RAILWAY FIGURES.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1239, 22 September 1911, Page 4

RAILWAY FIGURES.

Last night's Gazelle gives some particulars of the railway finances for the four weeks ending August 19 last, and, as usual, they illustrate the urgent necessity, in the national interest, that a drastic revision shoiild bo made in the allocation of funds for railway construction. For tho four weeks under notice the total net return and the net return per

mile of line (there aro 1171 miles in this island, uncMGl7 in the Smith Island) were as follow: Set revenue Xet per mile revenue. of lino. £ £ s. (1. North 37,192 32 0 I South 30,11" 18 12 (i The period elapsed on August 19 was 20 weeks, and the figures were : Net revenue Net per mile revenue. of line. £ £ s. d. North 230,383 mfi 14 10 South 238,'J5C 147 15 6 At this time of year the absolute return from the Southern system is always greater than from the Northern system (although the return relative to miles of road is always less). It was so last year at this time, and yet the year ended with a large absolute superiority of return for the North Island and an enormously larger relative return. It is obvious that the current year will end with the railway users of the North Island providing as huge a bonus as ever for those in the South. The lesson, as to construction policy, is plain. It is worth noting that the 378,069 passengers carried on the North Island main line and branches paid £49,548 in fares, or an average of 2s. 7d. On the South Island Main Trunk and branches the passengers numbered 301,440 and paid £31,809, or an average of 2s. Id. So it is with goods. Although, for the four weeks, 163,160 tons of goods were carried on the South Island main line and branches, and 87,449 head of live stock, the receipts wore only £53,349, whereas the toll levied on the smaller Northern total of 123,633 tons of goods and 90,977 head of stock (we exclude tho few drays carried in each case) amounted to £64,634. It is apparent, therefore, that not only is the over-railed Southern portion of the.Dominion favoured in the matter of construction against the under-railed Northern portion, but that in addition tho rates, for passengers and goods, aro substantially higher here on the average than in tho South Island.