RAILWAY RETURNS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIX, Issue 135, 9 June 1898, Page 5

RAILWAY RETURNS.

The railway returns for the colony for the month of April 189S and the corresponding period ot 1897 show that on the Kawakawa section the revenue decreased from £163 to £158. On the Whangarei section there was an increase of from £921 to £1,280, though the passenger trafiic decreased from 5,103 to 2,701. The prineipa: increases were in parcels, sheep, and minerals. On the Kaihu section the revenue fell from £1,528 to £814, the decreases being, passengers from 2,657 t» 1,684, and timber from 6,237 tons to 2,920. The revenue on the Auckland section shows an increase of only £818, though there was an increase of nearly 3,000 passengers carried and slight increases in grain, merchandise, and minerals. There was a decrease in parcels, sheep, pigs, ami timber.

The railway returns of revenue and expenditure for the four weeks ending 30th April, 1898, show the revenue for the North Island to have increased from £40,870 for corresponding period of 1897 to £50,146. The expenditure increased from £27,130 to £29,758.

In the Middle Island the revenue shows a decrease from £88,665 to £81,374. The expenditure increased from £42,966 to £43,212.

Including all sections* there were in° creases ot 17,149 passengers (return), 3,86? parcels, 2,370 cattle, 32,893 sheep, and decreases of 1,131 first-class passengers (single) and 2,230 (single), second-class. Chaff and lime showed an increase of 1,952 tons, firewood 1,150 tons, merchandise 1,16!), minerals 8,776 tons. Decreases: Timber 1,201 tons, grain »17,346. The total cost of the opened lines was £15,577,392, unopened lines £957,558.