TRANSPORT REVENUE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19659, 10 June 1927, Page 13

TRANSPORT REVENUE.

CITY COUNCIL SERVICES. |.OSS OF £39,118 FOR YEAR. ; DEBIT SOLELY ON BUSES. INCREASE IN WORKING COSTS. 'A loss of £39,118 on trams and buses for the year was revealed in the balancesheet presented to the Auckland City Council last evening. The trains showed p profit of £9005 14s Bd, but there was f, debit of £48,124 Is 5d on the buses. Jncluded in the results were £14.766 9s £d, third payment in liquidation of loss Oil realisation of the Hobson Street power station assets transferred to the 'Auckland Electric-Power Board, and £11,402 depreciation on 90 buses owned by the council. A summary of operations for the past two years is as follows:

Increases were: —Working expenses, £40,287; capital charges, £9995; bus depreciation, £1579; accident reserve, etc., £3655. The increase in receipts was £44,690 <pr 7.54 per cent. The debit balance was £39,118, compared with £23,292 in the preceding year. Passengers and Mileage. During the year the trams travelled J5,962,199 miles, and carried 56,781,195 passengers, compared with 5,817,059 miles and 55,881,719 passengers in the * previous year. The buses travelled 1,346.317 miles and carried 6,369,931 passengers, compared with 708,720 miles' end 3,486,629 passengers in 1925-26. Tho increase in the tmm passengers Was due to tho cessation of the bus competition on the Onehunga, Mount Eden and Dominion Road routes- as from November 1, 1926. The greater mileage and passenger totals of the bus services "Were due to the establishment of the Council's express bus service between the City and Onehunga and to other services operated with buses acquired in terms Cf the Motor Omnibus Traffic Act. The combined mileage for trams and buses was 7,308,516 miles, compared with 6,525,779 miles in the previous year, an increase of 782,737 miles, or 11.99 per cent. The combined passenger total was 63,151,126, against 59,368,348 in 1925-26, an increase of 3,782,778, or 6.37 per cent. In an analysis of the traffic receipts It, was shown the trams produced £569,422, against £556,596 in 1925-26, an increase of £12,826, or 2.30 per cent. The bus receipts were £60,350, against £30,896, an .increase of 95.30 per cent. Details ol Operating Costs. The chief items of operating costs were as follow, the total for trams being £'"27,749, and for buses £91.958.

In the bus depreciation reserve account there was an accumulated balance of £21,224. During tho year £11,402 was set aside for this account as follows:—Thirty English buses, valued .at £56,877, at per cent., £7110; 60 [American buses taken over under the Motor Omnibus Traffic Act, valued at £31,117, at 33 1-3 per cent, for five months, £4292. The accident fund reserve account commenced with a credit balance of £1137 9s Id, and closed with a credit of £1753 10s 9d. Contributions during the vear totalled £5454 19s, and the compensation paid £4838 17s 4d. The sinking. fund reserve account commenced with accumulated funds totalling £260,718, and with the payment during the year of £34,905, the balance was £295.623. To this had yet to be added the interest for the year on investments of the fund estimated to produce £14,800. Extra Revenue From Fare 3. The revised scale of bus and tram fares brought into operation were expected to produce an additional £32,000 ft year in the case of trams and £19,000 in the case of buses. The tramways manager, Mr. A. E. Ford, said these yields would be affected by the liberal concessions which the council subsequently granted pupils attending schools,, colleges and evening classes. The capital cost of tho undertaking at March 31, 1927, was £1,660.156 9s 9d. Loans authorised totalled £1,825,000 and issued £1.795,000. During the year £165.748 2s 5d was spent on capital account, the principal items being:—Permanent way, £64,392; buildings and fixtures, £40,052; motor-buses, £32,274; electric cars, £24,892; freehold land, £2208; plant and equipment, £I4OO. The chief capital works during the year were the, extension of Gaunt Street depot, and renewal of 91 chains of track and 453 chains of foundations and paving. Twenty-one cars were completed and paid for, while £31,117 of expenditure was for 60 buses taken over from private interests, and final payments on five chassis previously acquired. The freehold land purchased was that on which the garages of the Mount Eden and Royal Bus Companies were situated. The rolling stock comprised 206 trams nnd 90 buses, 47 of the latter being maintained in service. The length of permanent way is 32.59 miles. Iho number of persons on the staff is 1359.

RECEIPTS. •Traffic {Sundry :: :: 1926-27. 1925-26. £ 029.772 £ 587.-192 8,010 5.000 Total .. £ 637.782 £593,092 EXPENDITURE. [WorMng costs'* . Capital charges . . Depreciation on buses Accident reserve. etc. JEhird payment in liquidation of loss on realisation oC power station assets transferred £519.707 £479,420 123,870 ] 18,875 31,402 9.8-23 7,155 3,500 14,766 1-1.7615 Total .. jC 676,900 £621.38-1

Trams. Buses. Kkctric power 99~535 Petrol — 17.300 Tj're3 — 12,325 Salaries 0,915 852 Wages. motormen , a r, d conductors .008.941 20,919 Water, light, oil and stores 4.302 0,855 Tickets 2,009 — Uniforms 3.991 450 Street rent and Queen St. lighting 420 — J?epairs and maintenance 81,858 21.407 Fire insurance , , 1,453 004 Legal expenses 357 201 Licences 292 2.84.1 Motor-car expenses 1,991 100 Tramways Club . . * . 1.332 150 Management salaries ,. 3.070 180 Bates 5,294 103 jKents 2,013 317