STATE RAILWAYS

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 97, 18 January 1935, Page 10

STATE RAILWAYS

Increase in Revenue STEADY GAIN OVER 8 MONTHS Rise in Expenditure State railways revenue from April 1 to December 8 last year increased by £199,471. The total income from till sources was £4,210,840, as cotnp.yed with £4,011.369 for the corresponding period in 1933. Expenditure, however, also increased by £238,024; the outgoings fur the given period totalled £3,534,707, as compared with £3,296,683 for a similar period the previous year. The net revenue was thus £409,159, as against £172,754 for the same mouths in 1933. the variation being £63,595. An abstract of the railway.: working account is published in this week’s “New Zealand Gazette.” It shows that six out of seven working sections returned increases in revenue, the Picton line alone being down to the extent of £1176. The North Island main Hue and branches earned more than half of the total revenue from, the whole system. Their yield amounted to £2.181,258, a gain of £120,608. The Sou'll Island main line and branches returned £l,492,055, an increase of £73.890 As regards expenditure, the main ttunk am! branches in the North’lsland increased by £143,559, and the South Island’s similar lines by £95,824. Revenue from passenger traffic on til! lines amounted to £823,211, an increase of £22,491. The number of passengers during the period under review was 12,863,538, an increase of 345,138. Increased revenue from the transport of parcels, luggage, mails and goods also showed a substantial increase. Goods alone yielded £2,668,058, a gain of £162,087. The total railway operating revenue was £3,757,991, an increase of £201,258. There was increased revenue’ in each instance from 'he transport of live stock, timber and other goods, not specified. With only slight variations, the business df the railways for-the four-weekly period ended December 8 last, reflected the improvement experienced during the longer period from April 1 to December 8. As regards road motor services, no fewer than 1,976,388 passengers were carried in the Railways Department’s buses, the increase being 111,611, Revenue increased from £52,479 in the same months of .1933 to £57,414 last year during the corresponding period—a gain of £4935. During the four weeks ended December 8, flu increase in motor bus passengers was 17,958, compared with the similar period in 1933. Altogether it was a notably better year for the railways, with Hie exception. of course, of the increase in operating expenditure. General charges and superannuation subsidy alone showed decreases. The capital cost of open lines as at March 31 last was £53,909,347, as against £51,480.949 at the end of the previous financial year.