The Chronicle. PUBLISHED DAILY LEVIN THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7,1915. NEW ZEALAND RAILWAYS REVENUES.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 7 October 1915, Page 2

The Chronicle. PUBLISHED DAILY LEVIN THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7,1915. NEW ZEALAND RAILWAYS REVENUES.

Tlie dislocation in railway revenues oeearsioned by Liu: disturbed economic conditions i>l the early part of 191S nonlias been overcome, and a highly saitisiactory improvement is vouched for by the latest issue of statistics from the actuarial branch 01 the Railiway Department. Not only in gross receipts, but in gross oust also the department's record is excellent. The statistics cover a period iioni Ist April. 1915, bo ~ ; lst August last, and they show an increase in receipts ol' close on £<jy,(){)(). The extra expenditure necessary to conduct the whole running 01 the lines was about £30,500, which left a net extra profit of nearly £35.000. The increased revenues wore derived lioni the 'ineis of both islands, though the North island lines yielded the greatest gross revenue. As the period in reference is less that five months, the result is specially cheering, for the busiest times of the financial year still are ahead, so i-ar a,s the railways are concerned. It should be made clear, too, that tha increase of £35.01)0 is the net extra gain in comparison -with the 1914 period; the actual gross excess wif earnings over expenditure in the period from Ist April, 1915. to 21st August. 1915. amounts to nearly half a million pounds sterling; tlio actual figures being: gross earnings £1,618,15-1; expenditure £1,148.917.

DENTISTRY FOR SOLDI MRS. A branch of useful endeavour for Patriotic Societies throughout Xcw Zealand was referred k> by the Minister for Defence ill the House oi Representatives last Tuesday. The proposal of tho -Minister is of .so practical a nature that it should be seriously considered, and acted upon so far na local conditions permit by every Patriotic Society in the land. " The Minister's statement was made ill reply to an .u.P.'s question regarding the large number of men rejected (from the volunteers for active service) in consequence of their teeth being in an unsatisfactory state. Ho remarked that the Defence Department accepted men for service only after they had passed the medical examination. A number of men were rejected because of bad teeth, but not so many as the honourable member seemed to think, and these could not be accepted for service until their teeth ivcro put right. Who was to put them right? That was* the question. In the first instance it was a man's duty to put his own teeth right, but some could not afford to do it Nor did he think the Defence Department should do ah the work, but the Department Had made arrange-

wents with the dental associations to put certain cases right. With regard to the fees, the men would be asked to pay when they "could. if the men could not pay he would suggest that the cost might well be borne by the -people in the districts trom which the men came. He knew of no better object to which the funds of the local patriotic societies could be devoted than the equipping of men for service at the front, even to the extent of" "putting their teeth right. The Defence Department did pay for the treatment of men for minor teeth troubles, occurring in camp. There ..was no accommodation in camp, however, for a large dental establishment, but a proposed arrangement with the Dental Association was at present under consideration.