D.—l

94

system has attained considerable development, chiefly co cope with the timber industry and tourist traffic. The light railways of Belgium date from 1875, when a Tramways Act, somewhat similar to our own Act authorizing light railways, was passed. Owing, however, to some causes unknown, probably financial difficulties and lack of enterprise, only one line had been started after three years. The State then, feeling the necessity for something being done, and probably being urged to build lines in which it had not too much faith, decided to have the whole matter closely looked into, and a Eoyal Commission was accordingly appointed in 1881 to go into the question and report. The order of reference was, shortly, as follows : — (I.) To what extent is it necessary for the State to participate in the building and working of light railways? (2.) Whether the local bodies might co-operate with the State in this work, (o.) To what extent the rigid regulations governing the plant and working of standard railways might be relaxed in connection with light railways. (4.) Whether there was any danger of light railways taking away business from the State railways. The investigations of this Commission were lengthy and careful, and as a result it was 1884 before an Act could be framed and passed embodying their recommendations, and that Act required slight modification in 1885. However, since that time, when the Societe Nationale dcs Chemins de Fer Vicinaux was inaugurated, the record has been one of steady progress—l might almost say phenomenal progress; and even now, when there are, in a country no larger than Otago, over 4,000 km. (2,490 miles) of State railways and over 4,000 km. (2,490 miles) of vicinal railways, we find that extensions are still being vigorously carried on. The table below will give an idea of how the system of vicinal railways has expanded, and ai the same time how its financial side has also developed : —

Note.—The sterliug values may be slightly incorrect owing to fluctuations in the exchange value of the franc. Up to the end of 1912, the date of the last annual report, the National Society had received concessions for 179 lines, totalling 4,74463 km. This shows a growth of concessions of nineteen lines, totalling 579 km., in the past four years. All these lines are not yet built, but, as shown in the above table, 157 lines, totalling 3,981-51 km., were actually open for traffic on the 31st December, 1912. In addition to villages, towns, and cities which have local organization, being divided into "communes,'' , the whole country is divided into nine provinces, something like our counties, except that for the purposes of the provincial government the whole of the population of the province is included, the communes not being excluded as our boroughs are excluded from the counties. The annual report of the National Society contains a table showing the distribution of the vicinal railways in each province with respect to the population and the area. In the absence of similar information with regard to the State railways, this may give a somewhat misleading proportion, but as a measure of the extent of the lines it is correct, and is therefore given herewith :—

Year. Lines open. Gross R< jvenue. 1887 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 Kilometres. 323 439 991 1,341 1,840 2,494 3,215 3,981 Miles. 201 273 616 833 1,143 1,550 1,998 2,474 Frames. 965,977 1,749,211 3,975,648 6,500,667 9,841,515 13,534,156 18,991,353 26,760,951 £ 38.639 69,968 159,026 260,027 393,661 541,366 759,654 1,070,438

Province. Population. Mileage of Vicinal R Area: Square Miles. „ . „__„ Per Province., ?? 1?/™ Inhabitants. Mileage of Vicinal Rai ilways. Per 100 Square Miles. Antwerp Brabant West Flanders East Flanders Hainault Liege Limbourg Luxembourg 987,201 1,494,416 878,417 1,125,814 1,239,712 890,918 279,170 231,314 363,449 1,094 1,268 1,249 1,158 1,438 1,118 932 1,706 1,414 337 397 411 278 523 293 212 257 233 4 3-45 2-67 4-71 2-92 4-25 3-32 7-67 11-23 6-47 30-8 31-3 32-9 24-0 36-4 26-2 22-8 15-1 16-5 Namur On frontiers Totals and averae ses .. 7,490,411 11,377 2,945 3-93 25-86