PuRCHAS. — Place of the Baihcat/ in Social Economy. 61 



or provides himself with an animal or a carriage of some sort 

 by which he may be conveyed to the place at which he wishes 

 to arrive. It matters not whether he uses a conveyance of 

 his own or hires one for the jcurney, the transit is effected at 

 his own expense either of labour or money ; but the road 

 along which he travels is free — it has been provided for him 

 by the officers of the State, who are appointed and provided 

 with public funds for that special purpose. It matters not 

 whether they are Eoad Boards, Town or City or County 

 Councils, or Commissioners, or officers of the General Govern- 

 ment, their work is public work carried out with public funds, 

 and for the use of every individual of the community. 



How, then, is it with a railway? The only difference is 

 that which the nature of the railway traffic renders necessary. 

 There is absolutely no difference in principle. The user must 

 still pay for the cost of transit of himself and his goods, but 

 the road must be free. 



Eailway transit, from its very nature, must always be 

 carried on under a special system of management. The iron 

 road cannot possibly be used in the same manner as the ordi- 

 nary road. The propelling force, whether steam, electricity, 

 or hydrocarbon, requires special engines and skilled di-ivers ; 

 the carriages, whether for passengers or goods, must be 

 specially constructed ; and everything connected with the 

 traffic must be specially devised and directed in perfect order 

 for the safety and convenience of those who use the road. 

 For these reasons, no such private use of the road can be 

 permitted as that which is the universal rule of the common 

 road. It follows, therefore, that the cost of the rolling-stock 

 and station-buildings, as well as the current expenditure of 

 every kind necessarily incurred in carrying on the traffic, must 

 be provided by the payments of those who use the road, and 

 to this end such fares and rates of freight must be charged as 

 will amply cover all such expenditure, but not more. 



To put it shortly, then, there should be a complete separa- 

 tion in the railway accounts between the cost of forming and 

 maintaining the line and that of the traffic over the line. The 

 cost of the line or public highway should be paid by the owner 

 — that is, the whole people, under the name of the State ; and 

 the cost of the traffic by the user — that is, every one who travels 

 or has goods carried upon the line. It seems to me that when 

 the time comes that the true idea of the railroad as the chief 

 highway of the nation shall be generally accepted, as I think 

 it will, there ought not to be more difficulty in carrying it out 

 than there is now with all other highways. 



It is not within the scope of this paper to discuss the 

 question of management, but it seems to me obvious that it 

 must necessarily be entirely independent of what is known as 



