OUR RAILWAYS

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1847, 31 July 1907, Page 62

OUR RAILWAYS

THEIR DEVELOPMENT—I9O6-7. SOME INTERESTING POINTS. Capital cost increased during year from £22,41)3,1172 to £23,504,272. Tho rato of interest on oapital was £3 9s Id, as compared with £3 4s 9d last year. Revenue per train mile 7s 9d; expenditure, 5s 4£d; as compared with Vs 3fd and 5s o|d respectively last year. During the year 9,600,786 ordinary passengers were carried; 55,831 children and teachers and 39,783 adults travelled by school and factory excursions : 856,412 passengers travelled at holiday excursion fares, an increase of 113,737 excursionists and £53,245 revenue. Total increase in goods and live slock tonnage—4o9,39B tons; 1,312,316 sheep and 22.520 head pigs were carried ; 196,898 tons minerals. On March 31st last 18 locomotives, 112 bogie oars, 15 bogie brake-vans, and 983 waggons were under const ruction in tho railway workshops of the colony; Prioo Bros., Thames, are building 20 toco motives in addition. Altogether, there are 38 now locomotives m hand. ' The 296,233 new sleepers put into the track comprised—36,927 imported hardwood, 259,305 native timber (78,363 creosoted). The cost of track renewals was high, duo to the amount of relaying . on branch lines, tho increased cost of materials, and higher rate of wages.

The expenditure for the year on new signal and 'electrical work was £145 17s 6d; and for maintenance £lOll 17>s 3d.

In the New Zealand Government workshops to date 53 engines have been built, and 24 old? l 'locomotives rebuilt to moro modern types. Three new large tender engines, of the four-cylinder ‘ balanced compound” typo were built in the workshops and added to the stock. The oil and acetylene gas manufactured at the five separate Pintsoh gasworks amounted to 4,438,133 cubic feet, costing 2s 4.65 d per 100 cubic feet. There has again been a very large increase in train mileage. Compared with 1905-6, the increase for 1906-7 is 341,881 train miles, equal to 5.33 per cent., and 452,497 engine miles, being equal to 5.19 per oent. Vv ellington - Napier - New Plymouth section —revenue, £724,587, an increase of £76,467. Passenger bookings were 60,000 in exoess of last year, and receipts about £15,000 more The sheep traffic was exceptionally heavy, the xeturns showing an increase of over 265 000 head: Wanganui district contributed £312,000 to general revenue, increase of £4O. The value of stores oin hand at March 31st, 1907, at the various depots was £195,056 10s sd, against £152,707 5s 9d the previous year. Position of our railways in brief:— Area in square miles, 104,471. Population, 961,604. Aiverage miles open, 2427. Gauge, 3ft 6in. Total cost, £23,504,272. Cost per mile, £9570. Population per mile of railway, 396. Cost per head, £24 8s lOd. Train miles run, 6,755,454. Gross earnings, £2,624,600. Earnings per train mile, 93.00. Working expenses, £1,812,482. Expanses per train mile, 64.21. Profit on working, £812,118. Net earnings per train mile, 28.79. Earnings per head of population, £2 14s 7d. .Passengers carried, 9,600,786. Tonnage of goods, 4,592,099. Maintenance per mile, £253. "Number of locomotives, 398. Passenger carriages, 966. Waggons and brake-vans, 14,605.