RAILWAY RETURNS.

Press, Volume XLIII, Issue 6627, 18 December 1886, Page 3

RAILWAY RETURNS.

IBt Tbumbafh.J •; Iraou oub cobbsspondent.J I am able to give you to-night some fuller and better information as to the rail* way revenue that appears in yesterday's Gazette. I regret to say the figures still are of a very unfavorable character, excepting as showing that strict economy is being exercised in everything. The New Zealand Bailway revenue for the first thirtv-fiwo weeks of the current financial year amounts to only £570,500 for 16 >4 miles tpoa as azainst AM1.743 for 1496 milas ltsc year. The expenditure was £ 131,514 aiaiost £4'H.637, audits ratio to rec»ipts7sper cent, instead of €9 per cent., but taken in relation to mileage, the working expenses have been considerably less per mile than last year, the aggregate itcreaso being only £WQ> although 160 more miles hare beenworßed. This shows that there must have been, strenuous efforts to economise. The traffic I exhibits an increase of 131,281 in the nam- [ ber of passengers, and 60,658 in the number of live stock carried. Tnere was also an increase in chaff, wool and minerals, out in grain, merchandise, timber and firewood [ there was a falling off. The total revenue : yielded by the railways for . the elf he months ended 30th November amounted approximately to .£610,000. which ii j £155,000 less than the proportionate estimate for that period