THE RAILWAYS

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 8 May 1925, Page 5

THE RAILWAYS

THE YEAR’S FINANCES,

HEAYY DROP IN FARES. INCREASE IN GOODS TRAFFIC. (By Telegraph—Special to the Star.) WELLINGTON, May S.- ‘ Details' of railway finance for the year ended March 31 show that the revenue totalled • £7,112,424 and’ the expenditure £5,545,415, being a gross surplus of £1,567,000, which, as the Minister for Railways recently explained, is insufficient to pay the full rate of interest, 3J per cent, on over fortyone millions invested. The cost of unopened lines, £7,339,394, indicates that large additional mileage will shortly be added to the working railways. The Tauranga section is still wholly under the Public Works Department’s control, and has to date’ had £1,107,000 spent on it. North Island lines show an expenditure equalling 71.97 per cent of revenue, and South Island lines 77.97 per cent.

Traffic returns for the 12 months disclose heavy decreases in passengers, but there has been a general improvement in live stock and goods. Details, compared with the previous year, are as follows: Passengers 12,424,012, a-de-crease of 1,412,299; season tickets, 537,554, an increase of 11,810; cattle, 351,873, an increase of 31,439;, ,sheep and pigs, 8,105,597, an increase of 381,G 26; timber, 754,634 tons, an increase of 30,518 tons; other goods, 5,847,972 tons, an increase of 52,632. The total goods and stock traffic has increased by 83,150 tons.