NEW ZEALAND RAILWAYS.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13168, 15 July 1908, Page 8

NEW ZEALAND RAILWAYS.

.MINISTER'S ANNUAL STATEMENT.

(special to "'the press.") WELLINGTON, July 14. The results of the past two years' working of the New Zealand .Railways are summarised thus -.— IMS. Total - 'iotal Net Profit Earnings. Expenditure, on worKing. £2,761,938 ... £1,iMy,«09 ... £bl2,i.d 1907. Total loud Net Prorit -Earnings. Expenuiture. on woiKiig. £2,b24,0u) ... &.L t olz,-ls>2 ... i:&i-,no Seventeen miles 2'J ciiaiiii. or tju-eu-fcious were optiueu uunng tue year, jluo net revenue, j^oL2, l<y, tut; ju.iuiai*!r states, is equal io a reiurn oi i>..}.> per cent, on tue, tapnai luv-uatcd m iuo open imes, auu o.u-t per ceiu. on luu total capital. jLiu.io.J,iiU, invested ill oxjeueci ami unopened iait». l'lito cost oi \.ojiung tue Kawakawa liection exceeded, mc caiiuu&i by ±.yi2. r lh& ivaiiiu sseouon. na& abo been worked at a loss ot £-103.

Tile number or train miles run during tho year was /,ojl,-j-1, bens;; au increase ot iue total number oi ordinary passengers carrier was y,7o<j,7lt}, au lucreiiw; oi liXi,iMo over the previous year. I'nis is very gratifying, as the rowiriw lor the year showed the phenomenal increase oi 774,404 passeugeis over lliUti, ooii.iiacing largely ot trunic of a iion-recurriny character, whiett was induced by tne New Zealand International JbxhiDition. Season tickets issued number loo.iv-i, an increase of l'J,b7o. The number of workers' twelve-trip tickets was 43,901, and of workers' weekly tickets available on suburban lives IOI,ID'J. These tickets, the -Minister is pleased to say, continue to maintain their popularity. Their regular use by a large body of the community is practical testimony of the appreciation by the workers ot' tho advantages to be derived by living in healthy surroundings away from the crowded city areas and of being enabled to travel to and from, their work at a nominal cost. Holiday excursion tickets numbered 732,135, being a decrease of 124,277 when compared with the previous year. This, however, is accounted for by the fact that this class of ticket was to Christchurch during the whole currency of the Exhibition. School, factory and Friendly Societies' excursion tickets numbered 113,080, an increase of 17,116. Tho number of school, factory, and Friendly Societies' excursions run during the year in tho principal districts was:—Auckland 27, Wanganui GO, Wellington-Napier 42, Christchurch 141, Dunedin 95, Invorcargill 39. .

The coaching and goods traffic shows large increases under each of the respective heads that the traffic is grouped under, cheep, wool, and grain excep'ted. In coaching the increases have been: —Parcols 7636, horses 653, carriages 339, dogs 5685; and in live stock and goods traffic :-<kttle 17,720 head, pigs 10.765, chaff, lime, etc. 1451 tone, firewood 918 tons, timber 49,057 tons, merchandise 45,248 tons, minerals 184,467't0n5. The decrease in the wool traffic w 7568 tons, grain 31,138 tons, and sheep 67,901 head. The net increase in the gross tonnage was 246.000 tons. The decrease in sheep tramo is due entirely to the heavy movemept of sheep that took place during the previous year owing to the dry spell. Although, therefore, the sheep traffic for the year under review compared unfavourably with that for 1907, it is nevertheless greater by some 700,000 head than the traffic of any other year, when normal conditions have prevailed. The average number of men employed during the year was 12,338, against 10,858 the previous year, an increase of 1480. / . .. The amounts, charged to duplication of lines during" the year were:— Welli ngton-Hutt duplication works, £38,830. New Hutt road and purchase of land for same, £7391. . Auokland-Penroso duplication works, £54,302. . ' Addington-Kolleston duplication works, £11,031. . . Dimedin-Mosgiel duplication and deviation of line, £74,720. In his <»ncluding remarks- and fore- i east, the Minister explains that the increased cost of" maintenance is very •largely due to the policy of betterment : that has been followed daring the past few years, under which the ,pioneer main lines of the Dominion, originally designed and equipped for dealing with a small business by trains run at low speeds,. havo been gradually, converted into standard lines, capable of meeting the requiremente of the erver-erpanding traffic, and the demands that have arisen for fast passenger services between the important business centres of the Dominion. The lines ~are in excellent condition,' and in view of the important functions they perform in the development of settlement and commerce of the Dominion, it is essential that the present high standard should be maintained.