D.—2.

A comparison of the results obtained on the various passenger services is as follows:— Service. Profit. Profit. Variation. £ £ £ Auckland-Rotorua .. .. .. 3,580 3,532 + 48 Wellington-Wanganui .. .. .. 2,289 1,491 -j- 798 Wellington suburban .. .. .. 8,598 13,164 — 4,566 Napier-Hastings .. .. .. .. 3,273 3,403 — 130 Christchurch Services .. .. .. 1,087 297 + 790 Westland Services.. .. .. .. 915 2,666 — 1,751 Dunedin Services .. .. .. .. 1,140 289 + 851 Waipahi-Edievale.. .. .. .. 22 Loss 109 + 131 Invercargill Services .. .. .. 1,296 Loss 303 + 1,599 Total .. .. .. ..£22,200 £24,430 -£2,230 Details are as follow : — Auckland-Rotorua Services. 1939. 1938. Variation. £ £ £ Per Cent. Revenue .. .. ..45,339 23,375 +21.964 93-96 Expenditure .. .. 41,759 19,843 +21,916 110-45 Net revenue .. .. £3,580 £3,532 + £48 1-36 Passenger journeys .. 56,919 30,875 + 26,044 84-35 Mileage .. .. ..839,652 409,381 +430,271 105-10 Licenses acquired from private operators and incorporated in this service during the year were Edwards Motors, Ltd. (tourist license) taken over on 29th September, 1938, and D. G. Kelly's AucklandCambridge route license on 6th March, 1939. On a return per-mile basis the revenue this year was better by 0-05 per cent. Ordinary passenger revenue shows a decline of 0-59 d. per mile, while revenue from special trips increased by 0-69 d. per mile. Other items of revenue showed small fluctuations. The higher expenditure was due to the inclusion of additional services this year, together with the running of some of the fleets taken over in the previous financial year for a full twelve months as against a part of the previous year. Wellington-Wanganui Services. 1939. 1938. Variation. £ £ £ Per Cent. Revenue .. .. 15,508 14,455 +1,053 7-28 Expenditure .. .. 13,219 12,964 + 255 1 -97 Net revenue .. £2,289 £1,491 + £798 53-52 Passenger journeys .. 17,314 15,003 + 2,311 15-40 Mileage .. .. 342,619 353,999 -11,380 3-21 Revenue for the year increased by £1,053. Ordinary passenger receipts improved by £1,362, while special trips showed a decline of £323. Expenditure shows an increase of £255. Superintendence-costs decreased by £120 and maintenance charges by £117. Eixed charges increased by £76 and running-expenses by £416. Cleaning charges rose as the result of an additional cleaner, and hire charges increased due to requiring extra vehicles to cope with peak traffic. Wellington Suburban Services. 1939. 1938. Variation. £ £ £ Per Cent. Revenue .. .. 114,074 111,930 + 2,144 1-92 Expenditure .. .. 105,476 98,766 + 6,710 6-79 Net revenue .. £8,598 £13,164 — £4,566 34-69 Passenger journeys .. 4,390,170 4,306,744 + 83,426 1-94 Mileage .. .. 1,835,319 1,690,767 +144,552 8-55 The Wellington suburban services include Wellington-Hut t Valley, Wellington-Ngaio-Khandallak-Johnsonville, and Wellington-Titahi Bay runs. With the inauguration of the electric rail service between Wellington-Ngaio-Khandallah-Johnsonville the bus service running in this district was considerably curtailed, and at present only a limited service runs between Wellington and the outskirts of Ngaio and Khandallah. The workings of the combined services show a profit for the year of £8,598, which must be considered satisfactory. Considerable improvement has taken place in the Hutt Valley during the year, the journeys increasing by 593,732 and the receipts by £11,709. The frequency of this service was increased during the year by one additional run each hour between Wellington and Waiwhetu. Other improvements of a minor nature were also made to the service.

XXIV