OUR RAILWAYS.

Evening Star, Issue 12900, 24 August 1906, Page 6

OUR RAILWAYS.

SIB JOSEPH WARD’S VALEDICTORY STATEMENT. EARNINGS EXCEED THE ESTIMATE -. BY £109,704. . [From Our Parliamentary Reporter.] : WELLINGTON, August 24. One of the most interesting reports- pre tented i o’ Parliament this session, is tin Railways Statement, which ■ contains a record of the year’s operations. That placed before members this afternoon is theseverrth and final Railway Statement hy Sir-Joseph Ward, and it covers the twelve months ended March 31 last. Tho Minister announces at the outset that the year’s operations have been most satisfactory, for, despite the liberality of the forecast made, the actual earnings have exceeded the estimate by £109,704. This result may be thus stated:— . 1906. 1905. Total earnings ... £2,549,704 £2,209,231 Total expenditure .. 1,621,239 1,492£0 C Net profit on working . £728,465 £716,331 The mileage open for traffic on March 31 last was 2,406, as against 2,374 miles foi the previous year, while tho net revenue (£728,465) is equal to a return of 3.24 pci cent, on the total capital of £24,092,085 invested in opened and unopened lines. It ia worthy of note that the Kawakawa section has alone failed to, pay working expenses, the deficit thereon being £1,239. The increased train mileage opened has cost over £75,000. The ordinary passengers carried totalled 8,826,382, or an increase of 312,270 over tho . previous year. Tbe season tickets numbered 147,989, or an increase of 7,536. The number of workers’ twelve-trip tickets was 38,029 and of workers’ weekly tickets (available on suburban lines) 77,556. In the Minister’s opinion the steady increase in the issue points to the feet that t)he workers (for whose benefit they were introduced) are forsaking in greater numbers the over-populated city areas and making homes in the suburbs, where more healthful conditions prevail. The holiday excursion tickets numbered 737,675, an increase ol 44,222, and school, factory, and' friendly societies’ excursions tickets 120,220, or 6,561 over tho preceding year. In merchandise carried a decrease of 2,230 tons is shown, which is attributed to more Home boats now discharging at Dunedin in place of at Port Chalmers, while 64,299 lees sheep were carried, traceable to the mortality among the flocks in Otago and Canterbury during the severe winter of 1902 and’the depletion of tbe flocks by tbe overexport of ewe lambs during 1902 and 1903. The average number of men employed was 9,795, an increase of 454 on the previous year. The sum of £4,833 has been paid as compensation and compassionate allowance to members retired from the Service and to the relatives of members deceased. This sum includes £4,603 paid under the Workers’ Compensation for Accidents Act. The additions made to the plant during the year have increased the tractive power by 3.81 per cent., passenger seating accommodation by 7.04 per cent., waggon carrying capacity by 5.54 per cent. On March 31 there were 13 locomotives, 91 bogey passenger carriages, 18 bogey brake vans, 143 bogey and 508 four-wheeled waggons under construction, in the workshops of the colony. —Revenue and Expenditure.— The gross revenue for the year amounted to £2,349,704, and exceeded" the estimate by £109,704, and tho gross revenue for the preceding year by £140,473. The net revenue, £728,465, was £12,154 in excess of that for the preceding year. The passenger revenue snows an increase of £42,961, season - tickets £5,754, coaching traffic £27,951, and goods and live stock £68,062. The total expenditure amounted ta £1,621,659, being an increase of £128,355 over the previous year of £353,025. Expended under the head additions to open lines and charged to capital account, £264£30 was on account of rolling-stock, tarpaulins, Westinghouse brake, and workshop machinery, and £88,795 on tablet and interlocking extension and duplication of lines. ■ —Cost of Duplication.— The expenditure on duplication work was: Wellington-Hutt line, £44,814; Auckland-Penrose and Duncdin-Mosgie! lines, £11,848. It is intended to put the duplication of tbe Addington-Bolleston line, in 'hand as soon as surveys axe completed. —Superannuation.— Tbe Government Railways Superannuation Fund now stands at £90,984. The allowances paid during tho year amounted to £21,521, representing grants to 525 persons. The legal representative* of deceased members were paid £422, and contributors who left the Service (voluntarily or otherwise) received £1,830. —Concluding Remarks and Forecast.— The Minister states that in his last year'sStatement he alluded to the position of the lower-grade members of the railway staff, and intimated that the question of making some alteration in respect to such members was raider consideration. After mature deliberation the Government decided to include in the Supplementary Estimates placed before Parliament during the session of 1905 an amount sufficient to enable an alio wan oa of Is per day to be paid to men in receipt of 7s per day, and 6d per day to other men, the allowances to apply to all members, except tradesmen, engmemen, firemen, guards, and signalmen in receipt of 8s per day and over. It was also decided at the same time to reduce the hours of locomotive enginemen, firemen, guards, and signalmen from fifty-four to forty-eight per week of six days, such alteration to take effect from tb© let April, 1906. The, cost of these concessions, on the basis of the staff existing on tbe Ist November, 1905, was approximately £65,000 per annum, and it will increase proportionately with the growth of the staff. In view, however, of the enhanced cost of living and labor conditions generally, the Minister feels assured that the concessions made to the railway staff are fully justified, and are, further, of a character to commend themselves to everyone. The question of using motor-cars on our lines has been receiving considerable attention, and as a result of observations made and information obtained by the General Manager of Railways during his visit to America and Europe last year it has been decided that the most suitable method of working such a service is by a small locomotive with a combination car and van atached. This system has been adopted on several of the principal railways in England, and is found to possess many advantages over the self-propelling motor-car, and is being adopted by lines which, at the outset, had favored and even gone to the expense of running self-propelling motor-cars. In order to give the system a trial, a car 60ft in length, having accommodation for twenty-four first class and fortyeight second class passengers, in addition to a compartment for guard, parcels, and luggage, has been built at the Petone Workshops. Should this service prove successful, it is intended to extend it from time to time, as circumstances warrant. In view of increased settlement and the commercial activity and general prosperity of the colony, the Minister is confident that the traffic during the financial year now entered on will be equally as. satisfactory as in previous years, and therefore estimates tho revenue for-the ye:h- ending 31st March; 1907, at £2,450,000, and tbe expenditure at £1,750,C00. .In relinquishing, the of Railways, in consequence of hi(f assumption of the Premiership, Sir. Joseph Ward-, says that he looks hack with much, pleasure to the. seven years he has held the responsible position of Ministerial bead of this-great department of State. Fe wpeople; if indeed any, will take exception to his saying that within that period great development and improvements in the service, both to the public and the staff, have been effected. In conclusion, Sir Joseph puts on record his < appreciation of the loyal and capable assistance be has invariably received at the hands of the General Manager (Mr T. Ronayr.e) and his responsible officers, and thanks mem-iers of all grades of the Railway Sendee for the assiduity displayed in I the discharge of their onerous, duties. *nd 1 for their uniformly good odadnoi.