Publicly accessible
URL: http://www.nzetc.org/collections.html
copyright 2008, by Victoria University of Wellington
All unambiguous end-of-line hyphens have been removed, and the trailing part of a word has been joined to the preceding line.
Some keywords in the header are a local Electronic Text Centre scheme to aid in establishing analytical groupings.
The Audit Office, Wellington, N.Z., 7th June, 1928.
I hereby certify that after investigation of the publisher's lists and other records the average circulation of the New Zealand Railways Magazine for the 12 months ended May, 1928, is in excess of 20,000 copies per month during the whole of that period.
Controller and Auditor-General.
The trial of the newly imported “Garratt” articulated locomotives on our lines draws attention anew to the scale and scope of transport developments in recent years. In 1924 we had six hundred and fifty-five locomotives in operation built in forty-seven classes. The tractive effort of the largest of these was 26,620lbs., and there were only eighteen locomotives of this type. At that time only one-third of our locomotives had a tractive effort of 20,000lbs. or over.
Last year our total locomotive stock was six hundred and seventy-eight, the proportion of higher powered engines had been increased, an additional seventy-four being capable of 20,000lbs. or over of tractive effort, and the number of classes had been reduced to forty—but still we had no unit capable of higher tractive effort than the “X” class (26,620lbs.) engine, weighing, in working trim, 94 tons. The new “Garratts,” just introduced, with their 51,580lbs. of tractive power and a working weight of 146 tons, really constitute the commencement of a revolution in locomotive practice in New Zealand, and bring the general question of transport under review once more.
To carry locomotives of this type it became necessary that the whole permanent way should be considered anew, and the strengthening of bridges and other track structures undertaken before bringing these monsters of the iron road into operation.
Their capacity, however, was so well related to the needs of our traffic that the additional expenditure on permanent way strengthening would be fully warranted.
A somewhat similar position has arisen upon the main highways of New Zealand. Commercial motor vehicles of greater power and weight have been put into use, and the Government and local bodies responsible for the upkeep of the roads have found it necessary to greatly strengthen the roads to enable them to stand up to the traffic. It is all simply a question of engineering—a certain class of road (whether a highway or a railway track) can only carry vehicles of a certain weight. Its character and strength must be changed according to the weight of the vehicles it is required to carry. But the Railway, the user, has to find the money for any expenditure upon its tracks, whereas the users of commercial motor vehicles do not bear the cost of road improvements—that cost is borne by the Government or the local body concerned. And some local bodies are becoming seriously concerned because of the loads which the heavier types of road vehicles
If the Railways could take advantage of heavier transport units and shoulder on to some third party the expense of the additionally-strong tracks needed, no doubt there would be a strong desire to move steadily along in the direction of still heavier and more powerful locomotives, and the economic advantage to the Railways would be great indeed. But as the Railways and their road competitors are not nearly on a parity in regard to the charges for maintenance and service they have to meet, the task of providing that the most economical transport service may be secured for the country is decidedly difficult. In the meantime experimentation in big engine transport is fully justified. The principal ground for this belief is that it offers scope for operating economies more promising than that to be found in almost any other field, and its initiation in New Zealand has already indicated a possible solution to some of our most pressing problems.
The latest available figures in regard to railway working indicate an improvement of over £3,000 for the whole undertaking during the four-weekly period ended 2nd. February. On top of this, the latest weekly returns to hand disclose a very substantial increase in traffic and revenue in all districts. It is clear that the improvement in passenger business is due to better weather conditions, and that the late season is now bringing in heavy consignments of live stock and wool, hitherto delayed. One result has been that a big strain has been placed on the available rolling stock, and both transportation and workshops staffs have been hard pressed to keep the supply up to requirements. From present indications it appears likely that the traffic in the last weeks of the financial year will still further improve the revenue position. The new excursion traffic, built upon a system of liberal fares for special outings, is further assisting the expansion of business.
Noteworthy recent additions to the French locomotive stocks are a batch of ninety 4-8-4 four-cylinder compound passenger tank engines acquired by the Paris, Lyons and Mediterranean Railway. The employment of tank engines having eight coupled wheels and with four-wheeled bogie trucks at each end is an innovation in Europe, and the performance of these new locomotives in traffic will be watched with interest.
The need for a liberal interpretation of public transport requirements was never greater than at the present day. The difficulty is to properly understand these requirements and then relate the provision of facilities and appliances, disposal of rolling stock, and allocation of motive power in just proportions.
In order to obtain the best possible information I recognise it as necessary that there should be an uninterrupted relation of knowledge through all the grades in every branch of the service towards the general management, and a return radiation of the accumulated pooled knowledge and of the decisions made in relation thereto through each of the respective branches.
In achieving this purpose I have found it convenient at times to hold conferences of different grades upon special points requiring the best information available for their solution. For instance I had occasion some while back to call together representative shunters to discuss matters arising out of their daily work. This last month a conference of principal stationmasters was held to discuss the passenger transport requirements of their respective localities with a view to settling designs of cars and improving operating efficiency in the interests of the public.
Both conferences, as well as the monthly meeting of Branch heads, have helped and are helping to bring about a wider outlook and more adhesive spirit amongst the staff, which will result in steadily improving service to the public. Everywhere I find evidence amongst the staff of a disposition to be frankly helpful in securing traffic for the Railways and an abundance of ideas as to how this can best be done, whilst among the public there is a growing appreciation of the real effort made to convey them and their goods safely and economically along the railway lines of the Dominion.
These methods are helping to bring a freshness and elasticity into the organisation from which nothing but good can result. To quote Lord Riddell, “It looks as if the efficient will inherit the earth and the misty and obscure will be left in the lurch.” Upon points of general administration covering the community nature of the service it is the function of the Railways to perform, I hope to be able always to arrive at a full understanding with the public by helpful discussion with representative bodies, so that nothing may be left misty or obscure in regard to them. Within the service, efficiency has been maintained at a high level, and will be still further improved when the reticulation of Departmental information and knowledge is perfected along the lines indicated above.
General Manager.
Saw ye a peak 'mid the ranges—
Majestic where peaks are high—
Cradled in billows of sombre mist
Above where the Keas fly?
—John Maclennan.
A Popular All-the-Year-Round Holiday Resort.
Mt. Cook (12,349ft.), the Monarch of the Southern Alps, South Island, New Zealand, seen across the Hooker River.
“The standard of demand on the part of the public can be developed overnight, but the ability to supply this demand cannot be adjusted so easily,” said Mr. Sterling, when replying to the toast of the “Railway Department,” at a dinner given to celebrate the electrification of the Lyttelton tunnel. Mr. Sterling enunciated this as the railway problem in tabloid form, and showed that there were certain services which the railways performed which were community services and were not capable of being put down on the Department's balance sheet as a direct asset.
He said that demand altered so rapidly and radically that what was suitable yesterday would not suffice to-day. The trouble was that the standards of demand altered much more quickly than those of supply. One thing was certain, the people of to-day would not tolerate smoky tunnels. Better accommodation, speed and safety were all demanded by the public, but finding the finance to supply them was quite another matter.
No one realised this better than he and his colleagues. It was not a question so much of what they wanted, but what they thought they should ask for. “We must be dubbed not only askers but also constructive thinkers, so that we may be able to estimate our position,” he added. “We try to think beyond the present.”
As for his management of the railways, he said he had no magic wand. The adjustment of the supply to the altered demand would take money and effort, and both these required time. This adjustment could not be effected overnight.
He realised that it was sound logic for a standard to be set and for the executive officers to be expected to attain it. This standard had in recent times been stated by some in the form of “making the railways pay.”
“The railways can pay only as a community investment,” Mr. Sterling continued. “You can put the debit down in £ s. d.—but what about the credit? You cannot evaluate social service, which must reach a certain standard the same as any other. Regard the problem as one of accountancy if you like, with a capital of 55 millions. If it were then said to the executive, ‘Do what you like, but make the railways pay as a self contained commercial proposition,’ the first thing one would light on would be the workers' weekly tickets. They are quite unremunerative so far as the railways are concerned. But would anyone say these ought to be abolished?” This was an example of the kind of service which the railways performed, the value of which was well known and universally accepted without question, but which value could not be stated in terms of money so as to enable the service to be shewn in the figures of the accounts.
“Looking back over the intervening years from the humble beginning of our railway system, we cannot but be struck with the pioneering work of the railway builders of those days. The construction of the Lyttelton tunnel was a large work for the Canterbury Provincial Government to undertake, and it says much for the foresight, enthusiasm and courage of the pioneers that such an important link in the transport system was brought to a successful conclusion.—Hon. W. B. Taverner.
With a view to preserving in permanent form a record of the ideas and “atmosphere” associated with the Lyttelton section electrification, we are appending extracts from some of the principal speeches made on the opening day.
On the arrival of the official electric trains at Lyttelton on 14th February an impressive function was held in the Shaw, Savill and Albion Company's huge new wool and grain store, where about 800 guests were entertained at afternoon tea, and a number of eulogistic speeches were made.
The Minister of Railways, the Hon. W. B. Taverner, presided, and others seated at the official table were:—The Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Ward), Mrs. Taverner, the Mayor of Lyttelton (Mr. F. E. Sutton) and Mrs. Sutton, the Mayor of Christ-church (the Rev. J. K. Archer) and Mrs. Archer, the Right Hon. J. G. Coates (Leader of the Opposition), Mr. H. H. Sterling (General Manager of Railways), Mrs. B. B. Wood, Mr. J. E. Strachan (president of the Progress League), Mr. Norton Francis (president of the Chamber of Commerce), Mr. D. G. Sullivan, M. P., and Mrs. Sullivan, Mr. J. M'Combs, M.P., and Mrs. M'Combs, Mr. R. W. Hawke, M.P., and Mr. J. S. Neville (Town Clerk, Christchurch) and Mrs. Neville.
After the loyal toast had been honoured, the chairman extended a welcome to the guests, and remarked upon the importance of the occasion, not only to the people of Lyttelton and Christchurch, but to the country as a whole.
Continuing his speech, the Minister said:—“You have just travelled by the first passenger trains drawn by electric locomotives through one of the best-known and most discussed engineering works in the Dominion, the Moorhouse tunnel, and on the journey you no doubt made comparisons between steam and electric traction.
‘The Christ-church - Lyttelton railway has a long and interesting history. This district was the first in New Zealand to recognise the value of railways as a means of developing the country; and it is due to the enterprise of the early settlers of this province that the first section of railway was opened from Christchurch to Ferrymead in 1863. Until the piercing of the tunnel was accomplished traffic between Christchurch and Lyttelton was carried by means of the river and the Ferrymead-Christchurch railway line. The completion of the line to Lyttelton and the successful accomplishment of the great work of piercing the tunnel enabled through railway communicaton between Lyttelton and Christchurch to be opened on December 1, 1867.
“On an occasion such as this, one's thoughts naturally turn to those very early days when there was neither rail nor road transport between Port Lyttelton and Christchurch. In that historic letter written by Mr. Wakefield to Governor Sir George Grey mention is made—with no small degree of pride—that a bridle road had been completed from Christchurch to Heath-cote Ferry. At this time the future city consisted of half a dozen houses and some huts.
“Many records exist of the almost insurmountable difficulty which confronted the early settlers in overcoming the barrier which the Port Hills presented, and only their indomitable spirit and the knowledge that immense fertile plains awaited settlement, upheld the pioneers in their arduous task. It is with the greatest possible pleasure that we have to-day with us some who were amongst the first to arrive at Lyttelton. The development of transport facilities from bridle track to road, then to a modern steam railway; and to-day to assist in the celebration of the new electric traction, is indeed a record of which they may justly be proud.
“It is somewhat interesting to note that while a 5ft. 3in. gauge was adopted for the Lyttelton-Christchurch line, the first lines constructed in Auckland and Otago had the standard English gauge of 4ft. 8½in. Had the construction of railways in New Zealand proceeded piece-meal by the provinces in the fashion it commenced, no doubt New Zealand would have now a variety of railway gauges such as exists in Australia to-day. These gauge troubles, however, were finally solved by the historic Railways Act of 1870, and the 3ft. 6in. gauge was adopted as a standard for the Dominion. At this period forty-seven miles of railway were in operation, of which twenty-nine miles were in Canterbury—the line extending from Selwyn to Lyttelton—and it is worthy of note that even in those early days the progressive spirit of the Canterbury people was evident.
“The adoption of the progressive railway construction policy materially facilitated the settlement of the inland areas of the Dominion, and I am safe in saying that the railway became the symbol of progressive settlement and contributed largely to the prosperity which followed.
“The venture of the Canterbury Provincial Government in constructing the Lyttelton tunnel and the energy with which they added to their railway system was the first important step in unlocking the rich district of Canterbury; and I am sure we of the present generation must ascribe no small degree to the prosperity of the province to-day to the vision and faith of those sturdy pioneers.
“During recent years it has become quite evident that to continue working the Christchurch—Lyttelton line by steam traction on a single track was not satisfactory, and in order to overcome the discomforts experienced comprehensive investigations were made in order to arrive at a satisfactory solution of the problem. The growth of the traffic and the necessities of modern standards of travel required that something should be done in order adequately to remove any hindrances from the natural development of Canterbury, and, indeed, of the whole of the South Island. After due consideration, and having regard to the desirability of giving an improved service on this line, it was finally decided to electrify the Lyttellon-Christchurch section, and the work is now an accomplished fact.
“During the last few years the officers of the Department have been interested in assembling information regarding the early history of railroad development of this Dominion, and it has been found that, the material available in regard to that period is at times somewhat scarce. I was very pleased to learn that an early pioneer, Mrs. A. Williams, of Dublin Street, Lyttelton, was able to supply some of the gaps in our knowledge upon matters relating to the opening of this particular line. Mrs. Williams remembers seeing the first engine landed and seeing also how after the vessel that brought it arrived at Lyttelton, her masts were unshipped and she was towed round over the Sumner bar to Heath-cote and the engine landed at Ferrymead. I had much pleasure in sending an invitation to Mrs. Williams to be present at this function to-day, and I trust that after this long span of years she found an equal pleasure in travelling by the first electric train as she did when she made the journey in the first steam train ever run between Christchurch and Lyttelton sixty-one years ago, in the care of Driver Beverley and Guard Penfold.
“As affording some idea of the development of traffic since the line was originally opened I may mention that in the first year the number of passengers carried was 123,159, and the total tonnage of goods 50,953 tons; while for the year ending March 31st, 1928, the number of passengers was 1,125,473 and the tonnage of goods 673,446.
“Before concluding, I desire to express my appreciation of the manner in which the electrification has been carried out by the officers and men concerned. A work such as this calls for a high standard of organisation and the satisfactory manner in which the whole installation has been performed reflects the greatest credit on those concerned.
“I have no doubt that from now on the cessation of the discomforts of the long tunnel trip and the provision of a faster and improved service will materially assist in the further development of the province, and incidentally the Railway Department. The service which the Railway Department is now in a position to provide on this section is amply adequate for the passenger and goods requirements of the district for many years to come.
“I am extremely pleased with the response to the invitations which it was my pleasure to have sent out to the early pioneers and men and women who have assisted well and truly to lay the foundations upon which we are able so confidently to build at present; and it is gratifying to find so representative a delegation from the
“In conclusion may I state how delighted I am that the first important function at which I have been called upon to officiate since assuming the portfolio of Railways is one which I am sure will still further assist in the prosperity and development of the Province of Canterbury.” (Applause.)
The Prime Minister was accorded an ovation on rising to propose the toast of “Port and Centre.” He said he wished to take the opportunity of saying that he had accepted the invitation to come to this important centre because he felt that the occasion was one of supreme importance to the country as a whole, although more particularly to the people of Christchurch, Lyttelton, and the great and growing district of Canterbury. The development of the centres in which the people lived was most important. When the Lyttelton-Christchurch railway was opened the total length of the railways in Canterbury was seven miles only, and to-day it was 520 miles, and in that period the population had increased from a few thousands to over 220,000. To-day, although some of them might not realise it, Canterbury was recognised as one of the most important districts in the whole of New Zealand. (Applause.)
The Moorhouse Tunnel.
Heathcote portal of the tunnel, shewing electrical equipment.
Another reason why he had come down from Wellington to attend the function, said Sir Joseph, was that he was impressed with the fact that it was a unique occasion in the history of railway development in New Zealand. There had been an expenditure of £50,000,000 on the railways of the Dominion and this was the first time that a section of the working railways had been converted from steam to electric traction. He did not want to be misunderstood in saying that. It was not the only electrified line in New Zealand. Canterbury had a share of the only other electric railway line, the Otira tunnel section, but it was not a part of the working railways at the time it was electrified. The section of railway over which they had travelled that day was the first section of the working railways to be electrified.
Referring to the history of the electrification, the Prime Minister said that after Parliament had granted its authority for the work, New Zealand, as part of the British Empire, went through the terrible war. The war brought a financial cyclone, which swept the British Empire and did not leave New Zealand out of its course. Consequently it was not possible to proceed with the electrification for some years, and the consummation of their hopes had taken fourteen years.
It would be supremely ridiculous on his part or on the part of anyone present to think that the electrification of the railways of New Zealand would stop with the completion of seven miles of line between Christchurch and Lyttelton. The hydro-electric schemes had been introduced to utilise the waste waters of the great lakes, and even with the development that had taken place New Zealand still had more water running to waste than any other country.
The electrification of the line was the initiation of something that was certain to be extended. He believed that a cheap process for the application of electricity to the railways
The Prime Minister said that they must know that no Government and no Parliament could hurry a matter like that. The development of the country was limited to a large extent by the necessities of the people and the amount of money the Government could get and spend in each year. While the completion of the Christchurch-Lyttelton section would act as a great stimulus to the electrification of the lines between other ports and cities, and suburban lines, such as Auckland to Onehunga, Wellington to Upper Hutt, etc., he had very little hesitation in saying: “Leave it alone and stand off for a period of seven years before asking the country to take the added burden that would result.” There was no reason, he considered, why they should not take note of the object lesson of the completion of this seven miles of railway. New Zealand was a wonderful country and last year the value of its exports had reached the huge total of £56,000,000. There were increases in all the staple products, wool, butter, cheese, and frozen meat. That very often carried the unthinking off their feet, but no Government would be justified in taking any credit for the value of the exports of this or any other country except those created by its own industry. It was a good thing for the country to see the magnificent increase in prices, but it was a bad thing for the unthinking to rely upon that and expect the Government to do what prudent men would not do in their own businesses. Whoever was ruling the country could not afford to assume that high prices were going to continue always.
An Historic Event.
Landing one of the new electric locomotives at Lyttelton.
Sir Joseph added that he was not a pessimist and did not want to be mistaken for one. Some people put him down as a terrible optimist, and he always tried to take an optimistic view.
With regard to the railways he said that he cherished the very fond hope that in the future they would be in a much better position than they were to-day. He did not wish to disguise the fact that very great difficulties faced this important service. He believed, however, that the men in the service would leave nothing undone to promote the best interests of the railways, but anyone who ran away with the idea that it was an easy task was very much mistaken.
Additions to the open lines of railways could not go on at the rate at which they were going on now. Mr. Taverner and Mr. Sterling recognised, as all others in the service recognised, that a very big task was set before the Department and the Government and handling the greatest service in New Zealand, and they needed all the co-operation the public could give them.
After referring briefly to certain historical facts in connection with New Zealand, the Prime Minister went on to say that only the foundations had been laid of this wonderful country. He did not know of any other country which was blessed as was this Dominion. Climatically there was nothing to beat New Zealand. He had never understood the reasoning of people who thought New Zealand had reached the limit of its development. In years to come the Dominion should have a population of between three and four millions of people. Of course, the population should not increase too rapidly—circumstances would not allow it—but, if they made up their minds to put people on small areas of land, they would lay the foundations of important development. In fifty years he believed New Zealand would be looked upon as a powerful young nation. (Applause.)
On rising to respond to the Parliamentary toast, the Right Hon. J. G. Coates received an ovation. He said:
“I acknowledge the courtesy of the Government in inviting me, and the facilities placed in my way to inspect the wonderful work of New Zealand engineers who, with the help of an outside expert and those fine fellows, the New Zealand men, completed this great task in such a satisfactory manner. I don't know really whether it is a good or a bad thing. It opens up new problems. For one thing, while the ‘Black Hole’ was in existence, the members for Canterbury, Otago and Southland were united on at least one point. The problem of the old system made the South Island members pull together, and they did so with some success. But what about poor, benighted Wellington and Auckland? (Laughter.) Canterbury has been in the lead in many things. It had the first railway, the first Government hydro-electric scheme, and now it had the second stretch of railway to be electrified in the country, while the North lags behind. I may say, for what it is worth, that we should progress to the point of getting all lines electrified.
Canterbury'S Well-Sheltered Harbour.
Lyttelton, the busy port of Canterbury, and the terminal point of the Inter-Island train and ferry service.
“Ladies and gentlemen, don't forget the Progress League, and all the other people who, with a united voice, cried for the improvement of the tunnel. It was finally done, on an economic basis, and soon will be through as far as Addington. Just as railway economics indicate, so New Zealand will electrify her railway lines. We will not stand still—we will continue and gradually electrify many lines.
“It gives me great pleasure to see my old friend Sir Joseph Ward here in health and fitness, and I hope his leadership is a pleasant one—though it is not my job to make it pleasant! (Laughter.) Certainly, the policy of growing our own wheat is right. What protection wheat growers have will certainly remain for some time to come. That, at least, will stop some New Zealand money from going out of the country, and tend to make our country self reliant while the cost to the consumer compares favourably. I bear a message from those in the North, congratulating you on the work that has been done, and lauding the great incentive the pioneers gave you. The problem is now how best to carry on the heritage that the pioneers handed down.”
In his current letter our special London Correspondent discusses a variety of important problems engaging the attention of the railway authorities overseas, and the interesting developments in progress to keep the railways thoroughly abreast of the times.
Freight traffic handling to-day forms quite as important a task for the majority of railways as the business of passenger transport. With a view to reducing labour costs and affording more efficient working in the handling of freight traffic, much ingenious equipment is now being pressed into service. In the Homeland, and throughout Europe generally, the most promising development in this direction is the increasing utilisation of the container system of freight handling. This method of operation gives a commercial facility of considerable value to shippers, while enabling the railways to meet, to the fullest degree, the competition of the road carrier and to effect valuable savings in the handling of small packages of miscellaneous merchandise.
On the Home railways there have been evolved four standard types of container, corresponding to the body part of the covered railway wagon and open railway wagon respectively, in full wagon size and half wagon size. The containers are constructed of both steel and wood, the system providing, in simple language, for the body of the railway wagon to be detachable from its wheels. As a general rule, the Home lines supply containers for the movement of consignments of one ton and upwards only, from one shipper to one consignee. Rough traffics, such as bricks, ironmongery, and tiles, are not, at present, given container service, the main types of traffic handled by container being confectionery, stationery and foodstuffs. Very shortly it seems likely that an international container service, covering all Europe, will be set up. This would work on similar lines to what is accomplished in the sleeping car field by the International Sleeping Car Company. The undertaking would be empowered to operate in all European lands, standardised railway wagons and road motors being specially built for the movement of containers. At the present time, a proposal to establish an international concern of this type, emanating from an Italian source, is receiving the careful consideration of the International Union of Railways, the International Chamber of Commerce, and other interested organisations.
The majority of the containers employed in Britain are constructed in the railway shops. This follows a long-established practice, for each of the four group systems build, by far, the bulk of their goods wagons themselves, while much of the passenger stock is also constructed in the railway works.
In a recent paper delivered to a Home railway audience, Mr. H. N. Gresley, Chief Mechanical Engineer of the London and North Eastern line, reviewed in able fashion, recent developments in rolling stock construction.
The employment of steel in place of wood was named by Mr. Gresley as an outstanding development in modern rolling-stock construction. Two methods of building steel carriage bodies in Britain were outlined. In the first, the vertical members or pillars, the roof supports and the longitudinal rails are all riveted together and to the underframe, forming a skeleton, to which the outside pannelling is riveted. The second, and more favoured arrangement, is known as the unit method. The roof, ends and sides are each built up separately on jigs or frames, and the whole of the panelling attached. The sides and ends are erected completely on the underframe, and on top of these the whole roof, built as a separate unit, is lowered. This unit method of construction works out relatively cheap when a number of vehicles are being turned out to a single pattern.
A feature of L. & N.E.R. practice is the employment of articulated passenger carriages, and it is interesting to learn that, at the outset, the introduction of the articulated carriage arose through the fact that the passenger carriage stock of the line included a number of six-wheeled vehicles which had become very bad riders. As they were built throughout of teak, and in splendid condition, it would have been a costly affair to have scrapped these bad-riders and replaced them by entirely new stock. To meet the situation, Mr. Gresley conceived the idea of joining two of these carriages together with a flexible connection and putting a bogie under the junction point. The articulated passenger carriage thus had its birth, and to-day forms the entire make-up of a no less famous train than the “Flying Scotsman.”
Notwithstanding the extended utilisation of electricity, coal still remains supreme as the medium for generating power for railway transport. The coal bill of every railway is a most formidable item of expense, and any endeavour which holds out possibilities for economy in this direction, is worthy of the most wholehearted encouragement. The economies which might be secured by the utilisation of pulverised fuel for locomotive firing have often been discussed, and at the present time the Southern Railway of England is about to embark upon important trials of pulverised fuel, employing, for this purpose, a type of equipment produced
The London And North Eastern Railway.
A British locomotive (now belonging to the London and North Eastern Group) which is fired on coal and oil mixture.
There will doubtless be some among the thousands of railway readers of this Magazine who can recall joyous trips performed nearly thirty years ago on that world-famous London line—the “Twopenny Tube.” The Central London Railway, as this system is officially styled, will, before long, probably be extended to stretch westwards to Hayes, in Middlesex, for negotiations to this end are at present in hand between the Underground Group and the Great Western Railway. The extension would afford greatly improved facilities for city folk travelling to and from the residential territory lying west of Ealing Broadway, the present terminus.
In the heart of the Londoner the Central London Railway has always occupied a warm place. First opened in 1900, the line provided, among other features, a uniform fare of twopence over all stages of the six-mile run between the Bank of England Station and Shepherd's Bush. In order to deal with the traffic arising out of the Franco-British Exhibition of 1908, the Central London westerly terminus was converted into the Wood Lane Loop, and, in 1912, there was brought into use an easterly extension connecting the Bank Station with Liverpool Street. The westerly extension to Ealing Broadway, on the Great Western line, dates from immediately after the Great War.
At the present moment rail-air combination travel is being considered as a means of increasing the revenues of the railways of Ireland, and further popularising Erin's Isle as a summer tourist resort. The Irish railways of to-day are nothing if not enterprising. Until a few years ago, Ireland possessed four big railway systems—the Great Southern and Western, the Great Northern, the Midland Great Western, and the Dublin and South Eastern. Added to these were a large number of relatively small undertakings of local interest. To-day one big railway, known as the Great Southern, serves the whole of the Irish Free State. The Irish railways are all built to a gauge of 5ft. 3in., which enables especially roomy passenger carriages to be employed. Dublin is the railway centre of the land, and the Broadstone Station of the Great Southern line is an imposing structure, having a total
As far as railway development is concerned, no corner of the world is making more rapid progress than Germany. A recent survey issued by the German railway authorities states that, during 1927, the German railways handled 1,909,000,000 passengers and 489,000,000 tons of merchandise. Steam locomotives number 24,575 and electric locomotives 316. The German railways operate some 62,940 passenger carriages, and the stock of goods wagons totals 674,318. As a result of a consistent effort at standardisation, the number of types of locomotives in service on the German lines has been reduced from 250 in 1920 to 40 at the present time. Despite this standardisation, the door is being left open to experiment, and, at the moment, attention is being devoted to the development of high pressure locomotives, some of these experimental machines having steam pressures as high as 880lbs. per square inch.
On The Continent Of Europe.
Coblenz, an important railway centre of South-west Germany.
Once served by a large number of distinct railway undertakings operating in the various States, Germany is now supplied with railway transport by one huge undertaking, with headquarters in Berlin. Thanks to the amalgamation of the several smaller systems into one large undertaking, through passenger and freight train movement has been immensely bettered. As indicating the high standard of service ruling to-day, it may be stated that fast freight trains now run the full length of the River Rhine, from the Dutch to the Swiss frontiers, in exactly twenty hours, while the efficient manner in which railway passenger traffic is conducted, both on the main-lines and in the rural areas, is a matter of astonishment to every visitor to Germany. During the war years (or rather in the Armistice days that followed), it was the good fortune of your Correspondent to hold several important railway commands in the Rhineland, and the wonderful efficiency of the German personnel, high and low, made a most striking impression. Workers of all grades were especially keen to give satisfaction, and, at the present time, the teamwork existing among all ranks of the German railways is accomplishing wonders in the rehabilitation of the undertaking.
Locomotive Development In New Zealand.
“Garratt” articulated locomotive hauling record load out of Wellington, over Johnsonville Hills, in preliminary trial.
Particulars regarding the Essay Competition, arranged in October last by the Railways Publicity Branch and the Education Department, on the subject, “The Value to the Community of the New Zealand Government Railways,” with the two winning essays in Groups C and D (primary schools with roll exceeding 100 pupils, and secondary and technical schools), were printed in our February issue. The concluding essays in the series submitted, those winning first places in Groups B and A (sole charge country schools, and country schools with roll not exceeding 100 pupils), are printed below.
The citizens of New Zealand have a great deal for which to be thankful. New Zealand, though such a young country, has many benefits bestowed upon it. One of these benefits is the system of the New Zealand Government Railways. This has penetrated into many parts of New Zealand, opening up large tracts of new land that otherwise would be practically useless. In Otago, where the farmers use lime, the lime is conveyed for the first hundred miles free of charge.
Then, too, travelling by train is much cheaper. Travelling in a car is much more costly and tiresome. On a long journey, the railway proves to be quicker, safer, and a more comfortable way of transport. If one is wishing to travel by night, sleeping accommodation is provided for a little extra payment on the expresses. This is one advantage. Another great advantage is that one may book one's seat, and enjoy a seat to oneself. One may book a seat some days beforehand, and may rest assured of getting a good seat, no matter how crowded the train is. This is a very great advantage to persons travelling in haste. Children under twelve years of age may travel at half-rates. Also, children under the age of three may travel free of charge. To assist families the railway now carries parents and all children under sixteen years of age for the price of three ordinary or excursion second-class return adult fares. The larger the family the greater the concession.
Excursion tickets also are issued at Christmas and Easter holidays. One may purchase tourist excursion tickets for touring the whole of New Zealand for £16 5s. Then, also, one ticket may be purchased for touring one Island only for £10.
Every precaution is taken to safeguard passengers travelling by railway. The provision of the most modern signalling apparatus together with the maintenance of rolling stock and running lines in a high state of efficiency ensure to the passengers a degree of safety not attainable by other modes of travel.
How cheap, too, is the freight on the goods carried by the railway. Much cheaper are the transport costs on the railway than by motor transport. Here, where I live, there is no railway. The nearest station is Ross, a town fifty miles off, and the charge on live stock, wool and other farm produce is more from here to Ross than from Ross to Addington, a distance of one hundred and eighty miles. The number of sheep, lambs, cattle, and bales of wool railed from Ross is enormous.
Since the Otira tunnel has been completed the Canterbury markets are brought within a day's journey of the West Coast. This is a great boon to the sheep and cattle farmers on the West Coast. All the farmers now have to do is to put their stock on the train at Ross and the stock goes direct to Addington. Addington is our chief stock market. The railway, therefore, though being cheaper, allows the stock to arrive in a better condition, and so the stock brings a better price.
The railway is also used to convey timber from the timber areas to the building centres. The
Some idea will be gained of the low charge for the conveyance of goods traffic when it is realised that the average charge last year for carrying one ton of goods for a distance of one mile was not quite two and a half-pence. This is a very much cheaper way than the motor conveyance.
This is a remarkable instance of the railways cheapness compared with the motor transport. My mother had purchased a bicycle in Christchurch and wanted it to be conveyed to my home. The railway carriage on it from Christchurch to Hokitika, a distance of one hundred and sixty-five miles, was two shillings and sixpence. Yet the cost on the cartage from Hokitika to here was three times as much as the railway carriage. This was for a distance of seventy miles. It may seem incredible, but for all that it is true.
Where Thousands of Tons of Timber are Handled Annually.
Hokitika Railway Station and Yard, West Coast, South Island
Ah! what a blessing it would be if only the railway could be extended southward—even as far as Waiho would indeed prove a blessing. I hope to live to see the opening of a railway at Waiho Gorge.
The railway lines through New Zealand, from North to South, and from East to West, linking town to town, and bringing the country in touch with the city, are our great national highways.
The trains, efficient, reliable, and safe, are of all our means of transport the most popular. Day after day the trains are busy carrying their hundreds of people, one and all, safely and surely to their destinations. Business people arrive punctually at their destination, and children in hundreds are carried from their home station to school, and safely return.
Seeing a train come into a station is a beautiful sight. The carriages glide along smoothly and in a most orderly fashion, and perhaps a hundred passengers are brought to this one place at the same time. This is a wonderful achievement.
A long journey is a test of the comfort, efficiency, and reliability of the Government Railways. Should the day be wintry, one is quite cosy in the comfortably heated carriages, and in the luxurious seats provided people suffer no discomforts from the cheerless winter conditions prevailing outside. On a bright day how pleasant it is to sit by a window and view the changing scenery as the train
The transport of the animals is carried on most efficiently. Over 459,943 cattle, 9,312,987 sheep and pigs, were carried safely by the train last year. The transport of the thousands of passengers (over 26,000,000 were carried last year) brings a revenue of many thousands of pounds (the actual amount collected last year was £2,149,642).
But this is not all. The carriage of mails is a very important branch of the railway service, and the revenue from the carriage of thousands of cattle sheep and pigs amounts to the great sum of £4,684,659. Timber, wool, flax, butter and cheese, amounting to thousands of tons, carried by the railways, brings in a large revenue, making the total receipts a sum beyond the earning capacity of any other transport system.
On the Northern Section.
Goods train approaching Newmarket Station, Auckland. (Photo, W. W. Stewart.)
The New Zealand Government Railways handled this great amount of traffic without a single mishap, and the people know the familiar words “Safety First,” not as a mere phrase, but as an actual fact.
The control and upkeep of the 3,180 miles of railway lines, with the necessary equipment for coping with the enormous traffic, means the employment of thousands of men, each specially trained and fitted for his work.
The Maintenance Branch looks after the line and buildings—which are stations for the convenience of passengers and residences for the workers.
The Locomotive Branch has a most important task—that of keeping the engines and carriages in good running order. Every part of the train must be tested to make travelling safe.
The Operating Branch, as the name suggests, does the work of securing efficient working of trains. Time-tables are made and strictly adhered to, in order to avoid confusion. The trains must be despatched punctually, and run according to the time-table. Thus the New Zealand Government Railways have been of the greatest value to the community in providing a comfortable, safe, and efficient means of travel, not excelled by any other means of transport.
If we carefully examine the annual report of the New Zealand Railways we shall have little cause to regret the introduction of this means of communication into this young and beautiful country. On the contrary, since railways have been used in New Zealand great progress has been made in the development of our primary industries.
Those who have derived the most benefit are undoubtedly the landowners. Railways tend to closer settlement, and hence more production. Land which has previously been unoccupied, immediately becomes valuable, and thus improves the country from the industrial and financial points of view.
Goods can now be carried from one part of the country to another at very reasonable rates, and for that reason production has increased, until, not only is there sufficient produce for our own country, but even a greater quantity for exportation to Great Britain. People cannot be continually taking the good out of the ground without putting something back. The special low rates of freight on fertilisers is a boon to farmers. Every encouragement is given to all types of farming. Special arrangements are made for the carrying of sheep, cattle and pigs, even from the remotest parts of the country. The farmers take full advantage of the facilities, as is shown by the great number of animals carried annually.
One of New Zealand's Primary Industries.
(Photo. L. Hinge.) Mustering sheep on a foggy morning, near Taihape, North Island, New Zealand. (Over 9,312,987 sheep and pigs were carried by rail last year.)
The timber industry has been vastly improved since railways opened. Timber was let go to waste in former days on account of there being no ways of transporting it. Some of it was carted away by teams of bullocks, but this was a very slow and expensive procedure. Now that the railways penetrate into the heart of our thickest forest there is no difficulty in conveying the timber from the mill to the nearest seaport.
Mails are now received daily in all the small country places, which are connected by rail. In former times people thought they were very fortunate in receiving three mails a year. Papers may be had daily, and country people receive the news almost as soon as the towns people. They learn how the market for their produce is progressing, and find when and where the various stock sales are to be held. The railway has linked up the cities with the country, and thus brings about a closer relationship between both.
It has also been of great educational value. Many wayback families had their education neglected on account of there being no ways of getting to school, but thanks to Railways, there is no excuse for the education of any person to be neglected.
Families who had never had the privilege of seeing the towns are now able to travel around and see other districts. They learn quicker and better methods of doing their work, and improve their ways of living in general. The Railways keep the farmers in touch with the outside world, and enables them to travel around to stock sales and improve their herds. To show to what an extent travelling has improved, there were over twenty-six million people travelled by train last year.
At present the railway has the motor competition to contend with, as there are numerous service cars and buses running from town to town, and in some cases at more suitable times than the trains, but I
There have been pleasing indications of a definite improvement in the financial position of the railways to which the public who travel by train have contributed, and if the people give the railways their cordial support they will be performing a valuable duty to their country.
Our Suburban Trains.
A fast passenger train passing through Otahuhu, Auckland.
Fifty years after the inauguration of railways in Great Britain the optimistic Government of New Zealand decided to adopt this same method of transport. Finding that the few miles of railway originally laid down were a great success, the Railway Department decided to extend the lines from time to time until to-day we have 3,180 miles of line, extending from Opua in the north to the Bluff in the south. The natural formation of the country is such that the laying down of a railway was a very difficult task, yet, notwithstanding this fact, the cost was £1,112 per mile, cheaper than the average cost in Australia. One wonderful achievement is the Otira tunnel, which is over five miles long, yet the building was carried out perfectly.
Passengers who travel during the day have carriages which are kept warm by steam-heaters, and can sit in luxurious chairs from which they may view the magnificent scenery for which New Zealand is famous. Those who go long distances have well equipped sleeping-cars. During the day they may adjourn to the parlour cars, which are equal to Continental cars in comfort.
Our Railway Department has adopted the principle of “Safety First” by having in use every modern safety appliance that human ingenuity can devise. Some of the safety appliances being the Westinghouse brake, which automatically applies the brakes should part of the train become uncoupled, and an automatic signal which allows one train only on a line at one time. The high state of efficiency attained is shown by the fact that during the past two years over 52,000,000 passengers were carried without a single fatality. This record could not be attained in any other form of travel.
The farming community depends on the Railway Department for the carriage of its produce and
As the railways belong to the people of New Zealand everything that is possible to transport by rail should be carried in this manner, for without the support of the whole community it would be impossible to show a profit on such a huge undertaking.
The people of New Zealand depend on the Railway Department to provide cheap freights for goods and cheap fares for travel, for it is on these two items that much of the prosperity of the Dominion depends. Unless the people give their whole-hearted support these things cannot be carried out.
The Week-End Excursion Habit.
A view of Paekakariki Railway Station (Wellington Province) during one of the Railway Department's recent week-end excursions.
A Typical Scene On A New Zealand Country Road.
(Photo. L. Hinge.) Fat lambs for rail transport crossing a bridge near Taihape, North Island.
The action of the Department in connecting Dunsandel railway station with the electrical system of the district, was acclaimed at an enthusiastic meeting of the local residents held recently at the Dunsandel Town Hall. We are indebted to the “Ellesmere Guardian” for the following interesting report of the proceedings.
All the great State services have to endure their full share of criticism from people who profess to know better than those controlling and operating those services how they ought to be run. Perhaps none of the State undertakings has to put up with more criticism than the Railway Department. And while the public is over-generous in its criticism, it is generally rather tardy in handing out compliments when they are due. It was refreshing, therefore, to attend a rather unique function held at Dunsandel Town Hall, when residents from every part of the district assembled in sufficient numers to more than fill the hall for the purpose of showing their appreciation of the action of the Railway Department in having the railway station and yards lighted by electricity.
Mr. D. T. Wraight, a well-known district farmer, who presided, mentioned at the opening of the function that, since Mr. W. R. Breach had been appointed stationmaster, he and the members of his staff had performed some very commendable work in the direction of laying out and tending gardens, to improve, from an aesthetic point of view, the appearance of the station and its surroundings. Some assistance had been given by the residents.
“It has been truly said that in a progressive age such as the present we are all inclined to take our benefits and privileges rather too much as a matter of course,” said Mr. Wraight at a later stage when several speeches were delivered. The presence of so many people that evening indicated that they were desirous of expressing their appreciation of something that would undoubtedly prove beneficial to the residents as a whole. With a reference to the negotiations which had led up to the turning on of the current, Mr. Wraight concluded his speech by saying: “The Department has gone a little further than we expected by providing four splendid lights in the railway yard, and one over the stock yards.”
Mr. J. W. Kime, chairman of the Springs-Ellesmere Power Board, offered his cordial congratulations upon the progressive step taken. That the Dunsandel people were progressive was shown by the fact that very soon after the power district was constituted they asked that the township should be reticulated and that an outer area should be formed so that the current could be taken to a number of farmers living in the Selwyn County portion of the district. That was before a good part of the Board's district had been linked up. He believed that the Dunsandel station was the first in the Board's district to be lighted by electricity.
Mr. John Heslop, chairman of the Ellesmere County Council, humourously suggested that the light the Ellesmere County Council had been responsible for erecting on the street opposite the station had served as a decoy to the Railway Department. He congratulated the Department upon having the station and yards lighted by electricity, and the railway staff upon their very nice flower plots.
Speaking on behalf of the Selwyn County Council, Mr. N. J. Brown apologised for the unavoidable absence of the chairman, Mr. F. J. Andrew. “We all appreciate the very thorough manner in which the Railway Department has done this job,” said the speaker. He recalled the occasion when a large gathering of residents succeeded in impressing upon an ex-Minister of
“It was a very happy thought on the part of whoever was responsible for originating this gathering,” said Mr. D. Jones, M.P. Proceeding to give some very interesting facts relative to electrical development in the Dominion, Mr. Jones said that the first town installation was set in motion at Reefton in 1887, when there were four miles of reticulation. To-day there were ten miles of reticulation at Reefton. Wellington had an electric lighting system in 1888, only six years after the inauguration of the New York electric lighting scheme. Stratford had its system in 1898, Patea in 1901, and in 1904 Christchurch developed electricity at the destructor, used to destroy city refuse. In 1908 Auckland had its supply. These facts tended to show what a recent development electric lighting was. In 1903 the Government recognised what an immense potential factor the water power resources of the Dominion were, and a report prepared by Mr. Hay showed that ample power could be developed to meet the country's needs for many years to come. A few years ago he had had the opportunity of visiting Niagara, where the falls were capable of developing seven million horse-power, more than the whole of the New Zealand sources put together. The greater part of the Niagara Falls belonged to Canada. In 1915 the Lake Coleridge station started to operate with 4,500 horsepower, while its capacity was now 27,000. In 1921 the Springs-Ellesmere Power Board was formed, and only four years ago the Mangahao scheme started, and then came Waikaremoana and Arapuni. It was intended to link up the stations in the North Island, and do likewise in the South Island to ensure continuous supply Within two years the Waitaki scheme would be completed, while the Waipori scheme in Dunedin had been operating for a long time. New Zealand came sixth among the nations of the world in regard to the quantity of electric power developed, and he believed that so far as the use of electricity amongst the rural population was concerned, New Zealand led the world.
Christchurch-Lyttelton Electrification Scheme.
View of Woolston Yard shewing the completion of the electrical overhead construction.
Mr. F. Pawson, the Railway Department's Business Agent, tendered an apology for the absence of Mr. Penn, District Traffic Manager, and expressed pleasure at the opportunity of being present at such a fine gathering. It was a real pleasure to find the farmers and residents of a district generally taking a very live interest in the railways, which, after all, were the property
Wonderful changes had been wrought in the last four or five years. Large numbers of letters had been received expressing appreciation of the changes brought about. He had never worked with a better lot of men in his life. What they had been greatly in need of were opportunities, which they had not had previously. They were now given those opportunities, and to-day the railwaymen were out to do their very best for the users of the railways. They had a fine example of this in the present stationmaster at Dunsandel, who was out to give the very best of service. It was evident that the people of Dunsandel were very appreciative of the efforts of Mr. Breach and his staff when they arranged such a fine function as was being held that evening. It was a most unusual thing to find the people of any district meeting to celebrate anything the Railway Department had done for them. He only wished he could get the residents of other districts to show the same enthusiasm and interest in the railways.
Referring to Mr. H. H. Sterling, the new General Manager, Mr. Pawson said that he was a young, vigorous, progressive man with new ideas. He firmly believed that under Mr. Sterling's able direction the railways would enter upon a new lease of life, and that the public would get the service it was entitled to expect. After giving some figures relating to the business handled at Dunsandel, Mr. Pawson said he hoped the interest the people were taking in the railways would long continue.
Workshops Electrical Equipment.
Switch-gear in the Hutt Valley Power Station, Wellington. This switch-gear controls 2,100 k.v.a.
At this stage an adjournment was made to the Railway Station, where Miss Pawson, daughter of the Business Agent, formally turned on the current, flooding the station and yards with light. “Auld Lang Syne” having been sung, the people went back to the hall, where the ladies of the district served supper and a dance followed.
On a recent Saturday a picnic party spent the day in the Hutt Valley (says the “Dominion”). One of the party, a lady, left her purse and a book in the train. She was just thinking of going over to the station to make enquiries when a railway official arrived on the picnic ground with the missing articles. Such efficiency as was shown by the official must go a long way in answering the adverse criticism to which the Department is from time to time subjected.
By Providing Cheap Sunday Travel Fares To The “Sunshine Beaches” Of Wellington'S West Coast, The New Zealand Railways Are Helping Thousands Of People To Have Healthful Outings By The Sea.
“The sentinel volcano stands alone. Sunrise is the moment to see him when his summit, sheeted with snow, is tinged with the crimson of morning and touched by clouds streaming past in the wind. Lucky is the eye that thus beholds Egmont, for he is a cloud-gatherer who does not show his face every day or to every gazer.”—The Hon. William Pember Reeves.
(By James Cowan.)
A Japanese traveller came to New Zealand lately, and the first place he made enquiries about was Mount Egmont, the Taranaki of our Maoris. He had heard that its beauty rivalled that of his own sacred mountain. And he was anxious to know from what point it could best be viewed.
The Japanese visitor had the soul of an artist and a poet, like so many of his countrymen. A grand mountain was a place to be approached with care, and something like reverence, so that it could come upon the vision for the first time in fitting surroundings, and from an aspect that would bring out to the full its beauty and majesty.
Such a mountain as Taranaki is not a mere pile of upheaved rock and earth, it carries to the imagination an impression of life and force, and especially so when one remembers its volcanic origin.
I shall always be glad that my first view of Taranaki mountain was unspoiled by a commonplace foreground. We had been eight days travelling through the King Country and the North Taranaki bush, carrying our swags over the rough trail—it was not even a horse track— that is now the Stratford railway connection route. On the ninth day we were mounted on horses, sent in to the head of the bush road to meet us, and up to within thirty miles of Stratford it was then all dense forest. All at once, as we came to the top of the saddle at Makahu, I saw a snow peak glittering in the mid-day sun, framed between the lofty trees; rising up, up in a glorious flashing cone; it was startling. I had never seen Taranaki before, and there was no thought of the mountain in my mind at the moment, so that it came as a surprise and a wonder; much as it would to a sailor sighting it for the first time some dawn a hundred miles out at sea.
An American traveller told a New Zealand interviewer lately that in his opinion Taranaki's seow-capped cone was more beautiful than Japan's Fujiyama, and that it had a better setting. It has been the fashion to liken Egmont to the Japanese holy mountain, and it is satisfying therefore to know that our lovely peak is the finer of the two.
But there is another peak in the Northern Hemisphere that more closely approaches our Taranaki snow peak's symmetry of figure. That mountain is an active volcano, Mount Mayon, in Southern Luzon, Philippine Islands. News came recently from Manilla that Mayon was in eruption, and that its lava flow had done much damage to the inhabited country on its lower slopes and around its base. Mayon was described by A. Henry Savage Lander in one of his books on Eastern travel as the most beautiful mountain he had ever seen; “Fujiyama,” he said, “sinks into perfect insignificance by contrast.” Mr. Landor's photograph of the volcano supports his praise. The peak goes grandly swelling up to a narrow crater summit just in the manner of Egmont, and curiously its altitude is only fifteen feet greater than that of our noble “Father of Taranaki” (Mayon 8,275ft., Egmont 8,260ft.). In one respect Mayon's outline is more shapely than Egmont's; its sides are unbroken
But Mayon lacks the crowning glory of snow, the “parawai ma,” as the Maoris have it in a song in praise of Taranaki's beauty—the pure-white robe of the finest flax. Mayon rises from near the sea, as Egmont does, but it is in the tropics, snow does not fall there, and so it never presents the picture of glittering icy beauty that Taranaki gives us. And, moreover, our New Zealand mountain, fire-builded but extinct for long ages, is a far more comfortable neighbour and overlord than fuming lava-spitting Mayon of the Philippines.
“Whose sun-bright summit mingles with the Sky.”—Campbell.
An inspiring view of Mt. Egmont from Kaponga.
A Red Indian legend, according to some American folk-lorists, declares that Mount Shasta was the first mountain made by the Creator, and that as the result of the extreme care taken in its building it was the pattern on which all other mountains were built. But the New Zealander may with greater justice claim that it is really his Taranaki which is the master-piece of all snow-capped peaks. It is far more graceful and shapely than even Shasta.
Taranaki's height, 8,260ft., seems greater because of its isolation from all other mountains. Captain Cook, who discovered it in 1770, and named it after the Earl of Egmont, First Lord of the Admiralty, described it as “of a prodigious height,” but did not record any measurement. Dr. Forster, on Cook's second voyage, in 1773, estimated its height at 14,760 feet. Marion du Fresne, who named it Mascarin Peak, after his frigate, calculated that it was about as high as the Peak of Teneriffe. Bellingshausen, the Russian admiral, sighted it in 1820; one of his navigating officers recorded its height as 9,947 feet, and another as 8,232 feet—the nearest of any shot at its altitude.
There is no mountain in New Zealand that sends forth to the sea so many rivers and rills. A pioneer surveyor of Taranaki once told me that there were exactly 360 streams flowing down through the circular mountain reserve, one for every degree of the circle.
The Maori of old perfectly well understood the protective value of the forests and the life and fertility that its streams carried into the plains. There is a chant that was sung with tremendous patriotic fire and vigour at the great gathering at Manawapou, in South Taranaki, when the Maori Land League was established over seventy years ago. It begins with the passionate declaration, “Taranaki shall not be cast away to the pakeha,” and it likens the many shining rivers to the source of life, the fertilising fluid of mankind.
The passionate love of the Maori for their “matua,” their parent, as they called Egmont, was embodied in a great war song chanted on a certain historic occasion on Moturoa beach at New Plymouth, and sung to this day at tribal gatherings. “Draw near to us Taranaki!” the warriors chanted as they stretched forth their guns and tomahawks to the mountain in response to their chieftain's call. “Draw close to us, close to our hearts, that we may embrace thee, that we may clasp thee ever to our hearts!” It makes a tremendous chorus, this “Nukunuku mai, nekeneke mai, ki taku tauaro, kikini, kikini a-i!”
“Round its breast the rolling clouds are spread ….”—Goldsmith.
Taranaki's world-famed Mountain from another angle.
There is a beautiful chant of a softer kind, the song of admiration and love for the ancestral mountain, as recited to me long ago by the venerable lady MéAréeA Ngamai o te Wharepouri; she sleeps the long sleep overshadowed by the mountain she adored. It likens the snowy peak to a white and spotless flax garment, the parawai:—
The reference here is to a small round dark cloud that sometimes rests on the mountain top. The Maoris call this the pare or head-wreath of Taranaki, A wreath of kawakawa or koromiko leaves is an emblem of mourning for the dead; the cloud on the mountain is a portent of death or a token of sympathy with mourners at the tangi. The mountain weeps with her children that live on the plains below.
The primitive cult of animism, the personification of mountains, rocks, trees and other natural objects is illustrated by many a legend of Taranaki. The old people's minds are full
“… Bellbird in the leafy deep where the ratas twine.”—Kipling.
Egmont from the Stratford Mountain House, shewing a portion of the Government Forest Reserve.
It was scarcely surprising to those who knew something of the Maori adoration of Taranaki Mountain, that the Maoris of the province recently put forward a claim for its return by the Government to the Taranaki tribes. The right, or otherwise, of their claims need not be discussed here, but it is peculiarly interesting that the ancient title of the Maori to the sacred mountain should have been reasserted.
The great beauty and dignity of the mountainscape are closely linked to poetic tradition. Centuries of song and legend have woven a rich garment of folk lore and song about the lone and glorious peak.
The white settler of Taranaki, too, has come to love the grand old mountain. His affection is perhaps of the more practical kind, as voiced by a member of the Egmont County Council recently. Roused to indignation by the report that some holiday-makers from New Plymouth were in the habit of setting fire to big rata trees on the mountain slopes—just to see by the column of smoke how far they had been, when they came out again—this member said: “The people of Taranaki should realise that the forest on the mountain sides is like gold to them; it is responsible for the rainfall.”
Perhaps he would have put it more accurately had he said it was responsible for the conservation of the rainfall, but the broad fact remains—
The point remains to be discussed, where can one obtain the finest picture of Taranaki peak? The visitor from Japan would find an embarrassing plenty of viewpoints. There is the easiest look-out place of all for the visitor to New Plymouth, the top of Marsland Hill, but one cannot from there see Egmont clear of the lower ranges and hills. Many a day I have looked on Egmont from all angles, and from every point of the compass.
Once, riding along the coast road from Hawera to Opunake and so on to New Plymouth, I thought that the most splendid view was from the Waimate Plains as one approached Manaia town. From near the old Maori village of Parihaka, too, it is a noble picture in form and colouring, with its green forest foreground.
But I think the perfect look-out point is from the Meremere hills, a few miles to the east of Hawera town.
There, through a framing of forest, the eye ranges across the wide saucer of plain—townships, farmhouses, mist-filled gorges, grassy fields, woodlands, to the wide mountain base, forest-blue, smoke-blue, swelling with symmetrical deliberation into a supernal wedge of white, sharp-etched against the heavens, old Egmont, the crown and glory of the land.
In The Sunny Waikato.
(Photo, Elsie K. Morton.) Swirling waters at Arapuni and the skeleton trees of an ancient sunken forest.
Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of autumn.—John Muir.
Govt. Publicity Photo.) Lake Waikare-moana (2,000ft. above sea level), North Island. This New Zealand lake has been described as “one of the most beautiful in the world, a star-shaped sheet of water, 800ft. deep, stretching its blue arms far into the wooded hills.” In terms of usefulness, Waikare-moana is expected to supply power next year to relieve the overload conditions at Mangahao.
A child's eyes, those clear wells of undefiled thought—what on earth can be more beautiful? Full of hope, love and curiosity, they meet your own… In joy, how sparkling; in sympathy, how tender!—Mrs. Norton.
I Have for many months been a constant and interested reader of the New Zealand Railways Magazine, which is available at my local library. A perusal of the special monthly feature page “By Those Who Like Us” convinces one that the service which the railways place at the disposal of the freighter and passenger to-day is indeed of a high order of efficiency, and that the railways generally, are becoming more popular than ever. Popular they assuredly are, and always have been, so far as the children are concerned, and the fascination they hold for the child mind is one of the most interesting facts of child psychology. Railway trains have an unmistakable, a profound interest for the little ones, and no pleasure for them can compare with the pleasure of a train ride.
Scenes On The Road.
Invercargill-Christchurch Express Goods Train at Burnham.
I am acquainted very intimately with one wee tot (my daughter) aged three years, the acme of whose happiness it was recently to travel with her daddy “in the dark” all the way from Hamilton to Wanganui. What childish wonder, excitement, and anticipation, there was when the glad news of the impending trip was communicated to her! What persistency and consistency there was in asking questions innumerable about the big train! What curiosity and unabated interest there was when the tickets were being bought! With what tenacity did the little hand hold mine before the arrival of the Limited Express at Frankton Junction! What a wonderful sight for childish eyes when the train, drawn by one of our finest locomotives with its brilliant electric headlight piercing the darkness, came thundering up to the station platform!
In the midst of it all I felt like a child again! And what delight there was “helping daddy” to look for a seat in the “lighted up” carriages!
A seat was duly found in a first-class compartment, and, almost immediately, the little one made it her “very own” and commenced to familiarise herself with the chief features of her new environment. Wonder followed wonder in quick succession. Her excitement knew no bounds when all the commotion preparatory to the train's departure was borne in upon her little ears. Then, “ting-a-ling-a-ling” went the station bell, a shrill whistle from the guard and engine followed, and then … “We're going, daddy!”
As the train pulled out of Frankton station the child's ecstacy can better be imagined than described. It was the greatest adventure of her young life. She stood up on the seat nearest the window, and, after gazing out for a few moments, informed me with unforgetable childish glee that she “liked watching the dark!” Everything was new, and strange and wonderful. She “watched the dark” and the lights along the wayside. Every incident of the journey—especially the roar of trains passing on an adjacent line—was, for her, a prodigious event.
Not desiring the child to become unduly excited, I decided, after leaving Te Kuiti station to arrange my travelling rug and cushion upon the end seat of the carriage and put her down
However, she had not been in the comfortable little bed more than five minutes when she sat up, and in a plaintiff voice said: “Daddy, may I get up and look out of the window? I've been asleep!” If ever there was an enthusiastic and fully appreciative railway traveller this wee tot was that, and more. Rail travel is an experience of great interest to children the world over. They love riding in railway trains.
However, my little charge was at last getting sleepy. She had had a long and wonderful day of anticipation and of realisation, and at last sleep commenced to consume her, the “click, click” of the wheels passing over the rails being a sweet lullaby. Although it was a very cold night in mid-winter the child slept peacefully because good radiation from the steam-heated pipes kept the carriage delightfully warm.
Arriving at Marton Junction (it now being early morning) and having some few minutes to wait for the Wanganui train, I, with my wee travelling companion (her little heart still pulsating with the excitement of the railway), sought out the refreshment room on the station platform. Here she was seated before a warm fire and given a glass of hot milk and buns.
Some Of The Department'S Future Craftsmen.
(Photo. J. D. I'Anson, Addington.) A group of apprentices employed in the Car and Wagon Department at Addington Workshops. The above apprentices recently completed a competition in joinery (held under the supervision of Mr. R. Moore, General Foreman), and were complimented on the high standard of their work.
But the Wanganui train was calling her, and it was a supremely happy and contented child who hurried me along the platform to “the big train.” It was now breaking day, and my little companion was ready for another adventure. The train had not travelled far from Marton Junction before I was requested to open the window for her. The short journey from Marton Junction to Wanganui was surely an epoch in the life of this child! She experienced the keenest delight along every mile of the line—the children at wayside stations, the animals in the paddocks, the engines hauling the train over the heavy grades near Turakina, all holding for her the utmost interest and fascination.
Eventually we arrived at Wanganui, and, behold, I was confronted with the query: “Daddy, how long before we go in the train again…. I love the big train, don't you, daddy?” Long live children and railway trains!
“Wakatipu Lake,” said a well-known European traveller, “I regard as in the front rank of tourist attractions of the world. One might spend a year in that locality and then not exhaust its glories. Queenstown (on the lakeside) is one of the prettiest spots on earth, and the view from the slopes below Ben Lomond, looking over the lake to the Remarkable Mountains, is something I should like to think of when my turn comes and I am going over the Great Divide.”
The spacious Dunedin railway station is alive with tourists all full of excitement and chatter. They are bound for Queenstown, that beautiful Venetian-like resort situated on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, 1000ft. above the sea, amidst the mountains of Otago. It is Queenstown's carnival season, and the lure of it is irresistible to these travellers.
They know that many happy days may be spent about Lake Wakatipu, with Queenstown as their headquarters. The climate is delightful, and the district rich in resources for the excursionist and the sightseer. Sheer from the depths of the lake (1,242ft.) rise the Remarkables, in rough grandeur, to a height of 7,650ft. (Ben Nevis), their snow-clad crests dazzling against the sky, and their mighty bases paved by the sparkling waters of one of New Zealand's most beautiful inland seas. Every kind of small pleasure craft may be had in its neighbourhood, and distant bays and beauty spots may be visited by means of the Railway Department's commodious steamers.
The town of Queenstown is the centre of tourist traffic in the Lakes district, and each year sees this fact more widely recognised, for there are few towns anywhere in the world so picturesquely situated.
Everyone is talking of this pretty spot. Some who have visited Queenstown before are relating their experiences, and explaining to others, who are making their first trip, some of the many places of interest they must be sure to visit.
The clang of the station bell temporarily interrupts these happy conversations, and bids the tourists be seated. Then, a shriek from the engine whistle, and the journey commences. Much interesting country is traversed as the train speeds on towards the progressive town of Gore, where a halt is made for lunch. Shortly after lunch, with the party transferred to another train, the journey is continued to Kingston, at the foot of Lake Wakatipu. The first glimpse of the lake