TKANSACTIONS OP SECTION J. 455 



When the traffic and population are very small, so as to 

 warrant purchasing and working the smaller locomotive only, 

 other things being equal, the traffic in 100-ton loads will cost 

 five times as much per ton-mile for locomotive-running wages 

 as a traffic carried with the larger engine. 



The illustration previously given will serve our purpose 

 here. The New York Central Eailway carries loads on the 

 average ten times greater than the New Zealand railways. 

 Other things being equal, the expense of locomotive-running 

 wages per ton per mile will be ten times greater on the latter 

 than on the former : other things are, however, not equal ; 

 the average distance on the former is for goods carried eight 

 times that of the latter, so that the New York Central would 

 have other advantages, through the more continuous use of its 

 locomotive-power and railway. Other running-wages are 

 similarly affected. 



Station, terminal, and fixed expenses, when averaged at per 

 ton per mile on so short an average run as twenty-eight miles, 

 are very high. The terminal expenses on account of stations, 

 trucks, locomotives, labour, machinery, management, &c., on 

 the average amount to 2s. per ton for New Zealand; they thus 

 average nearly Id. per ton per mile on the average haul. 

 Such expenses, therefore, when compared on the ton-mileago 

 basis with the operations of railways which do a long haulage 

 traffic, present an unfavourable appearance, though they are 

 not high in the total amount. 



Having corrected the figures for the difference between the 

 iVmerican ton and the English standard, we have obtained an 

 approximate idea of the relative loads carried ; but there 

 remain discrepancies which we cannot eliminate, owing torule- 

 of-thumb practices in counting truck-load weights of live-stock 

 and lumber. 



In distances we get a fairly approximate result in both 

 cases. With passengers the same difficulties do not prevail, 

 and we get a fair comparison of the passenger-mileage and 

 the average distance carried by each separate railway ; 

 but the average distance carried for the American railways 

 in the aggregate cannot be stated, owing to "through" 

 traffic. 



There are many difficulties attaching to the apiDortionment 

 of expenses per ton-mile and per passenger-mile. The practice 

 now followed by the advice of the Inter- State Commerce Com- 

 mission in America cannot be followed here, because, owing to 

 our very light traffic, nearly all the New Zealand trains run 

 mixed, and the staff' for the most part performs mixed duties. 

 In dealing wilh this point the author has adopted the plan of 

 apportionment based upon the gross load carried per ton of 



