The Railway Revenue.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XVIII, Issue 1713, 29 July 1885, Page 3

The Railway Revenue.

While Sir J. Vcgel proposes to saddle the colony with a payment of £;• 7,000 a year for twenty years, on tccv untcf a uc-wrailway line which is certain to prove a dead loss in everv way, it is an ominous and signifeant fact that the i.uhvav uver ue from existing lines is sun Usly tawing Ui. I-or the twelve weeks ending on .huh June, the gross receipts lor IT - '1 miles i f railway amounted to £2.511.6*5. as against £273,(>ii for Mbs miles in the Coiicspondii g period of last year—a decrease of over £l:l,wmj~ although the length of lineopen has increased by 7;» miles.’ Unfortu nateiy the working expenses have largely in-crea.-tJ, via :-fiuiu £154,7*0 to £101,147, ihtir ratio to receipts being 02 per cent as against 56 j,er cent la-t year. The net profits for the twelve weeks Lave diminished £115.2y7 in •->1 to £98.538 this year, a decrease of nearly £2O.OiiO, involving a falling-- it at the rate-of some £*o,ooo a year, fhcau figure s do not open up a cheerful prospect. Apparently the present Ministry Lave contrived to mismanage the railways as well as everythingc-Jsc.