D.—2

2

The following table will be interesting as showing the relative cost of the several railways, and their earnings, during the late financial year —

The gross revenue for the current year is estimated at £1,155,000, or only a moderate increase on the actual receipts of last year. Important concessions have been made in passenger-fares, m the shape of cheap holiday excursions to school-children and their parents and friends. These excursions have proved very popular, and have been largely patronised. They were not, however, initiated solely for revenue purposes, but chiefly as a means of education, and to popularise railway-travelling The number of persons carried by these excursions should, perhaps, scarcely be counted as a portion of our regular passenger traffic, but they are nevertheless included m the total returns. If the travellers by these school excursions were omitted the passenger traffic for the year would show a decline of 132,262 travellers, as compared with the previous year The facilities granted by these excursions, and the lowness of the fares charged, have undoubtedly induced the people to use the railways more freely, and the result of this will be apparent in the future. But, as the changes were initiated so near the close of the financial year, the revenue of the year was not largely affected by them. Other concessions m rates for the carriage of goods and passengers have been made since the Government assumed control of the railways, of which the follow mg are the principal items Live-stock m double-floored trucks, and store stock in large mobs , road-metal for public bodies for distances over twelve miles , New-Zealand-grown fresh fruit. These reductions, however, were in opeiation for so short a time prior to the 31st March that no marked results could be looked for from them during last year But it is gratifying to know that they are greatly appreciated, and in some instances —notably the live-stock rates —are bringing a largely-increased traffic to the railways Further reductions are contemplated, in such traffic as dairy produce, minerals, &c. , but the Government realises that it is m the highest degree important to go cautiously to work when dealing with matters which may largely affect our railway revenue, and hence can only agree to reductions in rates after very careful and mature consideration. Improvements in respect of workmen's trains and holiday-excursion arrangements are' also m contemplation. Amongst other alterations in contemplation are the simplification of the method of fixing extended excursion fares, coupled with a reduction m the rates. At Christmas, Easter, and other principal holidays cheap extended excursion tickets from the centres of population to the country, and from the country to the centres of population, will be issued at the uniform rate of Id. per mile for the return journey The tickets will be second class, with a minimum fare of 2s. A proportionately higher rate will be charged

Cost of Construction. Gross Revenue. Section. Miles open. Total. Per [ Mile. Total. Per Mile.* lawakawa Vhangarei !!aihu .uckland lapier-Taranaki Wellington lurunui-Bluff heymouth-Brunner treymouth -Hokitika Vestport felson 'ioton itock in suspense . 8 15 17 296 332 92 1,126 8 24 31 23 21 £ 90,337 115 834 51,138 2,107,394 2,439 113 1 073,440 8,465 620 200,288 186,083 227,494 165,641 205 231 25,000 £ 11,292 7 722 3,008 7 119 7 346 11,668 7,518 25,036 7 753 7 338 7 202 9 773 £ 1,600 5,170 3,755 124,434 205,296 83,856 648 117 23,672 6,574 32,318 9,431 6,628 & 200 398 221 428 618 911 582 2,959 274 1 213 410 316 Totals 1 993 15,352,613 7 703 1 150,851 *585 * In some cases portions of the sections have been ;his column being sometimes in excess of the gross rev opened di mue of tl iring the year. This will e line divided by the mile: iccount for the figures in bge.