, upon the whole, [ commend themselves to tho favourable con- , federation of the miblic, and demonstrate the fact that '. OUR RAILWAY POLICY it cs" a progressive character. In going through the maps of detail that necessarily attaches to a great Slate department such as that of our lairnnys, I have, while aiming at o. more liberal uoJicj, been guided by (A)

considerations of financial results and (2) by making the railways of the greatest service possible to the users of them. lam firmly impressed with the belief that a policy of concessions in such directions as I am indicating herein will be the means of bringing considerably increased business to the Railway department. I have gone in the direction of making our railways available to all classes of the community at a moderate cost, and I am convinced, after mature deliberation, that the result of these reductions, though very large, will in the end bring about a greater revenue to the department than existed before those reductions were made in the Railway and Post and Telegraph departments of this country.' I feel sure that I am not overstating facts when I declare that the value of these two departments as an asset, if not already, will before many years be more than sufficient to pay for the whole of the present national debt of our country. Unlike privately owned services, they are not worked ju=-t to extract the la3t pound of flesh out of their users, but great consideration is shown in the direction of giving back to the owners of these great properties a large direct return in the shape of facilities and conveniences for their use. The railway policy of the country is a matter in which all classes of the community are deeply concerned, and the important part played by the State railways in our daily life cannot be over-estimated, and consequently anything that is done in the direction of improvements in the services or of giving greater facilities is of much interest to everyone. Since the responsibility of administering affairs 'of the department was placed upon my shoulders, I have been enga&ed in carefully considering in what directions changes could bo effectively made so as to render the railways more uselul to colonists, and I have come to the conclusion that it is desirable in the first instance.

TO MAKE REDUCTIONS chiefly in passenger farsj and to improve the irain services both for passengers and goods wherever possible throughout the colony. During the Christmas and New Year holidays — namely. 18th December to January 2, 323,659 persons booked at holiday excursion fares, producing a, revenue of £48,065, an increase of 11i.657 passengers £ J 'o49 revenue over the previous year. As illustrating the cheap rates at which passengers are now abls to travel in New Zealand, it may be mentioned that 2H,94-2 passengers traveled during the holidays at the rate of id per mile travelled. In the matter of revenue, "the past year is the record year of the New Zed 1 and Railway department. For the year ended 31st March last, the business of the railways increased to the following extent as compared with, the nrevious year, and when it is considered that the year 1896-7 gave an increase of £103,000 over the previous year, the year ending 31st Marc 1 .!, 1898. £89.850 over 1897, and the year endino31st March, 1399, £93.657 over 1893, it makes the results for the year just closed all the more remarkable, more especially when I tell you that the concession in the agricultural produce rate 3 alone last year was equivalent to a bonus of £44,23<! from the Railway department to the farming eominmuty. During the year nearly 5-j millions of passengers were carried, an increase of ever half a million. The parcels traffic developed in a remarkable manner, an increase of 34-, 413 parcels having been carried. The limber trade was very brisk, 334-.6T7 tons having been carried, an increase of 24,411 tons. Tho enormous harvest led to a greai. increase in the quantity of grain carried, 764-,033 tons was ihe iota!, giving an increase of 343,962 ton^ over the previous year, or nearly double. The year 1890-1 was the record year for grain urior to the year under review, and that year" was 235,000 tons boW the traffic of last year in rkuii. The merchandise business has also largely increased, which is a good fign, as showing t'le prosperity of the population as a whole, no less than 5c6,4-23 ior.s of merchandise having been carried, an increase of 57.500 tons over last year. Thp traffic in minerals amounted to 1,218,698 tons, giving- the substantial increase of 71.345 tons. The total tonraee carried on ihe 'New Zealand railways amounted to 3,127,874- tons, an increase of 503,815 tons over the previous year. Dealing with the Canterbury fi;ra:n traffic, I find the quantity carried in Canterbury amounted to * 09,852 tons, exceeding that of any previous year by 103,050 tons. In Otago the expansion in ihe rabbit, cneese, and butter business Los been most remarkable, over four million? rabbits havine been carried, and ihe Irafiv* in cheese pnd butter doubled durir.p,- the year. The railway revenue in the Ohristehurch district increased £63.617, and Dmiedin district £34-/50, as compared with ihe previous year. Briefly stated, the work done on the 'New Zealaiid railways, a? compared with ihe previous prosperous yenr, amounts to an increase of over half a million passengers and over half a million tons of goods, while the revenue from passengers increased by £39,455, Soods by £103,646, and the total revenue by £154,226. Encouraged by the increasing returns from ovr railways during the past four years, the Government have determined to CHEAPEN THE COST OF TRANSIT, and it ha.s therefore been decided to carry out the folio whig alterations: — Workers' "tickets, available by all trains arriving before 8 a.m., at Auckland, Ohristchurch, Wellington, and Duiiedin, and for return by any train after 9 o'clock, at a nominal charge of 2s per week. Additional trains, where required, will be put on to enable workmen to reach the centres at the hour r.ninod from Avond-le, Onehuiiga. Otihuhu, Lowe? Huit. Lytteltoh, Port Chalmers, and Mosgiel. The present charges for workman's tickets available for 12 trips by V e^e trains to Dunedin being : From Dunedin, 4s 6d : Abbotsford, 3s ; Mosgiel. 5s 6d, are to be reduced to 2s per week, available for travel to and from work on each working day. The details of this change my be improved upon. It will be carefully watched to see it is effective. Demands for many yeais "past having been made for sectional tickets, it has been decided to isfue sectionl tickets, available for 12. months— first class, 150 miles, £25, with 2s per mile per annum for each additoual mile. Thus, annual firsL-class tickets will cost as follows between Dunedin and Invercargill, £25 ; Dunedin and Timaru, £25 ; Christchurch and Oamaru, £25 ; Cliri<=tchurch and Dunedin, £33. Thus, for 12s 9d p"er week a person may travel first class between Christchurch and Dunedin every working day in the year. I do not think that cheaper travelling than this can reasonably be desired. The present annual first class season ticket rate over tho South Island State railways costs £50.. Persons desiring first class season tickots will bo ablo to procure them in future 'between the following points at the rates named : —Dunedin nnd Invercargill, present charge £50, reduced to £25 ; Dunedin and Timaru, £50, reduced to £25; Christchurch and Oamaru, £50, reduced to £25 ; Christchurch and Dunedin, JBSO, reduced to £33.To enable these tickets to be transferred, an additional charge will be imposed. This is an important departure., and it may in jjr&olice

be found that some improvements in the ds» tails of the method adopted can be made. My desire is to make this class of ticket useful, and to endeavour to have them availed of to a greater extent than hitherto has been the case. SEASON TICKETS. With the annual season tickets the ordinary season ticket rates will also be materially reduced, and I now s;ive a few examples which will illustrate the changes effected; — Present Reduced

I have decided to reduce the fares for or- 1 dinary passengers throughout the colony to Id per mile. I may state that tills will thenconform to the English'parliamentary fare of Id per mile. The fares for first aass passengers will be at 50 per cent, advance on second class rates, which is a very large reduction feom the present existing scale.

Dtmedin and "Waitati — First class . . ' . . £18 5 Second class . . . . 13 10 Dimedin and Allanton — Fhst class . . . . 16 15 Second class . . . . 12 10 Dimedin and Waihola — First class .. .. 25 10 Second class . . . . 17 8 Dunedin and Milton — First class . . . . 28 10 Second class . . . . 21 3 [nvercargill and River ton — First class .. .. 23 10 Second class . . . . 17 8 [nvercargill and Bluff — First class .. .. IS 5 Second class . . . . 13 10 invercargill and Gore — First class . . . . 40 10 Second class . . . . 23 . 0 £U 10 10 15 13 10 10 5 17 16 12 11 20 16 14 6 17 16 12 11 14 10 10 15 22 0 15 0