RAILWAYS YEAR.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 6 April 1926, Page 9

RAILWAYS YEAR.

ELEVEN MONTHS’ FIGURES. PASSENGERS DECLINE. The figures of traffic and revenue on the railways are now known up to the end of February. That is to say, only one month of the' financial year is missing; and the known 11 months include the Christmas-New Year peak period of railways business. The figures to hand are therefore good data- from which to judge the year as a whole. The revenue for the 11 months (approximately) totals £7,237,550 7s sd. as compared with £6,428,221 14s Id for the corresoonding period of last financial year. ‘The expenditure figures are £5,808,420 Is 6d for 1925-26, and £5.064.402 13s 6d for last year. For 1925-26 the expenditure is 80.25 per cent of revenue; for last year, 78.78. The comparative statement of traffic shows increases in 1925-26 for all freights—for all goods and live stock. In every- section- there was an increase in the quantity carried. But on the passengers side there is a decrease in the number carried, and this decrease is under all heads except season tickets, which show an encouraging increase of 61,570 (544,281 —482,711). The passengers’ total is shown at 10,795.040 for the current 11 months, against 11,505.916 for the corresponding neriod of last year, a decrease of 710.876. The improvement in the volume or poods carried seems 'to_ indicate that the new commercial oolicy of the Denartment of Railways has won back From freight motors some of the goods, hut that motor buses and cars are still taking away railway passengers, though the increase in season tickets suggests renewed support from suburban residents, and these are the peoole fop whom the motor bus largely caters. The figures, of course, have to he read with due allowance for the increase of population and s«ttl«ra*nt.