RAILWAY FIGURES

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXI, Issue 4565, 5 November 1937, Page 5

RAILWAY FIGURES

TE KUITI STATION REVENUE. AMONGST HIGHEST IN NORTH ISLAND. ANALYSIS OF TRAFFIC. Once again the railway returns show a substantial increase in the total revenue from outward traffic handled at the Te Kuiti railway station. The revenue for the year ended March, 1937, was £80,314, as compared with £77,021 the previous year. The upward tendency would have been greater were it not for the decrease in the timber figures. Outside of Auckland, and of the two coal mining centres, Huntly and Glen Afton, the revenue from the Te Kuiti station is the greatest in the Auckland Province. In the whole of the North Island its revenue is only exceeded by the three places mentioned and Palmerston North and Wellington stations.

This is largely due to the lime and timber output. Timber has slumped considerably from the figure reached in the year 1935-36. Then 133,878 hundreds of superficial feet were railed from Te Kuiti and its flagstations; last year the total was 116,189 hundreds of superficial feet. This decline in timber traffic is reflected in a decrease in the railings from several important Main Trunk timber centres such as Ongarune, Taumarunui, and National Park, though Okahukura and Ohakune show increases.

On the other hand, the output of lime has increased very considerably. There is no separate classification in the returns for this commodity, but it is safe to assume that the bulk of the increase in goods traffic, from 51,418 tons in 1935-36 to 61,342 tons in 1936-37, can be ascribed to the increase in the output of lime. As the goods tonnage from Te Awamutu is only 15,980 tons, and from Taumarunui only 10,540 tons, it will be seen that the lime trade has a great influence on the Te Kuiti station returns. It is, for instance, considerably greater in tonnage than timber.

The number of cattle and calves carried declined from 13,587 to 10,525, but sheep and pigs carried increased from 91,064 to 101,431. The number of passenger journeys from Te Kuiti also increased to a considerable extent. These numbered 67,514, plus 359 season tickets, compared with 56,666, with 390 season tickets the previous year. The number travelling first class from Te Kuiti increased from 1877 to 2025. In all, passenger revenue amounted to £12,901, a very substantial increase on the total of £10,618 the previous year.

This accounted for the bulk of the increase in revenue, for the figures of income from other sources were as follows, the amounts received the previous year being in parentheses:— Parcels, etc., £1265 (£1306); total goods, £65,713 (£64,709); miscellaneous, £435 (£388); total, £80,314 (£77,021).

An increase of nearly 3000 tons of goods in the inward traffic is noted in the returns. Comparative figures for this inward traffic are as follows: —Cattle and calves, 2796 (2876); sheep and pigs, 38,730 (36,723); timber, 419,100 super, feet (426,900); and other goods, 22,203 tons (19,392). The total revenues from outward traffic received at the local station during recent years has been as follows: — 1929-30 £67,569 1930-31 58,892 1931-32 52,771 1933-34 66,838 1934-35 70,145 1935-36 77,021 laoe Qf7 on Qi/t