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THE R.4IL IVA YS .d.VD THE S TA TE. 365
whether for lands taken for osteusions, for patent rights
appropriated, or for perdona1 injuriea suffered, great difficul&a
would arise; the probabilhy is, judging from expurieum in
like matters before, that the luudownora would get as exorhikt
prices as ever, mhilo the pteutees mil, the uumoncyed p-0~8
mould go the ~stll. The Post Office wwr pays compensation,
evon for tho loss of registcrcd lettors, aud tka ‘l’elcg~ph
Department is following the sauo principle in disclaimiug all
pecuniary liability for negligence or accident in tho performance
of its work, The public, though it could not onforce
private claims, would expect all sorts of remissions of charges,
just as it is uow urging upon tho Tclegmph Departumlt the
reduction of charges tu &I. per ~l~cssugc?. Thc Railwny Mi!lister
would bo tLe rival in i~uporta~l~o of tho c‘21u1lccllor of tho
Exchequer, and it wonld bo iulpossiblo for him to bring
forward a budget showiug n, satisfactory surplus without
raising clamours for ttc remission of r;tilwzry taxation, LLY it
mould called. In tho colup1ic:rtiuu of tho nccuuuts tho
railmay budget would far surpnss tllut of the ordinary ruveuuo
and expenditurc, and would deal with larger sums of mouey.
Unloss these accounts were lcopt it1 a lnauner very different
from those of any Governmelt llepartlnents yet known, difficult
questious about capital and current cxpndituro would creop
in, and doubts would arise as to tho red finoncia1 position of
the greatest property ever put ullilor tho rnauagemont of a
singlo man. Royal Comrllissions a11d fielect Gomuuittess would
sit from timo to time to mdcitvour to seek out the truth, but
unless their BUCCCSS was much greater than that of similar
bodies which have inquired into other Granchcs of tho public
accounts and expenditure, they would not save tlle Guancial
condition of the railways from falling into confusion. NO
English Government Departnleut has ever yet, 1 believe,
furnished ~b real balance sheet, showing tho actual commercial
results of a year’s work, with allowanco for capital invested,
unless it be the Post Office, which, as I have said, has little or
no capital expenditure to account for.
Such would bo the character of the results to be expected
from State purchase of the railways, judging by experience