TRANSPORT FIGURES

Evening Star, Issue 18668, 24 June 1924, Page 1

TRANSPORT FIGURES

INTERESTING COMMONWEALTH STATISTICS, The transport and communication hulle* tin issued by tho Commonwealth Statistician, Mr Chas. H. Wickens, gives some interesting statistics for the year 1922-23. The tiotal mileage of Government railways in Australia open for traffic at June 30, 1923, was 23,881 miles, of which 1,733 miles were owned by tho Commonwealth Government In addition there were 1,001 miles of privately owned lines open for general traffic, and 1,820 miles which were constructed for or by private owners for the carriage of special traffic, such as sugar, coal, timber, etc. Tho capital cost of Government- owned lines was £253,526,519, or an average of £10,616 per mile. For tho year 1922-23 the total revenue was £39,524,527, an increase of £1,329,897 over the previous year, while tho working expenses decreased by £304,530 to £29,513,440. Tho net •■revenue (£10,011,087) was insufficient by £1,580,697 to meet tho interest payable—viz., £11,601,784. In all 353,322,989 passenger journeys were recorded during the year, and 32,127.075 ions of goods and live stock were carried. It is interesting to record that of the increase of 18,346,423 passenger journeys over tho previous year, 13,600,516 were recorded in Victoria. This is attributable to tho increased facilities offered by tho electrification of the suburban railways. Tables showing particulars for each Slate of ton mileage and passenger mileage have been tho latter table appearing for the first time. During the year 145 persons were killed and 1,398 injured as tho results of train working and tho movement of rolling stock. _ At Juno 30, 1923, there were 460 miles of tramway using electrical traction, ninety-four miles steam, iorty-six miloi cable, and eight miles horse. Of the total of 608 miles 449, miles wore controlled by the several Governments, 113 miles by municipal authorities, and forty-six miles by private companies. The chief gauges in use were 4ft Bgin (491 miles) and 3ft 6in (ninety-five miles). Some of the new features in the issue under review arc tables showing tho mileage and cost of .construction of all tramways classified according to ownership, nature of motive power and gauge. , Comparative figures for aircraft prior to 1922-23 are not available, but for that year 4,709 flights of a duration of 3,246 hours, were carried out; a total distance of approximately 242,000 miles being covered; 118,810 letters were carried in connection with tho subsidised mail services in Queensland and Western Australia. Statistics compiled from information supnlipd bv the several registration authorities show that at June 30, 1923, 172,745 motor vehicles (42,649 of which were inn Lor cycles) were registered, and 208,376 riders’ and drivers’ licenses were issued. The, revenue obtained from such registrations, etc., was £619,447. A total of 1,489 vessels of a total net tonnage of 4,737>854 entered Australian ports direct from overseas countries durum the year; 285 vessels (648,864 tons net) entered, and ninety-seven vessels (220,391 tons net) cleared at Australian ports in ballast. The number and tonnage of vessels entered at cacb_ port for the vo; 11 1 is also specified. Particulars of marine casualties reported on or near the <«asiv of Australia during 1922-23, and also the depth of water at main ports have been included for the first time. There, wore, at June 50, 1923, 8,494 post, and receiving offices maintained by tho Postmaster-General's department; the stall employed (inclusive of central office, but exclusive of mail contractors) was 34,474. The revenue earned by tho brandies were: Postal, £5,449,282; telegraph, £1,445,469; and telephone, ,£3,003,407 - a total of co nog 158 while the total expenditure represented a sum of £10,752,373. Tne total postal matter dealt with by the department was 504,278,573 letters, 151,144,8u6 newspapers. parcels, 77.829,096 packets, and 6,522,451 registered articles. For the Commonwealth 2,873,057 money orders, of a total value of £14,120,690, were issued, and 2,724,020, of a vaJuo of £13,705,721, were paid during the year. Postal 'notes paid during the year number 12.454,543, to the value of £4,147,772. There were, at Juno 30, 1923, 6,087 offices open for telegraphic business, at which 16,362,606 telegrams and 533,9/7 cab o-tn-arns were received, and 16,368,560 telegrams and 539.926 cablegrams were despatched. A total of 213,978 subscribers, in addition to 5,584 public telephones, were connected to 2,825 telephone exchanges. Tho average daily calling rote per subscriber was 7.7 for ccptral, 3.*>4 lor suburban, and 1.76 for country exebangos; the daily average for all exchanges for the year was 3.6 per subscriber. The revenue derived from the 15,746.837 effective trunk line calls was £641.216, or an average of 9.77 d per call.