THE RAILWAYS.

Manawatu Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 2644, 12 May 1923, Page 4

THE RAILWAYS.

The Railway returns published yesterday, covering the whole of the iinandial year ended on March 31, show a substantial improvement' upon those of last year. The revenue for the year shows an increase of £84,301, and the expenditure a decrease of £735,230, compared with that of last year, so that the lines, apparently, have contributed £819,581 to the interest on the cost of their construction more than they did in 1921-22. The critics,' however, are not growing very enthusiastic about the figures, and arc contending that mucth of the so-called saving had been effected by driving business away from the lines and so reducing expenditure. The “ Domin. ion ’’ works a guarded allusion to this point. “As the tabulated figures show,” it says, “ the improvement now in evidence is due in much greater degree to reductions in expenditure than to an increase in revenue. In the conditions now reached it should open to the management to do something to encourage the increase of traffic by a revision of rates.” This is somewhat qualified praise.