TRAFFIC ON RAILWAYS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17632, 19 November 1920, Page 6

TRAFFIC ON RAILWAYS.

RETURNS FOR 28 WEEKS. LARGE INCREASES SHOWN. HIGHER WORKING EXPENSES. [BT TELEGRAPH.—PRESS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON. Thursday. The railway returns for the period, April 1 to October 16, 1920, covering seven fourweekly periods, show an important increase in nearly all departments. Tli© traffic returns are as follows 1920. 1919. Passengers, No. . . 7,586.002 5,528,043 Cattle, No 210.305 137.826 Sheep, No 3.224.518 2,828,500 Goods, tons . . . . 3,339.068 2,937,506 The revenue and expenditure for the period are as follows: — REVENUE. Section. 1920. 1919. Whangarei .. .. .£3-1,454 £31.905 Kaihu 3.701 3.007 Gisborne . . . . 21.534 18.733 N.I. main line and branches . . . . 1,942,246 1.454.945 Total North Island .. £ 2,001.967 £ 1.533.591 S.I. main line and branches .. ..£1,195,297 £957.439 Westland . . . . 98,519 82,688 Westport . . . . 56,471 52.459 Nelson 20.766 18.016 Picton 22.454 19.905 .Lake Wakatipu . . 3,669 2.963 Total South Island . . 1.397.173 1.163,472 Grand total ..£3.399,145 £2,702,064 EXPENDITURE. . Section. 1910. ' 1919. Whangarei .. . . £34.490 £26.849 Kaihu sißol 5.309 Gisborne . . . . . . 19,755 16.035 N.I. main line and branches . . .. 1.517.118 1.040.576 Total North Island . . £1.577.166 £1.088,770 S.T. main line and branches .... £1,097.273 £744.167 Westland 89.218 68.674 W estport . . ■-. . . 47,229 34,694 Nelson 26,354 20.852 ? lr , ton . m . ,• • . •• -• 21.459 17.809 Lake Wakatipu . . 5.396 4.047 Total South Island . . £1.286.933 £890.246 Grand, total .. £2.864.099 £1.979.016 The percentage of expenditure to revenue in the case of the North Island lines was 78.78 as against 70.76 for the corresponding period of last year. The percentage in the case of the South Island lines has risen from 76.52 to 92.11. The percentage for the whole Dominion is 84.26 as against 73.24 for the corresponding period of last year.