Australia's Peculiar System of State Managed Railways
a ......
and passenger and goods must bo of tun can bo made without our consent. We havu SlV c nn "ako thon. pay, hut they cause us more on tho ground nro white and tho Hurround-
transfeired In Queensland the roads are all told about 13,000 employes In this state , ' lh' ,0",,S lf lh,,y wuro ,ro' l0 l,,!U1 thu railroads. We are giving " those of a bone yard,
all 3 feet G Inches, In Now South Wales alone and we handle them without strikes n.,...., . : " . . nVura 11 two-mile ride tor 2 cents, I'iiMhi-im of IKirllnu IImhs
they are 1 feet 8V4 Inches, while In South or trouble. Wo are careful to do Justice
Australia thoy aro U feet 3 Inches. Tho and hold a court every other Wednesday, at
Parliament of the new commonwealth ex- which discharged or punished employed can
pectH to tako up this subject and theru appeal to us If thoy have grievances. There
will eventually ho a standardizing of all are many such appeals aid about ono-thlrd
the railways. It Is thought that tho 4 foot f thotn aro settled In favor of tho men."
8'A gauge will bo adopted, though It may "How about wages and hours of work?
no a long timo liororo all tho roads are
changed to fit It.
t .i . . .
uiiu ui me Kieai ooiccuons to sue l a
scheme," continued ihls government rail
way commlssloni r "would be that of polit
ical management. The muds would have
to ho divorced from politics and a railroad
civil service system established. The sys
tem might bo more economically managed
than now You could cut down vour un-
"U'.. ,!,.. .t II, 1 ...... ..
possible "" leplled I U L"!,'BhJr. 'V,'- X "'"."l'1 1,0 to
At present there aro about 12.r.00 miles about the same wages you pay In tho Un to 1 V " ,v v . v- ti . ' ,. 8aV
railways on tho Austmlliin continent. si..t..H. v rr ,L.. ,i. .. ln "m"y V"H- 1 llu Problem Is a big ono
i .t.
e in t Un. Z ZniT Whb'Cont I wish I could .how you some of the pas-
nn.nl.ir t . , ? " lUrc3 alons thls 11,,u frol "rlsbano to 8yd-
number of electric tramways and are pur- Iloy. Tako thc I)nr 1)(nvns for Instance
Sm.KUr 8UPI f"r l"Cm frra y"Ur TllC80 nro P",rlM 01 the headwaters of
,ry- branch of the Darling river, and nre as
I''iih'h mill ConiiiM-t-Hiil Trnvcli'm. beautiful as the best lands of the Missis-
The Australian rnllwavn ,nU., .i ",p"1 .vn"ey:. Thore nru lll"'t -1.000,000
and a little more than 15.000 miles In Am- Kuropo and mlr men are bettor treated T T wout,l tnko ycnr3 lo 80t-
.ralla. Tasmania and Now Zealand. This Is than those of any railroad I know. Wo Jr tZc
great ability and of practical experience."
ItllllrilllllH III ItlKM'IINlllllll,
Another prominent railroad man with
whom 1 talked on this subject Is Mr. J.
I' Thallon, who has the control of the
200 miles of Queensland railroads. Ho Is
tho superintendent and general manager of
tho Queensland system nud as such Is al
ways building new lines. Said ho:
"As far as I can see, tho government
control of our railways has been an ex
cellent thing for the country. It has given
us profitable railways, which would never
have been built by private parties. Tako
our Kockhainpton line, for Instance. It
begins at tho coast and goes -100 miles to
tho wostward, through a country thinly
populated. There nre places on that Hue
whoro you can rldo 100 miles without see
ing a town. Still, tho land on both sides
of tho road Is available for sheep. It Is
now taker; up for pastures nud there are
hundreds of thousands of sheep feeding
upon It. Formerly It was devoted to cattle,
but now thnt there Is an outlet for tho
wool theso big Hocks have been Introduced.
Towns are springing up along tho Hues
and In timo tho road will pay well."
"How about the profit of your roads, Mr.
Thallon?" sold I.
ncrno n tnn i imi-na n ..... . ..4 . .
570 mnes nmr,.U.t.,r,;,,n0y V" ' ""'' w wooded in o it n t a I n s T h I s
bib miles and tho trip requires seventeen tract consists of uroim n,.i,u u ,.t . J
r0onrt.;.rlM,''nllMB ehVW f C"r8 'U ,h K lSl t2, XZ
lev a rm VZl Ty f,,rr8 ,f"r thl3 JUr- aml 1,crds of fnt catllu "' "I'oep. Soni"
ond-ela L V I hi? Tiir" ,n,,0Ul. $23 SUt" l,n,M lhr nr 2'000 S,"-,u" 1,1 ' fluIJ "
ond-class. All the railroads make a re- single paddocks Inclose hundreds of cattle.
on a qui:i:nsi,ani) railway
about ono-twellth tho mlleugo of tho United have a civil service and no man Is lomoved
States, which has approximately tho name except for cause."
area and about sixteen times tho popula- "How about the profits? Do your rall-
tlon. roads pay?" I uBkcd.
Tho most of tho Australian railroads aro "Yes, It Is our bustnoss to mako them
on tho eastern side of tho continent. In- pay. Our total earnings Inst year wore
deed, tho bulk of tho population lives east $15,000,000. Wo have a debt of about
of tho long range of mountains which ex- $100,000,000 for railroad construction, upon
lends from north to south u llttlo back of which the colony pays 3.G per cent. Wo
tho eastern coast, embracing tho greatest aro Increasing tho value of tho pioperty
part of tho wealth of tho country. Queens- ovcry year. Wo are studying tho country
land at tho northeast has 2, BOO miles of antl doing what wo can to develop buBluoss
railway; Now South Wules, Just bolow, along tho various lines. Wo aro pushing
porhaps 2,000, and VIctorlo, which Is smallor 0,,t roads Into tho good territory, knowing
than either, nioro than 3.000 miles. that settlement will soon follow and that
HAWKSHUHY HIVICK HH1DOK MADK I1Y AMERICANS.
"Thoy aro Just beginning to pay. The ,,utll0H on passengor tickets sold In con- Hero and there n field Is cultivated. The
most of them now net 3 per cent on tho noctlon wlt" steamship tickets, so that soil Is as black as that of the Nile valloy,
capital Invested. Wo don't want a big l,u0Ul coming Into and going out of Aus- and It shines like velvet under tho sun.
profit, for It Is our principle to put tho tJ'alla Bel1 should buy their tickets of Now you pass a tract of 100 acres covered
rates of freight nnd passage ns low as we
tho steamship agents. with alfalfa, and now see the grPen wheat
can to tho people. As we mako more wo There Is also a 20 per cent reduction to poking Its head through tho black soil,
shall lower fares and Incrcaso wages. Wo commercial travelers on account of the Now you cross a stream where tho water
havo about $90,000,000 already Invested and Iar'o number who arc always on tho road, has cut deep Into tho land. You can see
lmvo more than 100 feet of railway for Tho trado here Is done by drumming, the that the soil Is many feet thick, and that
overy family In tho state. Wo havo several commercial travelers going from town to It can be used for n generation without
unprofitable lines, but, you see, we nro a town with their samples. The distances fertilization.
now country, nnd wo havo to build with n,o so great that such men are often out Tho farm buildings nre few. Tho houses
reference to our development, knowing that for six months at a time. They go to are one-story cottnges made of wood,
tho roads will pay ln tho end." tho ends of tho railroads and then travel painted yellow nnd roofed with galvanized
'Suppose you wnnt a now railroad," said from station to station and town to town iro"- There aro no big bank barns nnd no
South Australia ulih Hh rniiriiinim torrl- l"y wl" beconio prolltnble. A part of our I, "how do you go nbout it?" on horseback or by stage. Some of thein farmhouses of any sL.e. Wcod is expensive
ry, has 1,800 miles and northern Aus- '""'l'"'-88 'B to meet deputations from thu "Tho proposition has llrst to be brought tako tents along and camp out on tho way. Galvanized Iron Is used largely for sheds,
tory, has 1,800 miles, and northern Aus- oci uepuiauons irom tni
traila, u country one-sixth the slzo of tho vn,lo,1H 'HstrlclH nnd to discuss tho develop
United States, has only 115 miles of rail- mu"1 of ,ra"U:- s,,cn 'Hscui-slons nro on
boforo tho state Parliament," replied Mr. There are hotels at all tho small towns, a 1,1,11 tho houses have big round galvanized
Thallon, "for that Is the only body that saloon and hotel often beine cnmhlnnl. lron water tanks on their norches to catch
roads. Itn nnlv linn in n utUn nmrmv commercial lines, politics being barred. Tho can appropriate money or decide matters Tho hotels charuo commercial tmvnlnra tho rain from tho roofs. Many havo cal-
gaugo running Inlnml from Port Darwin, 'imamm ,a lo uie a.iopuon oi
which was opened for trnltlc nbout ton
years ago, but which as yet falls to meet
Its working expenses.
In Western Australia tho railroads aro
fast growing. That country Is about one
fourth thu size of ourj, Including Alaska,
but It is largely detert. Still It has al
ready 1,800 miles of railroad and is building
more. Tasmania has red miles nud Now
Zealand, small as 11 Is, 2,257 tnllca.
(JoviTii it It ii mm the ltouiU.
In nearly every state tho government
owns tho railroads. There aro n tow pri
vate Hues In Western Australia and you
llnd a stray mllu or so hero and there ln
other colonies, hut tho bulk of tho roads
belong to tho government and aro man
aged by them. Each government has had
Its own system nnd methods, some having
a single munnger and others n board of
three commissioners, which has entire
charge,
I havo talked with a number of tho coin
mlsblonurs, Hero ln Sydney I had a con
versation with Mr. W. II. Fallen, olio of
tho best known railroad moil of Aus
tralasia. Ho haB tor years been ono of tho
throe railroad commissioners of Now South
Wales and has been connected with rnll-
ijiiiiiiHHIRIiir'i
RAILWAY STATION ON TUB DARLING DOWNS.
of such Importance. Our commission pro- $2 n day. They have sample rooms for van,zcil Iron chimneys, and some few aro
them nnd give them overy assistance. ouul entirely or tills material, Imported
from England.
rom HrUlianc s,.l,,ey. FRANK G. CARPENTER.
Ono of tho most Interesting rides 1 havu
had in Australia Is from Drlsbano to Syd
ney. This takes you through tho bettef
parts of tho states of Queensland nnd Now
South Wales. The road Is good, and thu
inrs aro nbout like those of tho United
States Pullman cars being Joined to tho
train at tho New South Wales boundary.
There Is no checking system such as with
us, although you aro given a receipt for
your baggage. One hundred and twelve
pounds aro allowed on lirst-class tickets,
and all above this must be paid for by
rate. I rodo first-class. Tho cars were
divided up Into compai tmcnts, with cush
ioned benches running under the windows.
A curious feature Is the drinking water
supply. It Is Impossible to get ice In most
parts of Australia, and the cars do not
carry tho water tanks as in tho United
Stntes. In place of them each cor has n
water bag two feot wide and a foot and a
half long, innilo of canvas. This Is filled
with water and hung to tho roof of the
rear end of tho car. There Is a spigot In
tho bottom of tho bag, and fastened to It
a tin cup. Tho wind causes a rapid evap
roads aud rallrond building nil his Hfo. Ho B''o Is as to whether It will bo profit- poses tho matter to tho parliamentary rail- oration on tho wet surface of the bag, and
began as a clerk In rnllwny olllces in ubl for tno railroad and tho people
England at tho ago of 17. Later on ho Oovrriinieut Owiim Street Cnrx.
wont to Canada and from theru eamo to uovf nbollt tuo streot CIU8. j understand
Australia. Ho was for years ono of the y0u nlso control thorn?"
rallrond commissioners of Victoria nnd ho "That Is true," said Mr. Fehon. "All
hnB hnd to do with railroads both under tho tramways of this state' aro under us.
governmental and private management. Wo havo all told about sixty-six mllos of
During our chat I asked him whether ho street railroad, moBtly hero In Sydney nnd
way committee, and tins committee 41s- this keeps tho fluid within ns cold as Ice
cusses the situation nnd sends out Its water.
agents to Investigate tho cost and probable Luncheons nre served during twenty
profits. At tho snmo timo wo make a mlnuto stops nt one or two principal sta
separato Investigation of our own. Wo go tlons. Tho meals aro laid out In the dining
over the proposed territory, surveying tho rooms and served by girl waiters. Each
route and tnking testimony ns to the ad- meal costs C2 cents, or half a crown,
vlsabllity of building tho road. Wo mako ,
our report to tho railway comnilttco nnd ""f"'
thought It ndvlsablo that tho government In Nowcnstle. Thoso nro steam, electric, through it to Pnrli .n ...,t if ' i 1 t, . .,
should control the railroads. Ho replied: cable and horso trains. Wo Havo recently Ti ? '"T n 1 "U U,ls U.worth
"There Is no doubt of It. It Is now discarded steam for electricity on a part of 5 'b " al 1 I la, m ! 2,sir: nf ' I"1' "r1"0118"
twelve years since tho railroads of this the Sydney system Wo are using Amoi l- nd manage1.; wC t i SmX 5'' " g A "par? w.'? tto !X fore's s 'of
colony wero put Into tho hands of the pros- ct machinery and American cars. At "Where do vou L-et vour nviteriiia?" i n n,i .i7 a,? . Iorc8ts 01 '5a"
out commissioners. Tho commissioners Present our fares average about 1 penny nsU l, " 0U Mt wur ,,uterli,la? 1 H"" al ) j Au stra Man trees. The
were appointed for sere., years and were (3 cents) per mile, nnd we havo tho linos vm-rever we can buy t li m tho ehemosi o .rninl in.i X ?! , ?n? f f V'8" "
given absolute control of the building nnd divided Into sections of one and two miles. So Japt of ou 'supp.l s Imv 'con o ?rom m o N ar y all Llrof AustTa.h
management of tho railroads. The results Wo carry school children at reduced rates. i3Kinmi m,. wt, ,.. ,,... ,,., ,,i " 1 ,i V,i; i,il i. i ? .2 ,
have been so good that wo were reap- There Is some difference of opinion as to nSr'of Amer.can'e'ng es ," t. r'rol." T 1 v "re m, Sgreenal he'Ta'r
no nted at tho c use of our terms and nro whethor tho streot enrs should be run by tn., 0i, m ..... ..... ' . ,t,rc.en nu .Ule ycar
ni.j ui mu nun nre oi aub- ruuuu, om ino oant is tno rnccedest or its
: ... ... . . . .1... .in .... ,u .. ..... ..."
"" ".",n: . .V""0V." "uc" ZC' ,,..r:.r:":.,U?.r .tr',"" r.lw.d; n variety called Iron kind In nature. Tho old bark Is black and
munK.u..k iu, mu uu ol "-".-' " l"" '8 ,,8,"y considered the best. This It hangs In long strips down the trunk of
tho people. We are giving a better serv- Hurt for tho people. wood , aQ h d , It wore disheveled hair
ice than tho private roads could do and a "?h twenty to thirty years or longer. We a e Tho now bark Is e or silver gray, whkh
Che"POr0n0, "SUCh I tuZ M a .1,V " rnnUi nu" '""l"11"1 I,,UCh W,th l" "" ,00k V"y the blfck has all
1-olUL- In the Hillr.....U. (! ,li t rl " ,1 k. replied Thoy will cat other kinds of wood, but will fallen off.
Commissioner I-ohon, "although It Is prob- generally let tho ties nlone " ,n , ,
"Dut how about the political end of tho ably far In the future. You have tho larg- n , , Hnd tho narrow r, S, 1 I lU S? grVC8 Gt 'Uad
machine, Mr. Fehon?" I asked. "Do not est railway system of tho world and any able " l askeS " ' '" n !r,J, M l b? TlT, W"h n X
the politicians try to manage the commls- change ,n Its management would he a Yes. Uys us better than the broad wlulg&'&X'iJl
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