GISBORNE RAILWAY REVENUE SHOWED £11,481 INCREASE FOR PAST YEAR

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22621, 26 April 1948, Page 2

GISBORNE RAILWAY REVENUE SHOWED £11,481 INCREASE FOR PAST YEAR

main factors—the infantile paralysis restrictions, the longdry summer, and the cancellation of trains during Easter, 1947 — appear to have been the cause of the drop in passengers and stock carried from the Gisborne railway station during the year ended March 31. However, the revenue showed an increase of £11,481 over the previous year.

The railway road services contributed istrongly to this increase, carrying 16,178 more passengers last year than dn the previous year, the comparative figures being 87,174 and 70,996. Consequently, revenue from this branch of ,the passenger service increased by £4263. Goods carried by the road services were 76 tons more last year, rising from 1115 tons to 1191 tons. The increase in the passengers by road services is. according to the railway authorities, due to additional services having been run and more school children being carried by bus. A drop of 4216 in the number of passengers carried by train from Gisborne to outside centres, and a consequent fall in revenue of £2257 is shown in the yearly return prepared by the Gisborne stationmaster, Mr. H. Crawford. Last year 25,871 passengers entrained at Gisborne, compared with 30,084 the previous year, The cancellation of trains for the Easter holidays last year and the restriction on children travelling at Christmas resulted in fewer bookings being made. Competition now offered by the airways from Gisborne also possibly was a factor. More Wool Shipped Cattle, calves, sheep and pigs transported from the district dropped last year, 525 fewer cattle and calves and 5319 fewer sheep and pigs being transported. In all, 37,133 sheep and pigs left the district and 1963 cattle and calves. Timber carried from the Gisborne railway station increased by 87 tons, to 311 tons. Other goods carried showed an increase of 1233 tons, to 32,429 tons. The total revenue collected by the railway services in Gisborne last year for outward traffic was £146,570. an increase of £11,481 on the previous year. Commenting on the material carried by the railways from Gisborne during the past 12 months, Mrs. Crawford said that soft fruits consigned to markets other than Wellington accounted for a considerable amount of the increase in the general goods and parcel gage. The consignment of fruit and vegetables from Gisborne to private individuals elsewhere also showed a marked increase.

He thought the drop in the number of cattle and calves being railed from the district was due to few store cattle being required in Hawke’s Bay owing to farmers not stocking up there because of the drought. On account of the shortage' of feed, Hawke’s Bay farmers were also not buying stores and breeding ewes. The increase of 87 tons in the timber railed from the district was due mainly to consignments of telegraph poles and arms being railed from the wharf at Gisborne to Matawai and Motuhora. Fewer Animals Carried More wool was shipped from Gisborne to Napier last year than in the previous year, 2088 bales less being carried by rail. Dairy production fell off last year owing to the dry conditions and only 42,282 boxes of butter were forwarded from Gisborne by train to Napier for loading into overseas vessels. In the previous 12 months 47,282 boxes were railed. The quantity of frozen meat railed from the district to Napier for shipment overseas was lower by 4480 tons last year. This, the stationmaster attributed to the shortage of overseas shipping space, while the Gisborne freezing works were holding more meat at present than they did at this time last year. The drop in the handling of the above commodities from Gisborne is offset by the carriage of 5000 tons of metal from Motuhora to Muriwai for the road sealing being carried out in that area by the Works Department. This metal passed through the Gisborne station. Increases were also shown in the maize peas, barley, fruit and vegetables carried from Gisborne. The revenue collected from incoming goods showed an increase of £26,702 — from £76,314 to £103,016. Timber carried into the Gisborne station was 1267 tons more for the year ended March 31. A total of 9324 tons was brought into the district last year and 8057 tons the previous year. The number of cattle and calves carried into the district dropped by 469 to 4720 last year, while sheep and pigs also decreased by 9293, to 112,979. Other goods carried inwards increased from 30,768 tons to 33,839 tons.