The Topeka state journal., 1897-12-07
Australia Has Already Done 1t,
Without Mysteries.
A MATTER OF COURSE
Seems TO Have Been No Rend-
ing of Political Garments.
But Just Plain Business-Like
Methods.
CFrom the London Daily News.)


sphere OF government there is none more
interesting or instructive than in the ere
alton of their great systems of state rail-
ways. The bulk of the railways in the
Australian colonies are owned by the
state, and in several instances the sys-
TENS are entirely state owned. Alto
gether the public possesses some 13, 900
miles of railway, which have cost it
ESQ, 1880 eco to construct. Moreover. the
colonial railway policy has been almost
entirely dominated by what is called the
highway theory. That is to say, instead
of making the earning of revenue the
chief purpose of railway construction, the
primary object has been to secure a max
imum development of the country by the
provision of the cheapest and most ef-
hcient service possible. Both this policy
however. and the actual fact of state own
ership. have been subjected to a good
deal of weighty criticism A representa-
tive of the Daily News, therefore felt
that the presence of the colonial premiers
here during the summer offered a unique
opportunity for getting a summary of
Australian experience and an epitOme of
opinion upon a subject of great and gem
eral interest The results of his inquiries
will now be given. Selecting Victoria first,
as possessing certain circumstances pc
culiar to itself, our representative receive
ed cordial invitation to meet Sir George
Turner at the Hotel Cecil. The inter
view took place. it may be interesting to
say, very soon after sunrise. The Colo
nial premieTs during their visit did not
scorn delights, but they lived Iaborious
days
How long have you had state railways
in Victoria, Sir George?''
Since we had railways there at all, ex-
cept some suburban lines, which we pur>
chased some years ago, so as to have
complete control At present the whole
Of the railways are in the hands of the
government In the suburbs of Mel
bourne there is a system of cable trans,
which compete to some extent with our
railway. and which at present are in the
hands of company, but viii eventu~
ally belong to the municipalities through
which they rum
What first induced the government to
construct railroads."
Probably it was much more matter
of necessity than of inclination. You see
in the earlier days it was essential that
We should construct railroads to open up
the country by securing settlement Pr1>
vate companies were not prepared to run
the risk except under the guarantee of the
state and it was found that the oIAy safe
and certain course was for the commun-
ity to construct railways themselves. o.
days to raise the necessary capital ex-
cept in the form of loans, and upon these
we were compelled to pay a very high
interest, because the investor had not then
the faith in the colonies he has today
Il suppose there would be no difficulty
today in getting private companies to
either take over the existing railways or
to construct new ones, if the government
would agree?"
ho :,
slightest"
But how would the victorians view
such a step?"
Il scarcely like to contemplate" replied
our visitor, with strange and fearsome
smile 81 am quite sure, however, that
the life of the government who seriously
suggested it would not be worth many
days purchase"
DO they regard the state ownership OF
railways as more beneficial than private
ownership, then?''
''Unquestionably they do. and they would
as soon think of handing over the postal
arrangements to private parties as the
railways. They take the view, and right
". too. I think, that the public is not like
" to get the maximum of good treatment
from railway companies where the pri-
mary object is to provide the sharehold-
ers with d dividend. The true policy, in
our opinion is not to use the railways pri-
marily as revenue earning machines, but
after getting accounts to balance to
cheaper rates and to improve facilities.
In fact, we look upon our railroads as
highways. the great object of which is
10 open up and fully develop the country
through which they rum"
But have you not been severely criti-
cised for pursuing that policy to the point
of constructing railways in districts
and through the countries where there
was not a reasonable likelihood of their
recouping the cost of construction
Yes, that is So but a good deal of it
has been uninformed, and, therefore, not
of great value There is no doubt. how
ever. that up to the time when we altered
our system as to construction and man
agement and when the control was not so
rigid as it ought to have been. or as it is
at present there We're some lines con-
structed much too prematurely, from the
point Of view of recoupment. But such
extravaganza. if you like to call it so,
was not an intrinsic part Of a policy so
much as a passing accident in the expert
mental stages Of a new and great under
taking
Have not the critics talked about polit-
ical corruption in connection with your
railways2"
yes. they have. but the phrase is an
entire misnOmer, and has really been
wildly thrown at the colonies without any
genuine regard for the actual facts The
only suggestion of evidence has been this
overconstruction and the alleged employ
ment of an excessive STAFF of men, Now,
with this overconstruction I dealt in the