Mallee - Part 2

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                                                                                       Railway Receipts.

the following table gives, for the past five years, the results of the main mallee railway lines. The figures are for the financial years ending 30th June of the year given. The tonnage of goods outwards is a fair index of the production. The gross revenue includes passengers outwards, parcels, goods, live stock, etc., inwards and outwards. The rates for goods are roughly 10s. a ton outwards and 20s. inwards. The mean of the figures for 1915 and 1916 gives a fair average for the lines. Roughly again, the outward tons in a good year are 600 per mile and average 300. This means there is about 25 per cent. of the alienated area under cultivation. Because each mile commands about 7,000 alienated acres, the average yield is 7 bushels, or, say, delivered at railway station, 6 bushels; that is 1,100 tons per mile if whole area were cultivated. The cost per mile for construction is now about £3,500 per mile, 5ft. 3in. gauge. It is generally assumed that each mile constructed should open up 6,000 acres gross, that is, a railway construction liability of about 10s. per acre.

Goods outwards (tons) in light figures. Total Traffic Revenue (£) in heavy figures. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Line. Birchip - Murrayville. Dumosa - Lalbert - Woorinen - Warracknabeal - Hepstow.

                             Carwarp.                                      Sea Lake.            Manangatang.         Piangil.             Hopetoun.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Length. 100 Miles. 80 Miles. 58 Miles. 54 Miles. 24 Miles. 40 Miles. 50 Miles. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Years opened. 1899-1903. 1912-1915. 1895-1914. 1900-1914. 1915. 1893-1894. 1899-1914. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

                       tons.           £.          tons.          £.       tons.           £.         tons.         £.          tons.        £.           tons.          £.         tons.          £.

1912 .. .. 32,600 64,000 2,900 7,300 25,200 35,500 19,000 27,300 •• •• 46,600 71,800 36,250 43,200 1913 .. .. 34,000 57,800 15,300 25,500 23,000 28,700 21,600 26,800 •• •• 41,200 57,400 32,300 32,800 1914 .. .. 31,700 50,500 14,300 23,300 28,100 35,300 17,400 23,200 •• •• 48,000 59,400 36,600 35,400 1915 .. .. 14,700 59,200 1,900 18,000 7,800 22,100 6,400 18,000 200 2,200 18,800 42,800 13,800 18,300 1916 .. .. 60,000 43,700 43,700 48,000 44,600 37,500 37,700 32,000 13,200 13,500 59,030 62,000 30,100 32,000 ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ NOTE.—1912 was a good year. 1913 average. 1914 poor. 1915 record drought, and 1916 good.