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grew up, and traffic, with horse and bvillock drays increased naturally to meet 

 the wants of the population. In winter the old bush tracks became so cut up 

 as to be almost impassable, and as much as £60, £80, and even £100 per ton 

 has been paid for the carriage of goods to Sandhurst. These high prices, 

 however, were partly due to the abundance of money. From 1852 to 1858, 

 very large sums were expended in the construction of roads, and just 

 before the opening of the Northern Railway as far as Sandhurst, the cost 

 of cariiage was reduced to £6 10s. per ton in winter, and to £5 10s. in summer, 

 the mean rate being about £Q per ton. To Ballaarat the mean rate for the 

 year was about £4 10s. per ton. As I am merely engaged in working out a 

 principle, it is unnecessary to seek for perfect accuracy ; let us, therefore, 

 assume that at the time of opening the railway to Sandhurst, the average rate 

 of cartage for the whole distance was £5 per ton ; and at this reduced rate 

 the carriers had the advantage of 21 miles of railway. Du.ring the first year, 

 after the lines were opened to Sandhurst and Ballaarat, rather more than 

 200,000 tons of goods were carried. I have not any very recent statistics, but 

 from the rate of increase and the opening of the line to Echuca, I believe that 

 300,000 tons of goods and produce, at least, pass over the two lines — by far 

 the greater part being carried to and from the great seats of population, and 

 only a small portion being dropped by the way ; but for the portion so dropped 

 I will deduct one-third, and base my calculation upon the assumption that 

 200,000 tons of goods and produce are carried to and from Melbourne to the 

 great seats of population. The gain, therefore, to the consuming public is on 

 200,000 tons of goods carried the whole way. What is that gain? At first 

 the charges were 50s. per ton to Sandhurst, and 42s. per ton to Ballaarat ; 

 but it has since been reduced to about 35s. and 40s. per ton. I will take the 

 average at 40s., and thus we have a net saving of £3 per ton, or about 

 £600,000 a-year. This is the saving spread over the whole body of consumers 

 by means of cheaper transport. Whether this estimate be precisely correct 

 or not (I believe it to be within the mark), it is absolutely certain that what- 

 ever is saved by the improved means of transport, is so much added to the 

 material wealth of the country. It may not be all preserved as wealth. Part 

 may be at once expended in immediate enjoyment, but part will remain as 

 wealth. The subdivision in some cases is so infinitesimal, that it escapes 

 appreciation, A saving of £3 per ton is about one-third of a penny per Bb. 

 This is not much on every teaspoonfvil of sugar which is put into the old 

 dame's tea, biit it is something substantial on the 41b. loaf, especially when 

 multiplied by all the loaves consumed by a family in the year. 



By way of parenthesis, but at the same time not wholly unconnected with 

 my subject, it may be amusing to state what I actually paid in 1854 for some 

 of the articles of ordinary consumption in a family. I have paid 35s. per cwt. 

 for potatoes, at the very time that farmers in some parts of the country were 



