THE RAILWAYS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6553, 2 August 1899, Page 1

THE RAILWAYS.

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MINISTER. [Fnou Oor Correspondent.] WELLINGTON, August 1. In the' -House of Representatives to-day, the Minister of Railways submitted his annual statement; as follows :—' In presenting this, my fifth annual Railways Siatement,,l luive again to congratulate tlie House and the colony on the remarkable | expansion of our' railway business. I will review the transactions of the year iv the same order as last year, viz. : First, the transactions as a whole, under the heading : of "General"; second, "Earnings";' third, i " Working ' Expenses " ; -fourth, " Expendi-r jture for additions to-. Open. Lines and Rqll- ! ing-stock charged to' Capital Account " ; i fifth, " Midland Railway (results; of .working) ";. sixth, "Concluding Remarks and I Forecast." . GENERAL. The number "of miles now open for traffic is 2090, as against 2055 last year, I The revenue for 1898-99 Hias been . .£1,469,665 i The revenue for 1897-98 . . . . / . 1,37G;0D8 An increase of „ £93,657 The working expenses for 1898-99 • • ' have been £929,738 i The working expenses for 1897-98 . . £57,191 j An increase of •• • . £72,517 1 The excess of revenue over workingexpenses for 1889-99 has been .... £539,928 The excess of revenue over workingexpenses for 1897-98 „...,, 518,817 Giving an increased nek return ' of .... i • £21,111 The rate of interest earned on the capital cost of the open railways (£16,404,076) has been £3.29 per cent, as against £3.24 per cent last year, as compared with. Victoria, £2.49; Queensland,' £2.93;. South Australia, £2.69; Tasmania, £1.07; New South Wales, £3.75; and Western Axis- J tra-lia, £4.62. The opening of the all-Go- j vernment route to Napier, Wanganui and New Plymouth, via the Wairarapa, has resulted in increased business and profit to the State railways. The interest earned by this .system of railways has increased from £2 16s 9cl per cent for 1897-98 to £3 0s -8d per cent for 1898-99. The extensions from Whaka-para- to Waiotu, 3 l miles 26 chains ; Paeroa to Thames, 19 miles- 20 chains ; Kokonga to Ranfnrly, 11 miles 13 chains — a total of 33 miles 59 chains— have been opened during the year. The opening to the Thames, is an event of greater importance. From the date of the opening — Dec. 19, 1898 — to the close of the financial year, on. March SI, 1839, 36,876 passengers have travelled over tho extension, and there is every prospect of this line developing a good passenger business.. As forecast in my last year's Statement, the through train services between. New Plymouth, and Wanganui have been doubled, and arrangements have been made with the Union- Steamship Company . and the Northern Stea-mship Company to connect to and from Auckland with these, trains, thereby increasing- the through services to and from Wellington, and from/ and to Auckland, to four days a week, instead of two. days a week, as formerly. These improved facilities- for both passengers and mails have been much appreciated. The demands for faster train services, improved station-accommodation, and more rolling-stock still continue. In the case of the two latter requirements, so far as the means at my disposal permit, every effort is being made to overtake pressing necessities ; i but, in respect to faster train services, as I j have on previous occasions indicated, these can only be provided by separating the passenger and goods services, involving a. large increase in working-expenses, which, in my opinion, the character of the business does not, except iv exceptional cases, yet warrant. Additions to rolling-stock, and additions and improvements to the lines and strue- i tures, at a cost of £197,100, have been made during the year, charged as follows : — £179,932 to Capitol Account, and £17,168 to working expenses. /- • Of tho 1865 -casual labourers employed in the traffic branch and insured against accident at the cost of working expenses, fortyeight were injured and received compensation during the year. .The cost of premium amounted to £413 12s 9d. An average of 6413 men were employed by the Department, as compared with 6051 men during the previous year. Seventy-four members of the permanent staff resigned, "thirty-one died, fifty-seven were retired., twenty-six were dismissed, and 404 engaged. Five appeals against decisions of the Department in regard to staff irregularities were heard by the Appeal Boards ; four were dismissed and one allowed. members of the Second Division were during the year promoted or transferred to the First Division. In my last Statement I alluded to the fact that some dissatisfaction had been expressed in regard to the regulations for the transfer of members from the Second Division of the service to the First Division, and that the executives of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants and the Railway Officers' Institute had been invited to assisfin framing amended regulations wffich would be acceptable to the members of both divisions. The replies received indicated that the two organisations could not agree on a scheme which would be acceptable to both. The Government, therefore, referred the question to a conference of the Railway Managers, who have recommended amended regulations, which have since been under the consideration of the before-mentioned societies. The Officers' Institute has replied, advising additional restrictions to those proposed jn respect to promotions from. Division n. to Divison 1., but no definite reply has as yet been received from the Railway Servants' Society. Amended regulations under the Classification Act, gazetted April 6, 1899, provide for (a) limiting the number of members of one family who may join the service. to two instead of three; '(b) fixing the maximum 'age of; apprentices at sixteen years instead of sixteen and a half years ; (c) employment of temporary hands .where necessary, and providing for transfer of temporary linn ds to the permanent staff. As announced in my last year's Statement, the Government ;cn Jan. 1, 1899, increased the pay of all men in receipt of 6s 6d a day to 7s a day. .This involved, up to March 31, increased payments amounting to £2856. For the year ending March 31, 1900, the expenditure under tins head is estimated to amount to £12,383. . The Classification Amendment Act' of 1897 provides extra re-, numeration for carpenters, engine-drivers, firemen, crossing and bridge-keepers, and which last year amounted to £1014, and for -current year is estimated to cost £2633. The Act "providing for theclassification of members of the staff has now had two years' working trial, and in actual practice is found to afford sefeguards for impartial treatment which free selection does not secure. It, however, seems desirable to allow greater latitude in selecting for the hiigher positions of the service members who by reason of experience and ability are especially fitted for such positions, ' I believe that the classification scheme has so far worked well, 'and that its abolition rjrould be opposed by the staff as .-a .whole.' Telegraph classes for training purposes have during the year been established at the principal centres. These classes are open to all mem-bers-of Division 1., and Class 1., Division 11. On March 11 ]ast a rear collision took place at Rakaia, in which four persons were killed and a considerable number injured, some very seriously. The collision took place between t\vp excursion trains y the,;

second' excursion train ran into the rear of I the first excursion, which was standing at> the platform awaiting the arrival' of the ordinary afternoon train from Christeburch. lto Ashburton. The driver of the second ex- | cursion' train has been tried for maiislaugh-". ! ter and acquitted. A Royal Commission was appointed to investigate, and lias, in addition to reporting on the causes of the i accident, made valuable suggestions, which, ' will receive the early attention of the Goj vernment. On behalf of the Government, I. take this opportunity of expressing my deep regrets to the bereaved and injured. Hitherto the New Zealand railways have been re* markably . free from incidents of so serious a nature, and. I regi-et tha-tour previous unblemished record should- have been thus marrea. ■ . , MIDLAND RAILWAY : RESULTS OF '..WORKING. The expenditure for working-expenses, also for new rolling-stock (twelve waggons for Belgrove extension, and six 'double- bogie waggons for Jackson line),, protective works, arid rates paid to local public bodies, exceeds the railway revenue for the year by £3844. The revenue for the year ending March 31, 1899., was £20,204, and the expenditure £24,048, as compared with £19,382 revenue and £14,188 expenditure for the previous year. As anticipated in my last Statement, the cost of ordinary upkeep has increased. For the year ending March 31, 1899, working expenditure on lines and structures increased by £2673, on locomotives, carriages- and waggons by £609, and for traffic expenses by £16, as •compared' with the previous year. The increased, working expenditure on account of upkeep of lines and structures, also on account of motive-power, is accounted for by the additional work done, and also by the extensive repairs carried out in consequence of serious damage to the lines by floods. Lines passing through mountainous districts, such as those served by the Midland; Rail-; 'way system are especially liable to ' flood damages, and this to some extent accounts for the high rate of expenditure on maintenance of way and works in tins colony. ] The increase in general charges is due to : payment of rates to local public bodies. The extension from. Belgrove to Motupiko (9 miles 18 chains) was opened on March. 1, and up to March 31, 325 passengers, seventytwo parcels, 210 sheep, forty balas wool, 2300 ft timber, 24 tons grain, 54 tons merchandise, 22 tens minerals, were carried on the extension, producing a revenue of £66. The expenditure for working amount-, ed to £104. CONCLUDING REMARKS AND FORECAST. As this is the last year of the present Parliament, and probably the last Railways Statement I shall have the honour of submitting to the House, it will not be out of place to place on record my views in regard to the New Zealand railways, and also to j review the results of the last four years' working. In the first place, the long-dis- i tance transit business in New Zealand is I carried on by ocean vessels and the Union Steamship Company, the railways really acting as feeders for the vessels, \rbich load and discharge at the numerous ports. nil along Qnr extensive seaboard. Unlike most other systems, there is no one centre in New Zealand upon which all the railways .converge^ and from "which they cati Be •■ easily ' and j economically controlled. The New Zealand railways consist of numerous discon- j nected systems, costly to maintain "and difficult to administer in an economical manner. Time will^doubtless, rectify this, and each Island will eventually have its system of railways .with unbroken connections throughout. No comparison can be made with the biisiness and working '■results of our railways as compared with, for instance, the S&te railways of Victoria or New South Wales, each of which have one unbroken "connected system, terminating in the one case in Melbourne-iiaid .in, tSr&o.bhei' at Sydney. Such systems command the business of distant places, thereby securing a lucrative revenue, a class of business, as I have before indicated, almost entirely carried on by .sea in New Zealand. There is little inter-communication between the importing centres in New Zealand, and this brings me to a conclusion which has been forced upon me over and over , again : that there is a tendency here, as elsewhere, to sacrifice local requirements and incur unjustifiable expense in running fast through services, for which our lines were never desighed, and which any possible business will not support. With our numerous ports of eutry the New Zealand railways are forced to live upon the local business procurable, and the.- ideal train services for this class of business are fast-stopping trains, equipped with ample power and a continuous brake. Hitherto we have been principally concerned in providing additional power and rolling-stock to enable the Department' to cany the traffic ; but at the same time improvements and additions to stations, station yards, safety appliances, and the running-track are not keeping pace with the requirements of the times and increasing business. The remarkable expansion going on in the southern portion of the North Island urgently calls for increased accommodation- at New Plymouth, Waitotara, Aramoho, Wanganui, Feilding, Palmerston North and Masterton. In the South Island the contemplated alteration of the main line at Oamaru will necessitate the x^'o vision of a new through, passenger station to replace the existing station. As the railway business expands, the weight of the trains increases, the lines be- J come more crowded, the necessity for providing additional safety appliances is more and more apparent ; and year by year it j becomes more convincingly manifest that Parliament should deal with this important question in a comprehensive manner, as, in j order to introduce an improved method of working, a very large capital expenditure will be required. The provision of more powerful locomotives, • additional carriages and waggons, enlargement of our stations and station, yards, to accommodate the inincreasing business, will also entail a very large expenditure. My "officers advise me that in order to put the railways in a position to cope with the increasing business in a proper manner the equipment of the lines should be added to and improved by carry-' ing out the works enumerated in the following schedule : — • £ Additions and improvements to 'sta■r i -Tv '" •,• ' ■ •■ • • • 183 - 250 iiebuildmg and strengthening bridges 131,000 Improvements .of lines (curves and gradients)- ' ,. . . . _ _ _ 322,400 Signals and telegraphs. . \ \ 00^000 Dwellings— additions and improve- . ments ....... 2 4,900 Workshops— additions . . 42,250 Relaying ......'. 108,420 Kespacmg sleepers . . . 46,750 Fencing . . .-.«,. . . 35,000 \\ liarves— sidditions and improvements 11,000 Ballast plant and ballast sidings . 38,250 Additional locomotives . . . . 170,000 Water services . . - 7,200 Additional cars, and cost of conveiMv!° ns • • • • • • • 82 > 000 Additional waggons, brake vans, travelling cranes, a-nd cost of convertingexisting four-wheeled brake vans to *^- + ° gles , • • •'■'■• ■ • • 226 ' 000 Additional machinery a»d electric -light for workshops.. , , , , 25,000 Automatic continuous brake for. existing stock . . . . . 275,000 Automatic continuous brake for additional stock to be built . ■ : . 50,000' Contingencies . . . . . 162,580 T °tal • . . . . .£2,000,000 It is estimated that these works will take at least five years to complete. Before such important undertakings are .authorised it will be neceyvy for thd-Oo?.,

vernment to fully consider the whole question prior to the assembling of the new Parliament; I propose to have surveys made, and plans and estimates prepared, for doubling the lines between Auckland and Pen rose. Wellington and Lower Hutt, Dunedin and Port Chalmers, Dunedin and Mosgiel, Milton, and Clarkesville, and Invercargill and the junction with Seaward Bush branch, all of which; works will have' to be undertaken a.t»iu> distant' date, and will cost approximately between £500,000 and £600,000. The work of strengthening the existing light lines by relaying with heavier rails (561 b steel) and rebuilding the bridges in iron and ironbark if an important one, i and this. will be realised when I tell yon that we still have 556 miles of '401 b and sixtyfour miles-of 30ib track. I am, advised that 190 miles of railway laid with, 401 b rails and carrying the heavier traffic, besides 130 miles of 521 b iron, and various other weights of rails, should -bo relaid within the next five years; and 450 miles of 301 b and 401 b track in the branches during the following five years. Ordinary renewals -of the main lines now laid with the heavier weight, of rails and .relaying as above for next five years will involve relaying at the rate of eightyfpur miles a year, rising from sixty-nine miles this year to ninety^five miles in 1903---1904.; as against an average of forty-one miles a year during the past five years— last year, forty-eight miles, and in 1894-95 thirty-seven miles, were .relaid. To provide for relaying, reconstruction of and repairs to bridges and other stractures, at present rate of cost, and for ordinary maintenance of the lines, will require an'annual expenditure chargeable to working expenses (maintenance branch) of about £400,000 for the next five years. With a* large business such as is carried on by the Railway Department, it is absolutely essential to. provide for the future. This' cannot be done in the absence of the assurance that the 'funds will be forthcoming to carry o\it a scheme of improvement which will necessarily extend over a period of years ; and until this is.given we have no option but to continue our present method of working. That the business has been carried ■on under the greatest pressure will, I am sure, 'be admitted on a perusal .of the following figures, which indicate in. a striking manner the increase of businessHargely consequent upon the substantial reductions in rates made by the present Government.. (Here follows a table showing the number of passengers, season tickets, tonnage of goods, and live stock and revenue for four years ending March 31, 1895, and the four years ending March 31, 1899.) The foregoing table indicates tliat the number of passengers has increased 19*98 per cent, the revenue from ordinary passengers £8.78 per cent ; season tickets, increase in number 132.53 per cent, and in revenue £41.39 per cent; goods tonnage increase 15.94 per cent, goods revenue increase £16.09 per cent. It cannot be exl^e'cted that existing facilities can siieeess:fully, cope with a. business increasing in Weh a remarkable manner, and which expansion, in view of the energy of the people, the fortunate results following upon the, cutting up of large estates for closer settle,ment, the increased production of gold, and , cheap money, is, as far as I can see, likely. i,,tp v ; continue for some time to come. 7 tt is proposed' to provide all new second^ class damages and. conversions with cushions for the base of the seats ; also to similarly cushion existing second-class bogie-carriages as they are sent to the workshops for repairs. In order to better protect trains from accidents arising from collisions with live stock straying on the railway lines, it is proposed to bring the Railway Department under the provisions of the Fencing Act, and to gradually erect fences along the unprotected portions of the existing lines. With a view to encouraging workmen who pursue their calling in Wellington to live at Petone and Lower Hutt, the issue of workmen's tickets at specially law rates was inaugurated some time since as an experiment, in the hope that it will reduce the overcrowding now taking place in Wellington. The tickets arc available on the outward journey by workmen's trains only, and are issued to presons residing in the suburbs. In the event of the experiment proving a success, 1 propose at the end of the present financial year to make similar aiTangements in connection, with Auckland, Christchurch and Dunedin. The following rate concessions for year 1899-1900 have been decided upon, viz., 20 per cent reduction on agricultural produce. 40 per cent on. butter and cheese, and 5 per cent on artificial marmres. These concessions involve a sacrifice of revenue amounting to at least £40,000 for the year. It is also intended to introduce a new reduced scale of rates for small lots of goods of 281 b weight upwards, with a view to encouraging by means of low freights the forwarding of small lots of goods. The concessions in freights and fares from Jan. 1, 1895, to March 31, 1899, are valued approximately at £200,000. The additional tram-miles run during the year under review were 302,225, at a cost of £70,796. In the .course of the next few years, should the equipment and revenue permit, I would advise the abolition of return tickets, and reduction of single fares to l£d per mile first-class a-nd Id per mile second-class. This will, I feel sure, be a step in the right tiireeitioni, and one in which all would participate. In view of the large reductions made in the grain and other produce rates on April 1, 1899, I estimate the revenue for. the year ending March 31, 1900, at £1,475,000. The estimates of expenditure amount to £967,320. t For the current year Parliament will be asked to vote the sum of £225,000, to be expended in providing additional rolliDgKtock and station accommodation for the open lines.