Manawatu Railway Company.

Feilding Star, Volume XV, Issue 280, 5 April 1894, Page 2

Manawatu Railway Company.

(Per Press Association). Wellington, April 4. At the meeting of the Wellington ! and Manavratu Kail way Company, the chairman said : "We may reasonably expect an increase in volume of our traffic for next year, to cope with which we have ordered two new compound locomotives. Possibly an additional passenger train may also be found a necessary convenience of travelling- The public may, however, be in a large measure provided for by altering the time of the arrival and departure of our present trains from Wellington. Our timetable is now arranged to connect with the' Government train service at Palmerston, and Government railways appear to be run rather with a view of securing rapid communication with Auckland, via Taranaki, than in studying the requirements of the large population be tween Wellington, >apier and Wanganui. We have intimated to the N.Z Railway Commissioners our willingness to rearrange our timetable and make provision for our morning train to leave Wellington one hour later, and for our train from Longburn to arrive here one hour earlier at night. If this alteration is adopted during the winter months it will be a great convenience to the travelling public." The Chairman said the overdraft on the last day of the financial year was only £11,595, being £10,000 less than last year. The net profit on the rail* way account was £8,497, and revenue from land £3,402— total net profit, £11,899. Therefore, they could not only pay a dividend of 6 per oent from the earnings of this year, but carry forward £1,699 to the dividend fund next year, thereby increasing the amount of that account to £13,335, which is more than sufficient to enable the Company to declare a similar dividend next year.