OUR RAILWAYS.

Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 168, 21 July 1908, Page 7

OUR RAILWAYS.

A PROSPEROUS YEAR,

SUPPLY OF TRUCKS

WELLINGTON, July 14. The Minister of Railways (Hon. W. Hall- Jones) laid before Parliament today his annual Statement. V The result of the year's working," he* says, "has been satisfactory. The result may be summarised' thus : — 1908. 1907. f" - £ £ Total Earnings... 2,761,938 2,624,600 Total Expenditure 1,949,759 1,812,482

Net Profit on Working. ... £812,179 £812,118 There were 2,741 miles open for traffic, as against 2,456 the previous year. The net revenue is equal to a return of 3.33 per cent, on the capital invested m the open .lines, and 3.04 per cent, on the total capital -(£26,735,140) invented m opened and unopened lines. The total number of ' 'ordinary -passengers carried was 9,756,716, an increase of 155,930 over the previous year. The sum oi £5,418 has been paid as compensation during the year to members retired from, the service and to relations of members deceased. The new stock actually completed and turned out of the shops during the year consists of three tender engines, four cylinder balanced-compound type,' one single-expansion tender engine,^ and six heavy tank engines; three 60ft suburban cars, one 60ft motor train car,- and fortynine 47^f t cars ; eighteen brake vans, 855 goods waggons, and 2,889 new tarpaulins. The carrying capacity of the waggon stock was, however,, increased by 9,670 tqns, which is equivalent to 1,612 ordin-' ary 6-ton trucks. The whole of the new stock built on the Auckland, WelKngtonNapier, New Plymouth, and HurunuiBluff sections have been equipped with the Westinghouse brake. The sum of £333,386 was expended under the head " Additions to Open Lines," including £243-262 on rolling stock, tarpaulins, ralachinery for workshops, gas store holders, and foot warmers. DUPLICATION OF LINES. On duplication works the following sums were charged to Capital Account \r— Wellington-It utt, £38,830, new Hutt road and purchase of land £7,391, total £46,221 ; Auckland-Penrose, ' £54,302 ; Addington-Rolleston, £11,031 ; DunedinMosgiel, £7,472— t0ta1, £140;053 (less profit on sale of debentures, £891, £139,162). - RESULTS OF WORKING. The results of working for the past two years is thus summarised (the year ending on March 31) : — 1907. 1908. £ . £ Capital cost opened and unopened * . . lines. 26,438)568 26,735,140 Cost per mile of open lines 9,570 9,861 Gross earnings ... 2,624,600 2,761,938 Working expenses '1,812,482 1,949,759 Net profit on working 7. ... 812,118 812,179 Net earnings per average mile open 334 328 The percentage of profit to capital invested was : — 1907, 3.45 per cent. ; 1908, 3.33 per cent. Percentage "of working expenses to earnings, 69.06 per cent., and 70.59 per cent. — rPasengers, etc. — 1907. 1908. Ordinary passengers 9,600,786 9,756,716 Season tickets ... 165,504 185,174 Goods, tonnage ... 4,592,099 4,834,534 Live stock, tonnage 232,464 235,642 Train mileage ... 6,755,454 7,051,274 Locomotives ...... ■ ' 398 420 Passenger cars ... 966 1,002 Waggons and brake vans ... ...<... 14,605 15,475 Additions and improvements to lines and structures, amounting to £23,900, which might fairly have. been charged to Capital, have been made during the year and charged to working expenses. Arrangements have been made by which all railway employees who have been employed m the Railway Servicer continuously for a period of five years or over, but whose status has only been that of casual employee, will be placed upon the permanent staff. In regard to the supply of trucks, etc., the Minister says: "The waggon capacity has ben calculated on the basis of the trucks being made use of for conveyance of traffic on two days per week only, yet even on this very low basis the capacity of the waggons is sufficient to deal with two and a-quarter times the existing goods traffic. If every goods 7 waggon was loaded to its full carrying capacity, and made one trip per week only, the present stock would still be sufficient to deal with a tonnage greatly m excess of the present business: It % is evident that the equipment has a very large margin oVer normal requirements, and that margin would be ample to meet the fluctuations that occur during the year if users of the waggons loaded them to their full capacity, and dicharged them with reasonable despatch/ THE FUTURE. The Minster estimates the revenue for the current year at £2.835,000, and the expenditure at £2,020,000. THE HURUNUI-BLUFF SECTION. The revenue drawn from the HurunuiBluff section was £1,218,903— a decrease of £1,563 on that of the previous year, when the Exhibition , had produced a specially large revenue, The Christchurch,, district Contributed £559,000, of the total revenue — a decrease of £14;766 as compared with 1907, but an increase of £43,000 as compared With 1906. Passengers show a decrease m number of 230,000. The decreases were j at' the stations m the vicinity of Christ- j church, which showed unusually large booking for the previous year on account of the N Exhibition. School and factoiy, excursion and season tickets show an increase. *With the exception of chaff, firewood, and 'timber, the goods traffic decreased. The tonnage totalled 43,391 tons less than for the previous year. Grain fell off by 41,800 tons and wool by 8,800 tons — the effect of the very dry season last year. There was a decrease of 146,832 sheep as compared with the previous year, when large numbers were railed from Canterbury owing to the shortage of feed due to dry weather. The Dunedin district contributed £393,830— a decrease of £6,170. Passengers decreased by 11,088. The ordinary •bookings increased considerably, but the holiday excursion bookings showed a decrease of 44,000. The larger bookings of tlie previous year und6r this head were owing to the Exhibition. The sale of season tickets increased by 2,402. Coach- . ing revenue was about the same as for the previous year. Fruit and rabbit traffic increased largely. Live stock showed decreases, owing to the previous year's traffic being , increased "abnormally by the dry season. Chaff, firewood, merchandise, 'coal, and other minerals show increases'. Timber, grain, and wool decreased. The

net increase of tonnage was 13,898 tons, due chiefly to an increase of 14,363 tons of merchandise, of which 11,418 tons was m shipping traffic from Port Chalmers. The Invereargill district contributed £266,073— an increase of £19,373. The season was exceptionally favorable m Southland for all classes of traffic, which 'consequently show satisfactory increases. Passengers increased by 22,246, but passenger revenue decreased by £2,087, owing to the shorter journeys made. The passenger revenue for the previous year was increased by about £10,000 by traffic to Christchurch to the Exhibition. Parcels? sh6w 'an increase of 10,106, cattle 4,291, and sheep 45,487. Goods traffic increased by 29,000 tons.