THE RAILWAY RETURNS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXII, Issue 15704, 25 August 1911, Page 6

THE RAILWAY RETURNS.

TnE railway returns we publish this morning giving tho results obtained from the lines during the fourth fourweekly period cf the financial year show that tho traffic lias been well maintained and that tbe cost of working has not run away with an undue proportion of tho earnings. The revenue and expenditure for the period were as follows:

The cost ot working on ino norwwm section still is considerably higher than the cost on the southern section, but this is mainly due to the more difficult gradients in the North and the Minister is now taking steps to remove this tax upon the revenue. The cost at this time last year on the northern section was 68.71 per cent of the revenue and on the southern section 66.50 par cent, while this year the figures have been reduced to 65. 1 5 per cent and 62.14 per cent respectively. The net revenue for the sixteen weeks, compared with the net revenue for the corresponding period last year, is shown in the following table: —

Next month the North Island lines ought to begin to assert the “ superiority ” which our Wellington friends never weary of telling us they always display at this season of the year.

•North. South T'Urt r- 4*. f

ExNet Revenue. penditure. Revenue. £ £ £ 130,842 84,791 36,051 123,262 86,053 37,209

1910. 1901. Increase. £ £ £ North . 160,295 192,896 32,601 South . 176,932 208,839 31,907