The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-06-21
Australian Engineer Tells Of Some
Of It's Dement'S.
SUCH RAILROADS ARE A FARCE.
Thonas sawkias Gives the Views Of
the Iapracticabiltsy Of Any Cow
ernnens's Trying TO Better the
provement WitAost Competition

The recent agitation and discussion in
iass city relative 10 the merits and de-
merits Of governmental. state and munich
PAL ownership OF transcoasinen;ai. interior
ana street. railways gives an added interes.
TO authoritative informa ZION Of such oper-
asicns in other countries. where democrat
&c management OF ,ra1spog lat loa facilities
has been tried 10 the .ass degree OF demon
s;rat.on. In poin, Of gecgra phica location
and general interest, Australia expert
erce In this line In particularly apropos.
The colonies Of that jurisdiction have
Tough, ou. IN every conceivable phase all
the different branches of governmental
contrci Of traffic. and dissnteressed and
impartial statement Of the actual con3i.
;ions, including the revenues accruinE
from such ownership and the aeccmmcda-
lions offered 10 patrons. has a more than
usual bearing on local conditions. and 10
therefore considered valuable.
There Is nc man In the Northwest. per-
haps. mare competent 10 discuss and an
aiyRe this matter than Thomas Sawkins. q
prominent citizen Of Sydney. New South
Wales. who Is In Seattle for couple OF
weeks Mt Sawkins il q famous mining
engineer. He took the nrst specimen Of
gold from the noted Mount Morgan dis
srict OF Queensland. which property Twelve
years later sold 20 a syndicate for ill 0sl.
90 tneariy IS Coz 00). and he washed out
the first pan Of tin from the famous Copes
creek. TinEah. New South Wales. He is
Intimately acquainted with every mining
district OF Australasia. The expert is now
here 10 close several deals relating TO con-
per properties In the Pacific Northwest.
Mr.. Sawkins has little sympathy with
any movement locking 10 government own
ership or control Of the railway systems.
whether street car or railroads proper.
ny ~ n N "a al
workings OF state ownership should go TO
Australia" he said a; the Nico.ie, hotel
yesterday morning. The highways and
rolling stock of tho railroads and street
clusively by the government There Is
naturally an immense patronage and an
enormous political pre!erment constantly
In the control Of the particular party that
happens 10 be In power II Is therefore
also natural that there should be bestowed
an enormous patronage and political favor
isisnl. Hence. thousands Of the employees.
isisru, Hence thousands Of the employees
are political sycophants. useless wor,h-
less, lazy and impairment. and hold their
positions through political influence only.
They care not for the pubic. and are su-
perior 10 me public, whose servants they
are
Another result Is ,ha. the railways are
built Tor political purpoeea.- and not TO de-
the country: the government is in a posi-
ton TO build railroads III such directions
as suit the members Ok the legislature
rai!roaas are b, kaV ssr,a. hi loeaIss 'ns
which the members are interested.
startling example OF this Is the Canter-
bury piains. in New Zealand. where the
country = uetworked by poli.ica. railways
engineered by Sir JULIUS vogel. In che
direction there Is i12 miles OF line leading
4. one mans house through an unpopular
voxeI. and had this line sniis so his sc chill Il
tren could use II In going 10 school. Il
has no other use.
Again: Railway extension Is procured
slowly under governmental direction AS
an example Is cited the Great Western
railroad IN New South Wales. which was
started In the locality OF M:tagong IN 1859.
In isS6. after continuous construction. that
line reached Bourke. sis miles distant
Prchibitive Charges.
TN the matter OF fares: The result, of
government ownership In Australia II that
II Is always high for both passenger and
freighs, the latter charges being actually
proa.eitiye to hundreds az settlers. who
have been forced 10 abandon their holdings
because they were unable 10 stand the es-
cesssve charges in getting to market As
the railroads are nor built for the purpose
0. making them paying specuia ions, I,
does no: matter whether they pay or rot,
and no effor; Is therefore. seemingly. made
TO Increase the trsfYic Neither DOES the
government seem 10 care whether the pat
rcus OF the roads are accommodated or
rot. For instance, re road running north
from Government Gums toward Pert Oar
win, which IS one % the main lines Of the
country. has trains ony three times q
week. This = one II The principal lines
in South Australia.
Tn regard 20 che acconf-r os.a lions Pre-
vidsd by these sia.s~cwrsd roads iet IL
FIRST be said that they were operated FOR
forty odd YEARS without Sleeping acceranaa-
aasioas Trims p-ex:ded There are no retir-
wurrer passengers, although TIRE carriages
frequently run hundreds CT mites There
ts no drinking water on any Of The trains.
fss oBss refrssauent % this kirl being a.
way stations where the thirsty passen-
gers have - nghs their ANY IN canvas
bags which are sung up IN tie shaae. The
carriages are ta9 ola sh4~~5>ev Ystrerr
with room fer eight people. ami after the,
ire n tAe siasSr is locked ard they are
n scnSrs 01ta the guard releases them.
No experienced traveller viii permit him
SELF f0r a moment - he closed alone with
q strange woman for X she happens 20 -
an adventures. a.! she has % Do is 10 p4t
her brad oat 90 the window and scream
years There - n0t iav slightest kind 81
rfetectacn against this kind OF black-aN
except ~ refusing tn ride n the carriages
IN saca essss
a. which these trains travel. Between
SoJ,hysr. ami Brisbane n Qassnssa nj
sSe caravan carving ssr rnaiesiey-s royal
man leaves SaEfrp a. : osct1-k in ~.
Il - =. IN, although the distance = au.y
sixty ustlss TBS il 81 ACREAGE % cry
strsis more than faetve ard a hzlf ms
h9Gr. Far purposes # nAtioaai defense
she vcass are utterly useless as each cd
cry constructs ,.s railways and makes
tAeTs oa a different ga@se fAan The Others
forcing AL troops. ordnance ard earEgssIs-
sAgtst stores 10 I've tTznkshsgnsd n sve~s
boundary tire Isst re rs sn-sae cr tess
itttfs. fou base tAs s& IRE esysqE as : rsf-
cry STATE In fAs Iu.s@3 Stsgestzs roas.s
constructed sG s3sItSess gauges than al
IRE otAsTs n v8sux .sQgE >sR YORK =
seattle tAis sefsz4 ns1~Ss5fase usios& ~
snss -@3sAsaSx pvcAaSsr tsenfY sssrerass;
1sEnr~ Ssre 81 she rcilsrG stock ~ one
state woGs& a. sse tracks % AIRY ssaSf
The Cheapest Far~s.
TIE fa-e eet@ees Melbourne an8 Sys-
roy. a distance ~ as>eat sss Esfses Ter ars.-
etasv passengers IS e gr@Sl, ans {. sSss ex-
ira far sseess~r. ns2slnx t1szs - So
Between syssnsg sn4 FrzsoAne assssx8-
r1zfs3y ise Ssgne distance il = re sar-e
zS4 - s.sG nss sna r~ne~ tsege MAKING
Assgss s7s ev 81 fos rs.srs a~ss-es4s~ 50
r@s~s Trssz are f2es eeS zvess = fsNs kssex s
Gw Al&-ssa}ss- arr th@ esSy ss8san tae~ arr
So eAssg - saas tssre Is szes-aer csz-1fstf-
tsexs @ns1 sre ssssrrsa8 n nrssF - xr. Assy