TRAMWAYS SLUMP.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 259, 1 November 1932, Page 5

TRAMWAYS SLUMP.

WEIXINGTON CITY COUNCIL.

DEBIT BALANCE OF £9683,

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.)

WELLINGTON", Monday.

The annual report of the tramways department of the Wellington City Council for the year ended March 31 last sets out the difficulty which was experienced by the management in endeavouring to maintain the services in face of falling revenue. The debit balance of £9683 ■was the largest of the unfavourable balances to date, although Wellington's tramway position was much brighter than that of certain other towns. The report also showed that the proportion of expenses to 'revenue was being steadily brought down. v Passengers carried totalled 38,278,552, compared with 44,285,509 for the previous year. The latter figure had remained approximately steady since 1926. The' decrease was almost wholly accounted for by the loss in tramway business, for the number of bus passengers, 1,049,501, was within 100,000 of the figure for the previous year. It also appeared from the report that Wellington people walked very much more last year than in previous years, for the'number of one-section cash fares fell by over 1,000,000, the total being 7,007,990, compared with 8,172,436 'last year, and 8,747,644 in 1926. One-section concession riders fell from 10,341,612 to 8,876,292.