NORTHERN RAILWAY TRAFFIC

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10083, 19 March 1896, Page 6

NORTHERN RAILWAY TRAFFIC

Railway traffic returns for the four woeks ending February 1, 1896, and for the corresponding four weeks, 1895, give the following:— Kawakawa Section. 1896. 1895, Passengers „ „ 809 635 Parcels .. „ Ml 09 Goods .. .. _ 777 tons 350 tons Kevenue £170 IS 11 £111 15 4 Expenditure .. .. £144 18 8 £143 2 9 WiiANGAREt Section. Passengers .. .. 3,995 8.8G7 Goods 3,190 tons 3,'J!>9 tons Kevenue £522 10 1 £45ti 1 0 Expenditure .. .. £.172 0 0 £340 19 10 Kaiiiu section.

Passengers .. .. 1,7U5 902 Parcels 162 120 Goods 1,478 tons 1,218 tons Revenue £401 I i £322 1 10 Kxpenditure .. .. £208 10 4 £134 1 2 The above returns are very satisfactory, showing, a? they do, steady progress in the North. The excess of revenue over expenditure for the four weeks of this year were : —Kawakawa, £25 17s 3d; Whangarei, £150 4s Id ; Kaihu, £195 10s lOd : equal to £48*23 per annum, if the four weoks be considered an average period. The Government may well take into account this contribution of our people to the year's surplus when allocating the grants for roads. It may safely bo said that, if the Government treat us well in the matter of grants for roadn, our railways will serve the Government well. The Kaihu section especially is doing good work. By comparing the two poriods as per above table, it will be seen that the number of passengers in January of this yoar is almost double that of January last year; tho merchandise (not including timber) carried shows a similar increase. I commend these figures to the Hon. the Premier, and call his attention to the fact that the extension of the line to Waima has not yet been put in hand.—[Northern Wairoa Correspondent.]