Commendations and Monetary Awards.
Smith, F. J. C., labourer, F.O.W., Addington.—Awarded bonus of £15 for suggestion re use of wire ropes for securing jib on hand cranes.

page 64

The above statement discloses a decline in revenue of £51,240. This is due mainly to two features (a) the fact that this year's figures include the traffic for 84 days as against 86 days last year, accounting for approximately £50,000 of the difference, (b) the incidence of Easter throwing a certain amount of advance bookings for the holiday period into last year's receipts; while against this must be offset the extra revenue derived from bus services not operated last year. The position therefore appears to be substantially the same as obtained at this juncture last year.

On account of the varying number of days in the periods under review it is rather difficult to make comparisons with individual items, but it appears that passenger traffic has receded slightly in all districts except Wellington, where the Hutt buses have carried 475,000 passengers.

The increase in Season tickets is due to the alteration in the availability of school tickets.

Stock traffic is heavier in the aggregate than last year, cattle and calves being up in the North Island and sheep and pigs showing a big increase in the South, the latter being due to the late season this year.

Owing to the depressed state of the local timber industry during the past two years the carriage of this commodity fell off considerably, but there are indications that the lifting of the embargo on export will result in considerable haulage for the railways.

The decrease shown under the heading of “Other Goods” is quite normal, the major portion appearing in Westport district being due to the fluctuation in coal traffic.

It will be noted that Auckland District is responsible for 65 per cent. of the total decrease in revenue. It must, however, be borne in mind that at this time last year this district was the only one showing an increase over the previous year, so that the comparative decrease is largely the result of the good returns obtained last year.

Published by the New Zealand Government Railways Department, and Printed by Whitcombe & Tombs Ltd., Lambton Quay, Wellington, July 2nd, 1928.