The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1917-04-05
new Line FINISHED
TRANS SENTIMENTAL LINE IN
AUSTRALIA MEANS MUCH.
Comparable in Way With Opening OF
Union Pacific Nearly Half Gen.
fury Aoo-State Roads Form
Connecting Links.

FOrty-One miles of track are now
needed To complete the Australian
tranScOntinental railroad, according to
a correspondent of the Philadelphia
Commercial museum. The importance
of this news can hardly be Overesti-
mated, for the completion of this small
piece of trackage promises To have an
influence on Australian development
comparable in way with that eXerted
upon the development of this country
by the opening of the Union Pacific
nearly half century ago. The imme-
date effect will be to link up the capt.
tails of the five continental states or
the Australian commonwealth by eS-
tabliShing an unbrOken line of COM
municatiOn from Brisbane, on the east,
through Sydney, Melbourne and AIDE
laide, to Perth on the west, a distance
Just q little short of $500 miles.
The Australian transcOntinental rail-
road has been long in the building, and
is the result of linking up of isolated
stretches of lines constructed in and by
the different states rather than of q
carefully matured program of develop
ment. BY the year 1889 railroad COM
municatiOn had been established be-
tween the four capital cities of BriS-
bane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide,
distance of 1,790 miles, through the
connecting at the borders of the state
railroad lines of Queensland. NV
South Wales, Victoria and South Aus
tralia, which line was in time extended
from Adelaide northwest to Port Au-
gusta, go miles. About the same time
West Australia had built state
railroad eastward 373 miles from Perth
to Kalgoorlie, in the heart of the gold
fields.
Nothing was done looking toward the
tracking of this 1,063-mile gap between
Port Augusta. in South Australia, and
KalgOorlie, in West Australia, until
1907, when the Australian government
ordered d preliminary survey of line
to connect these eXtremities of the ex-
listing lines from the east and west. AS
a result of that survey the common
| wealth decided, four years later, to con-
struct the railroad as q government
| line. Work was started at both ends,
| September, 1912, and construction has
progressed SO rapidly that there now
remain only Al miles of track to con-
meet the Port Augusta and Kalgoorlie
| divisions.
1t is improbable that the opening of
| the first Australian tranScOntlnental
| line will have the same immediate ef-
feet as did the opening of the first
| American transcontinental line. The
Australian railroad, and more parucu-
| larly the 1,O00-mile stretch between
Port Augusta and KaLSOorlie, passes
through a relatively poor and barren
| land. which does not now seem suscept-
| ible of the same agricultural develop
ments as the land pierced by the Union
| Pacific.
| The largest results cannot be expect
ed from the Australian trunk line be
cause of the lack of uniformity OF
| gauge throughout it's length, q defect
! traceable TO the different gauges adopt
ed by the different states in the trs'
DAYS of railroad building.
In the trip from Brisbane to PERTH
four transfers Of passengers anc
freight will be necessary, and the trou
BILE, delay and added expense of these
transfers, already Of appreciable mag
nitude along the eastern section of the
line, will naturally become more seri
Gus along the entire line as the volume
of business increases.
Notwithstanding the defect, which
the government is already preparing t
remedy, the completion of the trans
continental railroad will undoubtedl!
facilitate interstate trade and, in con
junction with its principal branches
will allow the produce of inland areas
to find its natural outlet at the neares
port.