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From our Industrial Correspondent
ADRAMATIC drop in freight receipts was reported by British Railways Board last week. Statistics for the 12 weeks to June 19. 1965. showed total freight receipts of f64,171.000—a drop of £2.014.000 over the same period last year. This represents a fall of 3 per cent and compares with a drop of only £396,000— or 04 per cent—during the first 12-weekly period of the year.
Biggest fall was reported in general freight. where the railways arc in direct competition with road haulage. Here the fall during the period was 1933,000, or 4.6 per cent. And during the 'first 24 weeks it amounted to 11.670.000. or 4 per cent. It appears, therefore, that the loss to road haulage is still accelerating.
Coal and coke traffic and parcels by coaching train have also declined this year, and only iron and steel among freight has shown an increase. Another interesting fact brought out in the statistics is that the average length of haul of general merchandise is tending to get longer. During the 12-week period it vent up by 3.12 miles to 116.35 miles, 'ompared with the same period last year.
The loss on freight has been almost ,xactly offset by higher passenger eceipts, so that the Board finds itself just :38.000 better off than it was a year ago.
The extra money came entirely from iigher fares, which went up earlier this 'ear throughout the country, and for the econd time in a year for season-ticket ioldcrs in the London area. The higher ares were probably also responsible for
drop of 11,700,000 in passenger intrneys during the period.