The Star. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 1891. The Railways.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7264, 9 September 1891, Page 2

The Star. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 1891. The Railways.

The report of the Minister for Public Works on the working of the railways its very suggestive, and opens up a good field for thought. The railways are just paying, but there appears to be no present prospect of their doing any more. Indeed, it will he very fortunate if as good results are obtained next year as are now chronicled for the past year. It is, perhaps, a little too much the fashion to cast blame upon the Commissioners for mismanagement of the lines, and to follow up the accusation of mismanagement with the inference that this is the reason the lines return so little to the revenue. That the Commissioners had a work and a responsibility of great magnitude thrown upon them, when they assumed the control of the lines, is clear. That difficulties peculiar to this Colony, owing to its geographical formation, met them at every town is equally clear. It must be admitted, in fairness, that they have made heroic efforts to overcome these difficulties, and have very fairly succeeded. The people's quarrel with the Commissioners is not over their management of the lines, but over | their management of the service by which the lines are worked ; and we have no desire to strain facts against them. "We are quite willing that they Bhould be deposed from office ; but we desire to absolve them from grave blame as to the general conduct of their business. It is evident the Colony possesses a most valuable property in its railways, and this must be managed well. But let it be managed «ver so well, it can never give satisfactory yields while the country does not Bupply it with the staff of railway life —population. No ingenious tariff, no differential rates, no schemes can avail if we have not the people to use the lines. Indeed, considering the very limited extent of our population, we are inclined to think the lines must have been pretty well managed to have yielded even the small margin of profit now recorded. All we can hope ia to nurse our railways and foster our railway service whilst waiting for the era of population and prosperity which those of us who have faith in the ColoDy acd in the Administration believe