i873-] Railways and their Future Development. 159 



to oneself a respectable English country gentleman, riding, 

 perhaps, some 14 stone, but some Homeric giant, magnified 

 into prehistoric proportions, weightier than an ordinary 

 Ceylonese elephant, and representing about 20 to 25 full 

 sacks of coals, or z\ tons. 



Yet for three years and more these " fads " have been 

 made manifest, and nothing whatever has been done ; and, 

 as matters stand, no alteration of any appreciable extent is 

 possible, or else it would have been effected long ago. High 

 speeds involve high requirements and great strengths in under- 

 names, in buffers, couplings, axles, and the entire fabric of 

 the vehicle, besides in the engine, demanding large fire 

 boxes and driving wheels. If trains are to run at 60 miles 

 an hour their construction cannot be materially altered 

 without some change in the general system itself. Thus 

 speaks the oracle : — " The railways of the United Kingdom 

 are conducted by an accomplished, scientific, and highly- 

 skilled body of experts, who know their business, do it, and 

 don't talk about it ; and who, moreover, take out of the 

 locomotive all they can, and present it freely and exuberantly 

 to those whom it is their interest as well as their pleasure 

 to accommodate — the travelling community." 



These remarks are but too true ; the travelling community 

 has been well cared for ; perhaps the unfortunate share- 

 holders in future undertakings should be accommodated too 

 — by a slice in what is to be so freely and " exuberantly " 

 given away to those who have taken no risk in the 

 venture. 



Let us proceed to dissect the existing state of affairs 

 financially, and see where the money goes, and how. Perhaps 

 the last year or two have been exceptional ; we will take 

 three years ago. Out of every £100 earned £49 have to be 

 paid away in working expenses, leaving £51 to be divided 

 amongst those who built the line. 



How are those £49 spent ? The table at top of next 

 page will show generally. 



The first three items vary according to the rate of speed 

 employed ; they form more than one-half of the whole costs, 

 or 54*54 per cent. A very moderate computation would 

 show that if lower speeds were employed, not only could 

 the stock and engines be reduced in weight, but the wear 

 and tear would be considerably mitigated ; the 54*54 per 

 cent would be reduced to somewhere about 36 per cent, or 

 18 per cent less, increasing the available balance for 

 dividend from 51 to 69 per cent, or from 5 to nearly 7 per 

 cent. 



