The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-06-02


oroanize and Control Them.
1900 Miles Of Roads Owned by
Different Colonies and Nearly Al :
. Run by the Recommendations 2
with the Head Of the Railroads OF
Nav South Wales and Queens
Iand--How the Roads Are Built
. Waves and the Railroad Court. 9
. The Fares and Discounts to Com
rnerciaI Travellers - Government
9 Tramwsys Which Charge Two
. Cents Trip--What Uncle Sam 8
Might Do with Our Roads.
sssssessossssesseesssseessees
copyright, 1901, by Frank G. carpenter.)
sydney, notwithstanding my travels In
Australasia / have gone over it's chief rail-
road systems. Every colony las Its own
roads and It's own methods % managing
them. Each has a different gauge, and
passengers and goods must be often trans
feired In Queensland the roads are all
three feet six inches; In New South Wales
they are four feet eight and half inches.
while Ia South Australia they are I'VE Feet
three iuches. The parliament Of the new
common wealth expects 70 take up this sub
tect and there win eventually be stand
ardizing Of all the railways. 1t Is thought
thst the four feet eight and half inches
gauge viii be adopted, though It may be
long time before all the roads are changed
10 at II.
Austraasis's Railroad System.
At present there are about 1850 mlloB
Of railways on the Australian continent, and
little more than 1900 miles Ia Aus.
tralia. Tasmania and New Zealand. This
IL about one.twelfth the mileage of the
United States, which has approximately
the same area, and about sixteen times
The most Of the Australian railroads are
on the eastern side Of the continent. In.
deed, the hulk Of the population liyes east
OF the long range OF mountains which eN'
tends from north to south q little back
o. the eastern coast, embracing the great.
esr part OF the wealth of the country.
Queensland AZ tho northeast has $500 miles
cf railway, New South Waies Just below,
perhaps 1000, nnd Vlctorfa which IL small
er than either, more than 1000 miles.
South Australia, with It's enormous terri
tory has 1900 miles and Northern Aus
fralla, a country oue-siXth the size Of the
tinted States. has only 40 miles Of rail-
roads. Its only line ~ q little narrow gauge
running inland from Port Darwin, which
was opened for traffic about ten years ago,
but which as yet fails to meet its working
in Western Australia the railroads ARC
fast growing, That country is about one
fourth the size Of ours, Including Alaska,
but Il IL largely desert SIN 1t has nj
ready 1900 miles Of railroad and is building
more Tasmania has sos miles and New
Zealand, small as It Is, 22o7 miles.
How the Government Runs the Roads.
In nearly every state the government
owns the railroads There arc a few pri-
vaie lnet IN Western Australia anA' you
find stray mile or 80 here and there An
other colonies, but the bulk OF The roads
belongs to the governments and Is man
aged by them. Each government has had
Its own system and methods, some having
single manager and others n board OF
three commissions, which has entire charge
have talked with number OF the com.
yersation with MIR. W. II Fehon. one OF
the best Known railroad men OF Austral
asia. lie has for years been Que of the
threc railrond commissioners OF New south
Wales and has hern connected with rail
roads and railroad building all his life4 liz
hogan as 2 clerk In railway office IN Eps
to Canada, aud from there came to Aus
trHlla He WAS Tor years one Of the gail.
road commissioners OF Victoria aud he has
had 20 Do win lhilronds both under GOV
srnmental ana private managemcnt
During our chat / asked him whether ne
thought II advisable that the government
should control the railroads. Ho replied:
There Is no doubt OF IL. II IA now
twelye years since The railroads OF this
colony were nut into the hands of tho pres
ent commissioners The commissioners
wore appointed for seven years aud wore
given absolute control Of the building mud
management Of Tho railroads The results
nave been 50 good that we were renpnoint.
ed at the close Of our terms aud are lsold.
Ing onice today. We believe that such
mansgement is for the host Interests OF the
people. We are giving a batter service than
Me private roads could do and cheaper
Politics in the Railroads.
But how about the political end Of the
machine, Mr.. FehonT asked, 30 not
the politicians try to manage the commits.
sioners and control the vote of your en-.
HioyesT
mo-" was the reply. "our laws pro.
vide that we shall be absolutely free dur.
ing our term OF ofice. The government can
rot dictate 10 US and the politicians have
nothing 70 say. We have our own stan
OF officials whom we appoint, and no pro.
We have all told about 1900 employees in
this state alone aud we handle them with.
out strikes or trouble. We are careful TO
do Justice and hold a court every other
Wednesday, at which discharged or nun.
tshed employees can appeal TO MS II they
have grievances. There are many such ap.
peals and about one-thlrd OF them are set
tied In favor of the men"
How about wages and hours OF work p
We ADOPT the eight,hour day as far as
possible, replied Mr. Fehon, "nnd we nav
about the same wages you pay in tho
United States. We pay far more than they
20 N Europe. and our men are better treat.
ca than those OF any railroad / know we
nave clvil service and no man Is 70.
moved except for cause"
The Railroads Pay.
"How about the proats7 DO your rail-
roads payT' asked.
Eyes, It is our business to make them
pay. Our total earnings last year we're SIS.
100000. We have debt OF about sleo.,
100000 for railroad construction. upon
which the colony pays $50 per cent. We are
increasing the value Of the property every
year We are studying the county and
doing what we can 10 develop business
out roads into the good territory, knowing
that settlement VIII soon follow and thar
they Will become profitable A part fof
our business Is % meet Populations from
the various districts ana to discuss the de-
yelopment OF traffic. Such discussions are
on commercial lines, politics being haired.
The only question as 70 the adoption OF a
measure Is as 20 whether Is will he proht.
able FOR the railroad and the people
The Governtnent Owns the Street Cars.
How about the street cars; l. nnder.
stand ytu also control themg"
That IS true said Mr.. Fehon sAll
the frannHays Of this state are under u.s.
We have all told about sixtysix miles of
street raj road, mostly here IN sydney aud
fn Newcastle. These are steam. electric
cable and horse trans We have rappnflV