The following are in round sums the average figures for the two years 1911 and 1912, based on the Railway Returns published by the Board of Trade annually under the Regulations of Railways Act, 1871:—

(a) Passenger traffic receipts.
Season ticket holders£5,000,000
Other passengers40,000,000
Total from passengers only45,000,000
Mails and goods by passenger trains10,000,000
Total from passenger traffic55,000,000
(b) Goods traffic receipts.
Minerals£30,000,000
General merchandise32,500,000
Livestock1,500,000
64,000,000
(c) Miscellaneous receipts.
Steamboats, docks, etc.5,000,000
Hotels, rents, etc.5,000,000
10,000,000
Grand Total£129,000,000
Expenditure.
Maintenance of ways, works, stations, docks, etc.18,000,000
Traffic expenses23,000,000
Locomotive and rolling stock expenses28,000,000
General charges, rates and taxes12,000,000
81,000,000
Net receipts£48,000,000

Total number of passenger journeys, including season ticket holders (assuming that each annual ticket represents 200 double journeys per annum only), about1,620,000,000
Of this total there were first or second class passengers about160,000,000
That is, about 10% of the total number carried.

The average fare for every journey is therefore 6½d.

In other words, if every passenger paid for every single journey, long or short, the sum of 6½d., then the gross receipts from passengers would be about the same amount as is now received.

Total tonnage of goods per goods train:

MineralsTons410,000,000
The receipts as above for these represent
an average of 1/6 per ton.
General MerchandiseTons114,000,000
The receipts for these as above represent
an average of 6/- per ton.
Total tonnage per Goods TrainTons524,000,000

The total receipts for the two kinds of merchandise together show an average of 2s. 4d. per ton.

Note that the total tonnage of minerals carried is about four times that of general merchandise.