The Sun FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1914. THE RAILWAY SITUATION.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 192, 18 September 1914, Page 6

The Sun FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1914. THE RAILWAY SITUATION.

I The House of Representatives spent three hours on Wednesday talking about the petition of a man who stopped a stray revolver bullet during the strike. Last night it distinguished itself by perpetrating a long and" useless discussion regarding conscientious objections to military training. It is about tune members resumed work, and i when the railway estimates are reached* j we. hope., that the discussion on the Minister's statement and the general manager's report will show that the House appreciates the gravity and importance of the railway situation in | New Zealand. Political management i and technical difficulties relating to I construction and administration have given the Dominion exceedingly indifferent and unsatisfactory railway transI port facilities which are in urgent need of improvement ami reform. During the. past ten years the development of the rural industries in New Zealand has been little short of remarkable. Unfortunately, there lias not been a corresponding industrial progress, but rapid settlement of the land and a continuance of high prices has stimulated production to such an extent that traffic on the railways lias increased faster I than the Railway Department's capacity to handle it with reasonable efficiency and dispatch. In addition, ' stupid methods of carrying out new construction in a piecemeal fashion I have saddled the country with a great many unfinished lines iii which capital is locked up, without any immediate prospect of yielding a remunerative return.. The South Island, in particular, suffers from this, and one result is that the North Isjland main lines and branches : show: a. return of £4 11/10 per cent.,. whereasv,the South Island lines and branches only yield £22,:J$/4 cent. Nor can we expect. much improvement till the Midland railway is completed, and the Westland section joined up to the Canterbury-Otago section. This will produce a great deal of new traffic, and admit of economies in working that will soon be reflected in the, net returns* The capital cost of the New Zealand Railways now amounts to £32,;355,087, the gross revenue to £4,043,328, and tire expenditure to £2,880,323, giving a proportion of working expenses to revenue of 71.24 per cent., the highest in Australasia, if we except West Australia. 'Mr Hiley,. in his valuable report, has shown how the cost of handling traffic can be reduced, by easing grades and by effecting other improvements, and it is the business of Parliament to study his recommendations with a view to seeing how far they can be carried out with the promptness and expedition that the circumstances demand. There is no reason why the New Zealand railway system, being a State monopoly, should' not become a model of publie convenience and efficiency at no increased cost to the public. This result can be produced by careful and competent management, combined with', a judicious■ capital ejcpcnditure.to bring the existing facilities up-to-date, and members of Parliament might very well lend their assistance by familiarising themselves with all the circumstances and co-operating with the Government in the adoption of a progressive policy.