The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1907-04-19
DON'T co BY RAIL.
Advice Given by Australians to
Friends About to Travel.
The Railroads There Are Owned and
Operated by the Government, and
Here Is Truthful Account of the
Wretehed Way They Are Run.

Wretehed Way They Are Run.
When a new arrival in Australia an
iounces his intention of making jour
ley he is saluted by sort of para
phrase of Punch's advice to those about
% marry. Instead of saying Don't"
lis friends all say Don't go 10y rail"
My first experience with the Austria
ian government railway took place in
New South Wales, where the system is
II better working order than elsewhere,
and it was journey from Sydney
to Springwood-forty miles. \
freight train-they call them goods
trains in AustraliO-stuck in the tun-
mel ahead Of us, though it had left the
last station three-quarters OF an hour
before we arrived. We had taken the
! 5:37 train and were due ut G:5j We
| arrived at 100 two hours and thirteen
minutes for the trip of no greater dis
tance than is traversed by thousands
Of commuters every day from New
York. The line is double tracked all
the way up from Sydney, and ours
was through train. An American
road would hardly contain a tunnel
grade so steep as to stall even the
| heaviest of freight trains, especially
on suburban line with a heavy pas
ienger traffic, and an American dis
| patcher would hardly send out freight
| train drawn by a locomotive which
might not he able to pull it up the
| grade directly ahead of q fast passen-
ger train.
The rate for first class tickets is
nearly 5 cents per mile; for second
class more than 3 cents. When l sug
gested travelling second class my
| friends told me that would be crazy
to do so, and when l tried it realized
that they were right. Yet, in spite Of
these high fares, the government much
of the time fails to pay 3R per cent on
its investment. 1t is thrifty, though,
for first class passengers are entitled to
only 112 pounds of baggage carried
free, while holders of regular second
class tickets pay excess on everything
over elghty-four pounds.
My business in Sydney ended on Sat
urday, and 1t would have been con-
venient to leave for Melbourne that
night. But this was impossible since
there is no Saturday night train south
between the two cities and but one
train a day each way during the week.
AS the Saturday half holiday Is gen.
orally observed throughout New South
Wales and Victoria, the traveller be-
tween the capitals Of the two states
must lose that half day and all the
next because Of the way In which the
government railway schedule Is ar
ranged. He can leave Sydney on Fri
day night, but will reach his destina-
ton too late for business on Saturday.
If he takes the dilemma by the other
horn he must lose the day and a half
in Sydney. take the Sunday night train
and reach Melbourne about 1 o'clock
Monday afternoon. There is a Satur-
day train from Melbourne to Sydney.
but none on Sunday. And bear in mind
that this service Is between the two
principal cities of Australia, each with
n population OF more than half mil
lion and only $40 miles apart
The season was midwinter, being
carly August. and there was no pro-
vision whatever for heating the sleep
ing car. In Australian sleeping cars
the men are herded off in one end of
the car and the women In the other,
with screen across the aisle between.
Even man and wife cannot have q Sec
ton, but are separated perhaps by the
entire length of the car. The berth
curtains fasten only at the top. and
everybody who passes down the mar
row aisle pulls them along with him.
letting in the light and disturbing the
occupant. 1t was midnight when this
sort Of thing ceased and sleep was pos
sible. At 6 O'clock in the morning it
commenced again. and q few minutes
after the curtains. were pulled entirely
back and everybody was told to get
up. Before / was fully dressed the
train ran into the station at Albury, on
the boundary between New South
Wales and Victoria. Those who were
not so nearly prepared for dsembarka-
ton as | was spoke and acted as If
they were not happy.
But why ali this haste and pother?
Merely because the gauge Of the New
South Wales railway system is four
feet eight and half inches and that
of the Victoria road is five feet three
inches, and trains cannot be run !
through; hence passengers Ore hauled
out at 6 o'clock of mdwinter morn
ings in an unheated car
The breakfast in the restaurant was
the worst meal I ever ate in a rail
way station. which is strong language.
There is but one dining car in the
whole of Australia.
1t was as cold in the Victoria train
as it had been on the New South
Wales sleeper 1t was smoking
compartment. this, and brass cones,
sunk point downward through holes in
the floor OF the car. had been provided
by a thrifty government to serve as.
cuspidors. The wind came through
them unchecked, of course.
And all this on the crack train be-
tween the two principal cities of Aus
tralIa &C. Arthur Williams.
Politicians Often Bad Business Men.
It must be admitted that advocates