NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 857, 1 July 1910, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY.

The Gazette of last night contains the details of the working of the railways for the four weeks ended May 23. The total net revenue amounted to £92,359, as compared with £115,152 for tho preceding four weeks, and £76,674 for the corresponding period last year. The net revenue for the eight weeks of the fiscal year from April 1 to May 28 amounted to £207,541, as against £203,113 for the corresponding period in 1909—a rather disappointing result. We make,our usual comparison between the two islands. In the North Island the gross revenue for the four weeks ended May 28 increased by nearly £17,000 as compared, with last year, but the gross expenditure increased by nearly £9000, leaving a net improvement of £8037 in net revenue. The gross revenue on the Southern lines increased by less than £9000, but expenditure increased by only a little over £1000, so that the improvement in net revenue in the ease of the South was £7678. Tho following table shows the results in the two islands at a glance:

Miles of Net Nc-t revenue line. revenue, per mile. ■£ .£ s. d. North IH3 41,577 3G 7 G South 1550 50,812 32 5 7 The not revenue was got in this way:

Net Revenue. Expenditure, revenue. & North 12G.850 85,273 41,577 South 135.513 87,701 5(1,812 At the corresponding period last year the Southern revenue exceeded that from the North' by £9594, but the year ended, of course, with an

absolute excess in favour of the North and a huge excess relative to mileage. Apparently the figures are running exactly the same course as last year—an initial advantage to the South, to be followed by the natural spring and summer recovery by the North, and a final overwhelming proof of the superiority of this island as a railway field. This happened last year, and the year before, and the year before, and so back for several years. The message of the figures to Parliament' is obvious,