RAILWAY TRAFFIC RETURNS.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 1093, 31 December 1877, Page 3

RAILWAY TRAFFIC RETURNS.

The New Zealand Government “ Gazette ” contains an interesting statement, showing the total receipts and expenditure during the past financial year, on account of the various railways which are in working order. Reviewing the figures the Wellington “ Argus ” says : It appears that the total length of railways open for traffic throughout the colony is 924 miles, and there lias been expended on them a sum of £142,310. Against this there has been received £166,932, leaving a profit on the year’s working of £24,622. The percentage of expenditure end receipts therefore is 85'26. Several of the lines show a loss on the year’s operations, but others show a profit, and, as wo have shown, there is on the whole a balance on the right side of the account. The expenditure for the year on the Wanganui

line has been £I4BO, and the receipts £693, being a loss of about £BOO, but it must be remembered that this railway only runs to Turakina at present. When the extension to Fielding is completed there can be no doubt that the line will pay handsomely. The return shows a loss of £3OO on the Nelson and Fox Hill railway, but this is not to be wondered at, considering that the line begins in a swamp and ends in the bush. It was made, in fact, for political purposes, and not because it was required by the people. The most profitable railway in the colony is the Christchurch line, which is open for 381 miles, and on which the profits for the year amount to £14,000. The Dunedin line shows a profit of £6500, and the Auckland railway of £3OOO. It may be remarked that the percentage of expenditure and receipts on the last-named railway is only 73.26, being much lower than any other line in the colony. The Wellington railway has a balance of receipts over expenditure of about £6OO, but wo have no hesitation in saying that if the charges for the carriage of timber and other goods were lowered the result would be much more satisfactory. The return from which the above figures were taken shows that on the whole the railways of the colony are in a healthy state, but until they are extended as it is proposed they shall be, it cannot be expected that the profits will be enormous.