THE RAILWAY RETURNS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1352, 27 September 1886, Page 3

THE RAILWAY RETURNS.

f Pbkss Cokbkspondxm 3 The New Zisland railway traffic return 8 for tbe first sixteen weeks of the current financial year are now complete They are unfortunately the reverse of cheerful. The total receipts for 1652 mdes amounted to £373.782, as against £4OO 726 for only 1487 miles daring the corresponding period of last year. la other words there are 166 more miles open", ard the receipts are la round numbers £27,000 le»a. The expenditure shows an Increase of about £7OOO, being £276,191. as against £269 125, consequently the net profit for the sixteen weeks l< less this year than last by £84,000 There ia a falling off In the receipts on the Canterbury, Otago, Auckland, Nelson, Wanganui, and Greymonth lines- On the Nspler and Wellington Hnee there ia an Improvement. Jhe working expenses on'the Wellington section have Increased enormously aa compand with last year, the ratio to receipts being h high as 80 per cent. as compared with only 70 par cent, last year. Taming to the actual traffic, it appears that 68,516 Sion passengers, 38,877 mere live stock, And 8303 more parcels, &c., havebaea eonveyed this year than ’as»; but the goods traffic has diminished by 49,346 tons, in spite of the large reduction in talcs