ANNUAL ADDRESS. 1X. 
miles, isolated, a mileage nearly as great as the Southern Queens- 
land section already referred to. 
Another scheme would be to convert, to the standard gauge, the 
Albury to Melbourne main line, but this would be only to destroy 
the one break at the border, while creating new ones at the 
numerous points where this line connects with the whole of the 
Victorian North Western system, thus hampering a large pro- 
portion of Victorian local traffic. It would be robbing Peter 
to pay Paul. 
If then the complete unification of the gauges is nothing but a 
happy dream, impossible now of practical realization, the probable 
trend of traffic under future conditions will chiefly be the guide 
in estimating where, and to what extent, partial unification 
should be carried out, leaving such breaks as are unavoidable 
in any partial scheme, in as unobjectionable places as possible. 
There are serious constructional objections to a mixed gauge, 
especially when the two are so much alike as the 4’ 8}” and 5’ 3” 
—64” only being the difference, while there are others connected 
with the working which are of importance ; nevertheless, owing 
to the future direction of the traffic, I am convinced that in this 
mixed gauge lies the best present solution of the question. When, 
after Federation, the traffic is absolutely unhampered by border 
duties, preferential rates and unequal import duties at Sydney 
and Melbourne, which now chiefly operate in obstructing inter- 
course between the south and west of New South Wales and the 
city and port of Melbourne, a third rail southwards from Albury, 
and from Deniliquin, to Melbourne and its harbour, will abolish 
‘the break of gauge as regards this large and, no doubt, increasing 
traffic. Of course trade between the places away from these two 
Main Victorian lines and New South Wales, would still have to 
be transhipped, but rather than pay the large amount of annual 
interest on the outlay necessary for the conversion of over 3,000 
miles of Victorian railways and rolling stock, it would be better 
for the general treasury to pay the extra tonnage rates incurred 
by the transhipment of this comparatively speaking small traffic. 
