RAILWAY RETURNS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 95, 16 January 1920, Page 8

RAILWAY RETURNS

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The revenue and expenditure) tinder the Kailway Working Account for the period from April 1 to December «, 11)18, are published in the Gazelle iwidlftftt evening. The revenue of the North Island lines totalled 012,(170, Ml) Vl'.. <A., as com pawl with.' .£I,HWi,2-'i!J I'/u. o<l. I/i the corresponding period of I!)I8. The revenue derived from thu South falaml lilies amounted lo .£1,512,91(1 11*!. M., m against <£1,:t05,411i Bi. 'M. The total milway revenue for the period under review 'was .£3,583,4«) ss. Id., an compared with ■£3,109,70(1 G-j. Gd. in 1018, tin increase of .£422,733 18s. 7d., or ft littlo morn than 13 per cent. The expenditure on tho North Island lines totalled .C1,4(>0,0R8 Us. 7(l„ efiwil to 70.&5 per cent, of tho revenue, wlide the expenditure for tho eorrmpondiJiK period in 1918 was .£1,2«i,571 Oh. !ld„ or (15.04 per cent. The percentage incrcaKe was thus 5.51 per cent The expenditure per mile on the North Ivland main line and branches which in 1918 amounted to ,CU7(i lis. Id., increased last yew to .£171)1 Is. Id., and there were similar increases on all other 1 lies. The expenditure on the South Island lines totalled •£1,180,884 Is. «., equal to 78.45 per cent, of revenue, the working expenses of the southern lines being nearly 8 per cent, greater, or rather they absorbed 8 per cent, more of tho revenue I hey earned. In the. 1918 period the expenditure on the southern lines was ,£985,439 15s. 2d., or 75.49 per cent, of the revenue. The total expenditure on our railways in the period for 1911) covered by the returns was ■£2,(147,572 12-s. lid., or 73.88 per cent, ot the revenue; in the 1818 period the. expenditure totalled J82.192.010 15s. lid., or 09.35 per cent, of the revenue. last year the revenue exceeded tho expenditure by .C935,8G7 12s. 2d„ wliilo in the corresponding period of 1918 the execs; was i:9G8,G95 111" 7d., which shows that notwithstanding an increase of over .£400,000 in the revenue last year the net earnings were less than in 1918, liecause the operating and incidental charges wore higher than in 1918.