Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-06-01
OWN THE RAILROADS
Colonies in Australasia. Are in
Control,
ALSO MANAGE STREET CAR LINES
Features Of Overland Travel in the
South Pacific.
VIEWS OF OFFICIA L S
Copyright, 1901. by Frank C. Carpenter)
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

Copyright 1901. by Frank c. Carpenter.)
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
SYDNEY. Australia
During my travels in Australasia l have
gone over it's chief railroad systems. Every
colony has its own roads and It's own
methods of managing them. Each has a
different gauge. and passengers and goods
must be often transferred. In Queensland
the roads are all 3 feet o inches; in New
South Wales they are feet S12 inches,
while in South Australia they are 5 feet 3
inches. The parliament of the new COM
monwealth expects to take up this subject
and there will eventually be standardiz-
ing Of all the railways 1t Is thought that
the feet S12 gauge will be adopted. though
# may be a long time before all the roads
are changed to fit II.
At present there are about 800 miles
of railways on the Australian continent.
and little more than 1900 miles In Aus
tralia, Tasmania and New Zealand. This is
about one-twelfth the mileage of the United
States. which has approximately the same
area, and about sixteen times the popula-
tion.
The most Of the Australian railroads
are on the eastern side of the continent.
Indeed. the bulk of the population lives
east of the long range of mountains which
extends from north to south a little back
est part of the wealth of the country
Queensland the northeast has . 500 miles
of railway: New South Wales. just below,
perhaps 1900. and Victoria. which is small
or than either, more than 5000 miles.
South Australia, with its enormous ter
ritory, has 1850 miles. and northern Aus
tralia. country one-sixth the size of the
United States has only 14J miles of rail-
roads. Its only line is a 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 expenses.
In western Australia the railroads are fast
growing. That country is about one-fourth
the size Of ours, including Alaska, but it
l. largely desert Still it has already 800
miles 81 railroad and is building more. Tas
mania has JuS miles and New Zealand,
small as 1t is, 2,2J1 miles.
How the Government Runs the Roads
In nearly every state the government
owns the railroads. There are a few pri-
waite lines In western Australia and you
find stray mile or so here and there in
other colonies. but the bulk of the roads
belongs to the governments and is man
aged by them Each government has had
It's own system and methods. some having
a single manager and others board of
three commissioners, which has entire
charge.
have talked with number of the COM
miSsioners Here in Sydney | had a con-
versation with Mr.. W. II. Fehon one of
the best known railroad men of Aus
tralasia- He has for years been one of the
three railroad commissioners of New South
Wales, and has been connected with rail-
roads and railroad building all his life He
began as clerk in a railway office
in England at the age of seventeen
Later on he went to Canada. and from
there came to Australia. He was for years
one of the railroad commissioners of Vic
toria and he has had to do with railroads
both under governmental and private man
agement.
During our chat ] asked him whether he
thought 1t advisable that the government
should control the railroads? He replied:
There IS no doubt of It, 1t is
now twelve years since the railroads of
this colony were put into the hands of the
present commissioners. The commission
ers were appointed for seven wears and
were given absOlur control Of the building
and management OF the railroads The re-
suits have been so good that We were re-
appointed at the close of our terms and
are holding office today. We believe that
such management is for the best interests
OF the people. We are giving a better
service than the private roaGs could do and
cheaper one
Politics in the Railroads.
But how about the political end of the
machine. Mr. Fehon?" | asked DO not
the politicians try to manage the commits