D.-2.

The results of operating the various services were as follow :— Napier - Hastings. 1931-32. 1930-31. Decrease. £ £ £ Revenue .. .. .. ..12,146 12,505 359 Expenditure .. .. ..12,646 16,259 3,613 Loss .. .. .. £500 £3,754 £3,254 The passenger journeys totalled 370,514, as compared with 359,469 in the previous year, an increase of 11,045, the increase being confined to intermediate passengers. The through traffic between Napier and Hastings was subject to severe competition by a fleet of taxi-cabs, and the receipts from the Department's service suffered accordingly. In view of the competition, steps were taken to reduce expenditure, and the mileage was reduced during the year by 56,096 bus-miles. The taxi competition to which reference has been made has now ceased, and satisfactory financial results may be expected from the future operations of this service. Hutt Valley. 1931-32. 1930-31. Decrease. £ £ £ Revenue .. .. .. .. 55,266 82,20-3 26,937 Expenditure .. .. ..56,244 81,504 24,810 Loss .. .. .. £978 .. £2,127 Profit .. .. .. .. £1,149 Passenger journeys totalled 1,850,648, as compared with 2,671,511 in the previous year, a decrease of 820,863 (30-7 per cent.). During the year the Department's revenue on this route suffered as a result of the operations of competitive services, and it was not until January, 1932, that this competition ceased. Another factor which contributed to the decline in passenger journeys was the extent of unemployment in the Hutt and Petone areas. To meet the decline in traffic the various time-tables in operation were reviewed and reductions were made where the traffic was not such as to warrant a more frequent time-table. The bus-mileage was reduced from 1,199,851 in 1931 to 905,340 in the past year, a reduction of 294,511 miles (24 per cent.). As in tie case of the Napier-Hastings Service, the Board believes that, with the cessation of competition from taxi-cars, this service can be made to return satisfactory financial results. Oamaru-Tokarahi, 1931-32. 1930-31. Variation. £ £ £ Revenue .. .. .. .. 1,786 2,205 —419 Expenditure .. .. .. 2,321 2,173 +148 Loss .. .. .. £535 — +£567 Profit .. .. .. — £32 The number of passengers carried by the service during the past year was 38,963, a decrease of 131 (0-3 per cent.) compared with the previous year. Passenger revenue decreased by £81 due to a decline in ordinary passengers, but an increase in the number of school-children carried has caused the decline in journeys to be in a smaller proportion than the revenue. The larger proportion of the decline in revenue is due to an alteration in the charges for the conveyance of mails from a mileage basis to charging by weight, which alteration caused a reduction of £331 in revenue. Expenditure increased by £148 due to the necessity for placing a third vehicle in this service for relief purposes with resultant increased maintenance charges. This service was provided in substitution for the passenger services that were previously worked by train on the Ngapara and Tokarahi Branches. Dunedin-Port Chalmers. 1931-32. 1930-31. Variation. £ £ £ Revenue .. .. .. .. 3,543 2,939 +604 Expenditure .. .. .. 4,480 4,056 +424 Loss .. .. .. £937 £1,117 -180 This service was inaugurated on the 2nd June, 1930, and the increases in revenue and expenditure are due to the comparison being for twleve months this year, as compared with ten months for the previous year.

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