D—2

Parcels, Luggage, and Mails Revenue The revenue from parcels, luggage, and mails was £480,869 compared with £560,593 last year, a decrease of £79,724 or 14-22 per cent. This is accounted for by the technicality that from Ist April, 1949, for reasons of proper accounting, the revenue from the carriage of mails in goods-wagons has been included in the goods revenue whereas,, formerly, it was included with the parcels, luggage, and mails revenue. The relative figures under the above headings are given below, viz. :

The decrease of £3,603 in parcels traffic can be accounted for by the loss of the Otaki-Wellington milk traffic which the Wellington City Council now conveys by road tanker. Parcels traffic in the North Island has for many years returned more than twice the revenue secured from that traffic in the South Island. The total revenue from newspaper traffic was £22,609, an increase of £1,698 over last year. The following table is of somewhat unusual interest as showing the extent to which the luggage-checking facilities relieve passengers of their luggage worries. It shows that, in all, 677,759 pieces of luggage were checked this year as compared with 636,819 last year, an increase of 40,940 :

Goods and Live-stock Revenue Goods traffic was again of record proportions, new records being set up in revenue, tons, and ton-miles. The revenue totalled £12,434,487, an increase of £687,385 or 5-85 per cent., and the tonnage was 9,948,261, an increase of 282,131 tons or 2-92 per cent, over last year. As the result of the increase in tonnage and an increase in the average haul by 3 miles the net ton-mileage increased by 5-19 per cent. Goods revenue this year comprised 77-42 per cent, of the operating revenue compared with 76-59 per cent, last year. These results may be regarded as very satisfactory as the traffic has been handled under difficult operating conditions, caused by shortage of staff and rolling-stock and deterioration in engine-power. As already stated, there was an Easter period in this year and none last year. This fact affects the comparison of this and last year's goods revenue. So, also, does the circumstance that Anzac Day this year fell on a Monday, whereas last year it was on a Sunday. These variations affected the goods traffic to the disadvantage of this year's showing by approximately £120,000.

8

Service. 1950. 1949. Variations. £ £ £ Per Cent. Parcels 257,739 261,342 -3,603 1-38 Excess luggage 11,212 11,414 —202 1-77 Left luggage, luggs ige checks, bicycles, dogs, newspapers, &c. 78,931 75,815 +3,116 4-11 Mails 132,987 212,022 -79,035 37-28 Total .. 480,869 560,593 -79,724 14-22

Checked. 1950. 1949. Increase. In either Island Inter-Island To overseas steamers From overseas steamers From Stewart Island 1 1 Number. 494,577 165,570 9,766 6,745 1,101 J Number. 469,219 157,714 6,366 2,912 608 Number. 25,358 7,856 3,400 3,833 493 677,759 636,819 40,940