Railway Reform.

Southland Times, Issue 8063, 18 July 1885, Page 3

Railway Reform.

TO THE BDITOB.

Sir,— Some friend has posted to me a copy of the" San Francisco Chronicle ;of the Ist June last, which contains an; account of a lecture delivered, inthat city by a Mr W. D. Southworth. Ho advocates the taking over the railways by the American Govern, ment, and that they should woik them/ at low fares. .He states that at the rate of a dollar per head for the whole journey across the continent, the profit, made- woald bs so great that it would pay the entire coat of putchawßg the railroads' in one year ; and he quotes figures to show that the cost of carrying a passenger ought not fo be more than two and a nulf cents per ltQ miles, or, in oar money, one penny farthing per 100 miles. What will my critics, who think I d-i jiot know what lam talkiog about when I put the cost at 4J<l, say to this? To show that Mr. Scrathworin is not so very far out in hi* calculation, and to piove 'that mine is a very safe one, I may mention' that it is everyday work-on one of the principal lines in-Great Britain tk> carry goods at an average miaimum rate of one-eighth of a" penny (I) 1 per ton per mile. This in weight, is equal to carrying a passenger one mile for the one hundred and .twentieth (1- 120 th) part of a penny. The price we pay for transit is simply ridiculous. The more I Bin ly this question, and the more information I gather from all parts of the world, the more I am convinced that we could make enormous reductions in our charges, and at the same time add at least half a million per annum to our revenue. I believe that by a wise administration of our railways we could speedily bring back to this country sich an era of prosperity as has not dawned on it for many a day. — I am. &c, Auckland, July 7.

BAMUBL VAILB.