TRAMWAYS LOSSES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21289, 16 September 1932, Page 13

TRAMWAYS LOSSES

CHRISTCHIiRCH SERVICE YEAR'S DEFICIENCY OF £10,166 DROP IN TRAFFIC REVENUE A deficiency of £10,166 5s resulted from the operation of the Christchurch Tramway Board's services in the year ended March 31 last, compared wjth a surplus of £4387 lis 9id in the previous year. The board's balance-sheet for the past financial yoar has just been returned from the Controller and Auditor-General. The traffic revenue from trams, trackless trams and omnibuses amounted to £211,046 Is 4d, a decrease of £25,339 0s compared with the previous year, and the total revenue from all sources to £218,889 12s Bd, a decrease o| £44,768 12s 4£d. The operating expenses totalled £149,113 16s sd, or 68.132 per cent of the total revenue, against £183,958 19s lOd, or 69.772 per cent.

Other interesting comparative items are as follows, the figures for 1930-31 being given in parentheses:—Renewals fund, £17,629 13s 2d, or 8.054 per cent (£13,840 ss, or 5.249 per cent); interest fund, £58,238 5s Bd, or 26.606 per cent (£57,500 13s sd, or 21.809 per cent); sinking fund, £4054 2s sd, or 1.852 per cent (£3970 15s, or 1.506 per cent). The deficiency of £10,166 5s was equivalent to 4.644 per cent of the total revenue and the previous year's surplus of £4387 lis 9jd equalled 1.664 per cent. The board's total borrowing powers at the end of the financial year amounted to £1,181,300, of which £1,160,250 had been raised. At the end of the previous year the borrowing powers amounted to £1,170,800, and they had been exercised up to £1,152,550. The capital expenditure at March 31 had totalled £1,327,281 15s 7d, equivalent to £lO 7s 5d per head of population. In the previous year the figures were £1,316,181 10s 9d and £lO 6s Id.

The board's- staff on March 31 totalled 465, as follows:—Officers, foremen of departments and inspectors, 23; clerical and drawing office, 34; power station, 5; workshops, 66; car shed, 36; overhead, 5; permanent way, 52; motormen, bus and trackless tram drivers, 124; conductors, 115; track cleaners and greasers, etc., 5. The rolling stock comprises 93 electric cars, 96 trailers, 7 trackless trams, 9 petrol buses, 3 sprinklers and 3 locomotives.