HOW MUNICIPAL SERVICES ARE FARING.
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Continuing Our Summarized Analysis of the Latest Available Passenger Transport Returns of the Most Prominent Municipal Authorities.
IN this alphabetical arrangement of municipalities operating various types of passenger-carrying vehicle, we have already given summarized details of the latest available returns dealing with the services run by the authorities at Aberdare, Aberdeen, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Bradford, Burnley, Burton-on-Trent, Coventry, Eastbourne, Edinburgh, Douglas (Isle of Man), Glasgow, Great Yarmouth, HuOdersfield, Hull, Kilmarnock, Keighley, Leeds, Leicester, Lytham St. Annes, Maidstone, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Morecambe, Nelson and Newport.
NORTHAMPTON CORPORATION.
Oa total of 49 passenger-carrying vehicles which were used by the Northampton Corporation at the end of March last for meeting the travelling needs of the local population 12 were buses of Thornyeroft make. In the year which ended on the last day of the month mentioned, these vehicles (buses) covered 273,264 miles and carried 1,840,616 passengers. In the same period, the tramcars, of which the corporation had 37, travelled 844,321 miles and transported 13,574,183 passengers, the population served by these vehicles being about 94,000.
The report of Mr. John F. Cameron, the general manager of the tramways department, shows that, so far as both motorbuses and tramcars are concerned, the total traffic receipts exceeded working expenses, the actual balance on the operation of the former being £188 and on the latter £23,426. The total of these amounts was increased to £23,957 by the
addition of certain other items, including a balance on the carriage of parcels. Charges in respect of interest on capital, repayment of loans, capital account, etc., totalled £18,320, thus giving a balance of £5,637, of which sum £3,680 was earmarked for the relief of rates, the remainder being set aside for special track repairs. The parcels traffic undertaken by the corporation is quite considerable, and in the year with which we are dealing 37,437 parcels were dealt with.
The following comprise a se-lection from the average returns for buses and trams:—
The Northampton. Corporation inaugurated services by motorbuses in September, 1923, its powers to own and run such vehicles having been secured by an Act passed in 1922.
NOTTINGHAM CORPORATION.
IN our Special Passenger Vehicle Issue dated February 8th we gave details of the fleet of Railless top-covered double-deck trolley-buses which has recently been put into service by the Nottingham Corporation to serve a residen.
tial suburb about 21 miles from the city. With these vehicles in use the Nottingham authorities now provide passenger transport facilities by the three recognized types of modern passenger-carrying vehicle. The report of Mr. John Aldworth, the general manager of the tramways department, for the year ended March 31st last, shows that the buses ran 863,550 miles and the tramcars 4,831,035 miles, the number of passengers carried by the former being 4,971,996 and by the latter 69,756,130.
So far as buses are concerned, the total income was 144,672 and the total expenditure £41,831, the balance of 12,841 being carried.to the net revenue account. The operation of the tramcars resulted in £124,152 being carried to the net revenue account, inasmuch as the total income amounted to £397,409, as against a total expenditure of £273,257.
The total revenue of the department was £442,906 and the total working expenses £215,089. The surplus of 1127,817 was disposed of as follows :—Interest on stock and loans, £12,916; redemption of debt, £30,966; income tax, i1,205, and reserve and renewals fund, £42,474, the remaining £29,256 being used in aid of the general district rate. The average receipts per mile on trams and buses were 18.6641. and the average expenses per mile 13.27d. The number of buses owned by the corporation in March last was 35 (Dennis single-deckers and covered-top double-deckers form the major part of the fleet), whilst it had 180 tramcars in stock.
PORTSMOUTH CORPORATION.
THIS corporation has a number of Dennis and Thornycroft motorbuses in regular use, whilst special Guy runabouts are operated along the sea front during the season. In the twelve months to the end of March last the buses covered a mileage of 823,842 and carried 5,942,018 passengers, these figures contrasting with 3,253,398 and 39,931,081 respectively for the tramcars. The revenue account showed total receipts at £260,883 and total expenditure at £201,939, the balance of £58,944 being carried to the net revenue account, where it was reduced to £512 after meeting commitments in respect of interest on loans, income tax and
other items, the balance being transferred to the reserve account. The corporation inaugurated its first bus service in August, 1919.
PRESTON CORPORATION.
AT the end of March, 1926, this corporation had 12 buses and 48 tramcars in stock, and the gross profit shown on the working of the former in the preceding twelve months was £4,371 and on the latter £18,108. Its gross capital expenditure in connection with the bus system was then £21,290, and in respect of the tramways system £244,552. In the year under review the total revenue from the buses was £18,768 and £14,397 was disbursed in connection with their operations. Against the gross profit, charges in respect of interest on loans, sinking fund and revenue contribution to capital bad to be set, and the excess of income over expenditure was thus reduced to £20.
So far as the tramways were concerned, total revenue was returned at 185,831 and working expenses at £67,723, and the difference between these items (£18,108) was reduced to a surplus of £2,366 after meeting charges for interest, sinking fund, income tax, etc.
Certain of the average statistics for buses and trams are of interest for purposes of comparison and are as follow:— The returns were made on an average day of 18 hours per vehicle for both trams and buses. In the year with which we are dealing the former carried 15,405,345 passengers and the latter 2,986,261 passengers, the total mileage of the trams being 1,214,842 and of the buses 258,404.. The first bus service run by the Preston Corporation was inaugurated in January, 1922, and the authority uses a fleet of Leyland vehicles.