of three pence per acre per annum, levied on all lands within ten 
58 C. O. BURGE. 
miles of a line costing £4,000 per mile, would pay the full interest 
on its cost, not counting any contributions from townships, which 
however might pay interest for the first ten miles of the branch, 
which generally is of no benefit to its neighbours. Such a tax 
would cost little to collect, as the machinery exists already in the 
gathering in of the sheep tax. So much for the district. 
Next, the locomotive department has to be dealt with. If we 
are to have true light railways, not those in which lightness of 
cost of construction is to be more than balanced by exhausting 
maintenance, and other annual expenditure, locomotive engineers 
must design engines that will turn round sharp corners so as to 
enable sharp curves to be used, and thus minimise works, even — 
though such engines entail more complication of machinery and 
more parts to keep in repair than the ordinary types. In con- 
nexion with this, it may be mentioned, that two estimates were 
recently made for a considerable length of line in this colony 
through a moderately rough country, taking curves of twelve chains 
radius for one, and six chains for the other. One half the earth- 
work and one-third of the culvert work were saved, and the grades 
improved on the sharper curved line, the length being increased 
thirteen per cent. and the saving in cost on the original mileage 
amounted to about £2,400 per mile. Now if we take as an 
example a line of this kind of fifty miles long, and assume say half 
of this £2,400, that is to say £1,200 per mile to be saved, we have 
£1,200 x 50 equal £60,000, the interest of which, at four per cent., 
is £2,400 per annum. Now supposing two engines, which is an 
outside estimate, to be in use on such a branch, and the total 
annual repairs per engine under ordinary circumstances to be 
£350, that is to say £700 for the two, and, by reason of the com- 
plication introduced, fifty per cent extra repairs to be required, 
still the balance in favour of the cheaper line would be enormous. 
Increased train resistance by sharper ruling curvature need 
hardly be considered, as this would probably be more than com- 
pensated by the easing of grades, which the extra length involved 
