RAILWAY RETURNS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXIII, Issue 15919, 3 May 1912, Page 6

RAILWAY RETURNS.

The railway returns we publish this morning bring the accounts up to the end of tho financial year and show that the net earnings of tho lines during the twelve months amounted to £1,210,613. This is an advance of £19,691 upon the earnings of last year and an improvement of £60,613 upon the Minister's estimate. The figures for tho North and South Island systems compared with, those of 1910-11 may be stated in the following form: —

It cannot be claimed that the figures are satisfactory, those for the South Island system indeed are extremely unsatisfactory. No doubt the earnings in this part of the dominion have been affected by the late hardest, but not, we think, to the extent of £31,421, and the new Minister will have to look for some other explanation of the decline in the revenue. The expenditure has been mounting up mope rapidly in the South than in the North and probably the extensive use of motor-cars in Canterbury and Otago has appreciably lessened the receipts from passenger traffic. Tho whole position will have to be closely investigated and if any leakage is discovered it will have to be stopped.

North South Totals 1910-11 £ 617,372 . • , 573,550 . 1,100.922 1911-12 £ 668.-4S4 542,129 1.210,613 Inc. or Deo £ 51,112 Inc 31,421 Dec 19,691 Inc