RAILWAY EARNINGS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1550, 20 September 1912, Page 4

RAILWAY EARNINGS.

Last night's Gazcltc contains particulars of the railway revenue and expenditure for the four weeks and the twenty weeks ending on August 17 last. As usual the figures show the greater earning power of the North Island system. For the four weekly period the results are as under : Net Net revenue per revenue, mile of line North 35,,4) 30 l' 8~ South 32,011 19 12 8 For the 20 weeks the net revenue was £237,073 for jtho North Island (an increase of £7285 over the corresponding period of last year), and £238,374 for the South Island, (a decrease of £G22). For the whole system the net revenue was £476,047, as against .0469',344 for the corresponding period in 1911. This is a very paltry increase, and its meagreness is due to the fact that while the gross receipts increased by £118,000 odd, the gross expenditure increased also by over £111,000. Unless some very striking improvement takes place the current year will end with a greater real loss than usual. As we said when last writing on the subject the new Minister cannot expect, or be expected, to effect any material betterment fqr a very considerable period, but the figures we have quoted call loudly for the utmost expedition in the work of ovfcrhauling the railways from top to bottom. It is a scandalous thing that the gross revenue in the South Island is increasing less slowly than the gross expenditure. For the period under notice the gross revenue in the South showed an increase of l 7.2 per cent over the 1911 figures, and the gross expenditure an increase of 11.6 per cent. The railways are still drifting to the bad, and the drift must be checked.