The Chronicle PUBLISHED DAILY LEVIN. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19, 1916. NEW ZEALAND STATE RAILWAYS.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 19 January 1916, Page 2

The Chronicle PUBLISHED DAILY LEVIN. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19, 1916. NEW ZEALAND STATE RAILWAYS.

Ju Luc period 1 colli Ist Aprii, 11)16, to Jitli J>ece.uioer,' 1910, ihe -New Zealand iSuue. ivailuays made a profit 01 Ivi.Uo per cent of revenue. The expenditure 111 the same period was £2,1)30,v».>—, and the 1914 period, expenditure v. a.s i'-,023,5.j(J; thus showing an increased expenditure for tne later period totalling C 10,321, l'his sum is much exceeded by the extra earning* iu the 1 iJI -3 period, the total for the eight, uiuiitlis and two weeks having been ,1:2,030,032, as viga 111 st £2,082,21)6

--a yam of .L' 218,831. Deducting from tliis the excess of expeniliture in the later perioil, it will be seen thai, the increase nets the dominion £33,010

—a- satisfactory result. A good deal t)T this profit comes from book-keep-ing entries ngpjnst other Dvpurtments of the Government- notably tlie Dctence Department.; and no -ictuil monetary benefit results to the Government, but such a procedu o is sound iji e(|iiiiy, lor it the Government did not own the railways it would have to pay out actual moneys or their equivalent to the owners of the railways. Tliis is a point that opponents o' the principle of State ownership of transport concerns are apt to overlook, but it is a most important one in favour of Government ownership. In point of revenue-earning the West port line holds its position in first place, with p value of £3009 per mile for a twelve month period to date of 11th December, though this eimount is lees by £33"> per mile when compared with what the lino earned in the same period; of 1914.