TRAMWAY FIGURES

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 74, 25 September 1923, Page 8

TRAMWAY FIGURES

FOR THREE AND SIX MONTHS

WORKING EXPENSES NOW AND

LAST YEAR

The returns prepared by the actihg;eneral manager of the tramways department, Mr. M. Cable, showing tramvay figures for the twelve and twentypur weeks' periods ended 15th Septemjer, again set out increased passenger -igures as compared with those of the orresponding periods last year, though Me revenue derived is less this year, lue, of course, to the lowering of concession card charges since the 1922 returns were prepared, As a set-off Mgainst the loss of revenue, however, ..forking expenses have dropped, and at i greater rate than has revenue, thus >ringing the balance back to the right ' iide ■ of. the book. The "numbers of passengers carried during the twelve and twenty-four week periods just endad, it will be noted, are 59,013 and .299,954 in excess' of those of the same periods of 1922, and, arguing upon the oasis of the 59,000 and practically .#O,OOO, it will at once be seen that the quarter ending last June, i.e., the Srst twelve-week period of the 300,000 twenty-four week period, was indeed a bumper three months as regarded passenger traffic. Indeed, a comparison of the quarter ended'last June with that of the corresponding 1922 quarter shows that the 1923 April-June period saw 240,941 more passengers on the cars than the 1922 April-June quarter. Yet during the 1923 June-September quarter only 59,013 more passengers were carried than during the same twelve weeks of 1922, and the boost that Wellington was given by Welcome Week' is hot the explanation, for Welcome Week came, not during the April-June period, but in July, during the quarter just ended.

The explanation is probably threefold, and the influenza, bad weather, and the renewal work carried on in Willis street and Lambton quay, with influenza ail easy first. Not only were many people physically unable to ride in tram cars, but very many more who, in ordinary times, take a car over a section or so, were unwilling, and wisely so, to risk sharing a seat with those developing, or just recovering from influenza, and accordingly started out from home twenty minutes earlier and walked for the good of .their health. Influenza, again, frightened people away from picture theatres and the like, and continued bad weather also had' its, effect on evening traffic, with the result that there was a very marked falling otf m.the number of passengers carried during July and August. The interference with travelling over the city section by the renewal of tracks in Willis street and Lambton quay probably had its effect, but was not so important a factor as either influenza or bad weather in keeping the number ■t V nP" a Previous occasion, when city traffic was very largely . diverted along back streets, the falling off of city..section traffic and the consequent loss of revenue; were very considerable indeed, but if there was a. slowing up there was no diverting of. traffic on adcount of the recent track renewal work. Figures for the last two or three weeks however, show that Wellington is back i to normal and that passenger figures are steadily climbing upward againf Kevenue per car mile, depending upon passengers carried- a u d working 'ex penses, is shown .to-have fallen approxi--hV^i^-s^ 2rfc ■tember?-^" 8 ' 2"h Jun« to 15th Sep. .1823 -j m 2 Inc Dcc> Revenue S G 414 07 on, £ ■ £'■ Working Ex- ' 3 ~ 789 SpeSST" Ex" 61>759 66 '728 ~ MS9 aa P ;Fr a di ture - 794 736 68 -'; Credit BaTnce"- "Sos "S 18M ~ Percentage of ° 40C2 ~ 757 ■Working Ex- ' ' . pensea to Ke:ve?ue 75 77 ■'__•■ o Eevjnue per •'. d' dl d- «•" Worti n gile Ex-":" 2°-73 27-n ~•" -M penscs p er . Pas^r -;- 2°'ol 21-2° - 1.19 twS&FlaSg? "oiMrt "April to Isth 1023 39 2 2 l nc . Revenue ■....■■■ 174 oir i«p^i £ £ Working Ex" 76 '621 " ~ -^ Specuf ExV IS°-SOS KSM ~ O« Ca^ui'f lfiS2 I 'Bl6 35: - . Working Ex- * •• .- ' penres to Ke- " ' VenUe «■ 78 - 2 Revenue per car ' ■ "*. Wooing -ExV 27-2. 6 28:42 I* ~ penseß per Car' ■ pSgers" . .2 °-72 >33 ■~ . .I.«P cir" rie Mi! M :7 'iS2-DU 16.582,060 299,951 _ Kun 3,534,992 1,491,063 43,929 _