BETTER SHOWING

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 217, 11 June 1935, Page 6

BETTER SHOWING

Dominion Transport Industries INCREASED TRAFFIC Activity iu the transport industries is a sensitive index of business activity generally; and, moreover, these industries in themselves provide employment for a large number of wageearners, says the Government Statistician in a general review of the Dominion’s activities in this sphere. Statistics of railway operations for the complete railway year ended March 31. 1935, show that operating revenue during the year just past totalled £5,908,064, an increase of £279,229 over the total for the previous railway year, while working expenditure increased from £4,877,146 in 1933- to £5,138,588 in 1934-35, an increase of £261,442. The percentage of working expenditure to operating revenue rose from 86.65 in 1938-34 to 86.98 in 1034-35. The excess of working revenue over operating expenditure totalled £769,476 —the best financial result since 1928-29. in 1930-31 the excess of revenue was only £375,244; . but since that year a steady upward trend has been revealed In. the yearly surplus, the increase between 1932-33 and 1933-34 being as much as £246,368. The fact that this abnormal increase has been followed by a further increase (of £17,787) must be regarded as very satisfactory; particularly in view of the fact that expenditure in 1934-35 was increased materially by the partial restoration of the cuts in railway employees' ■wages. ! The net ton-miles run during the year 1934-35 totalled 419,655,000, ah increase of 9.4 per cent, over the total for the previous year. Passenger traffic also showed a substantial increase over the previous year’s totals, the number of passenger journeys rising from 19,047,186 in 1933-34 to 19,654,467 in 1934- an increase of 8.2 per cent. During the first four-weekly period of the 1935-36 railway year operating revenue was £13,051 higher and expemliture £8630 higher than in the same period of last year, resulting In an increase of' £4421 in net revenue for the period. Motor Transport.

The total number of licensed motorvehicles on March 31,1935, was 209,462, of which number there were 136,009 private cars, 41,861 trucks and trailers, 24,440 motor-cycles, and 7152 other types of motor-vehicles. Corresponding totals on March 31, 1934, were Private cars, 127,757; trucks and trailers, 37,974; motorcycles, 24,689; other types of motor vehicles, 6865; total, 197,285. An overall Increase of 12,177 vehicles is revealed by the 1034-35 totals, it is interesting to note that the number of licensed motor-cycles has decreased slightly, whereas most other types of motor vehicles show Increases. During the year ended March 31, 1935, 16,186 motor vehicles were im. ported, as compared with 5460 during 1983-84, an increase of 196.5 per cent, i • Tfie only statistics as yet available indicative of road usage during 193435 are the statistics of imports of motor spirit, which totalled 67,604,725 .gallons, as compared with 54,464.568 gallons in 1933-34, an increase of 24.1 per cent. ' - - - ’ Improvement in Shipping. The total tonnage of cargo handled during the year ended March 31, 1935, for shipment between coastal ports was 3,088,264 tons (excluding transhipments), as compared with 2,826,217 tons during 1933-34. Cargo tonnage thus shows an increase of 9.3 per cent, during the March year just past. The total manifest tonnage of overseas cargo (inward and outward) during the March year 1934-35 was 2,659,823 tons, an increase of 11.0 per cent, over the 1933-34 total. Inward cargo increased by 21.1 per cent, as a result of the marked increase in imports; but, on the other hand, outward cargo was 3.3 per 'cent, lower than in the previous Marell year. The volume of exports of wool and cheese to date this exporting season is lower than was the case for the same period last season.

A greatly increased volume o£ passenger traffic on overseas vessels is indicated by statistics of external migration for the year ended on March 31, 1935. Total arrivals were 29,447 jig compared with 19,687 in 1933-34—an increase of 49.6 per cent., while departures totalled 32,541 in 1934-35 as compared with 22,022 iu the immediately preceding year— tin increase of 47.8 per cent.