PROFIT FROM RAIL-CARS

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22491, 27 August 1938, Page 13

PROFIT FROM RAIL-CARS

RISING REVENUE ON

TWO LINES

SUCCESSFUL WEST COAST

SERVICE

[From Our Parliamentary Reporter.]

WELLINGTON, August 26.

The two rail-car services run by the Railways Department— WellingtonPalmerston North and Christchurch-Greymouth-Hokitika— were highly profitable to the department during the last financial year, as can be judged from figures in the 1938 Railways Statement, tabled in the House of Representatives to-day. The West Coast service showed a substantial rise in revenue.

The following statement shows the results of the operation of these services for the full year 1937-38, compared with the part year of 1936-37:

1936-37 • Varia--1937-38 (part-year) tion R pa e S n .. 25§»3 U%l +14*006 Parcels, mails, -j-1399 & newspapers 3,123 1.7 H -t- !,■>»» Total .. 29,106 13,701 +15.405 Expenditure- 26 , 043 13 ,762 +12,281 Net revenue .. 3,063 61* +3,124 Mileage .. 362,991 201,448 +161,543 fLoss. Chrtetchurch-Greymouth-Hokitika The revenue for the year amounted to £9192, as compared with £5207 for the part year of 1936-37, an increase of £39Bu. Expenditure rose from £3293 to £6272, an increase of £2979. The revenue and expenditure a mile for 1938 were 20.14 d and 13.74 d respectively, as compared with 16.58 and 10.48 d a mile for the part year of 1936-37. The mileage a gallon ot iuei consumed was L 8.59, compared with 17 90 last an improvement of U.b» of a mile. This service is maintained primarily for the purpose of conveying newspapers from Christchurch to the West Coast of the South Island, accommodation for passengers being limited to 19 persons in each of the two small Diesel units operating the service, the report states.

Wellington-Palmerston North The revenue for the year ended March 31, 1938, was £19.914, as com pared with £8494 for the part year of 1936-37, an increase of £11,420. expenditure totalled £19.771. an increase of £9841. The net revenue, added to the saving in direct cost of steam-train miles replaced during the year 43,680 at 4s 2.8 d a mile), gives a total gain from the operation of rail-cars on this route of £9389, whilst the rail-car mileage run in this area (253,430 miles) affords some indication of the substantial improvement in the passenger transport facilities provided Revenue a mile this year was 18.80 d and expenditure 18.72 d a mile.