The Sun.
London, England, 1866-05-22 00:00:00

EASTERN BENGAL.

The report of the directors states that the gross
receipts for the half-year ending 31st Dec. last
amounted to £57,266, the working expenses to
£32,249, and the net receipts to £25,017, against
gross receipts of £46,732 for the corresponding half
of 1864, £25,080 for working expenses, and £21,652
for net receipts. The total number of passengers
conveyed during the half-year was 583,896, against
539,700 for the corresponding half of 1864, showing
an increase of 44,196. The goods traffic amounted
to 44,341 tons, against 31,663 tons, showing an in-
crease of 12,678 tons. The receipts per train mile
were 7s. lid. against 7s. old. for the corresponding
half of 1864. The receipts per mile open amounted
to £521 against £425 for the same half of 1864.
The general traffic showed an increase of 22i per
cent. over that of the corresponding half of 1864,
and the merchandise traffic an increase over the
corresponding period last year of 52.3 per cent.
The comparative failure of the jute crop of the late
season, and a temporary scarcity of grain, had to a
considerable extent depressed both the goods and
passenger traffic, and seriously affected the revenue
of the railway for the last half-year. This loss of
expected revenue had, however, been in a great mea-
sure compensated for the steady increase of all other
products and articles of merchandise, showing a
healthy state, and that the general traffic had con-
siderably expanded during the period in question.
The receipts during the first 13 weeks of the present
half-year, compared with those of the same period
in last year, showed an improvement of about
£1,600, derived entirely from permanent sources of
traffic. The steamer chartered by the agent to meet
the public requirements in the Decca district had
continued to do good service to the public and the
Government, while it had proved remunerative
to the company. It would have been Still more
so if there had not been the failure of the crop of
jute, which was generally largely exported from the
Dacca district. The railway had been benefited to a
largethela
l equantity
extent by the
of
goods,steam
only as noa smallportion o
pro-
portionf
of the passengers, brought by it to the rail-
way at Kooshtea would have found their way there
without it. The traffic arrangement entered into
with the River Steamer Company (limited) for keep-
ing up a bi-monthly communication between the
Kooshtea terminus and the district of Assam was
working most satisfactorily, and to the mutual ad-
vantage of both companies. The extension line to
Goalundo had been definitively fixed on under the
sanction of Government, after a further inspection
and survey made by Mr. Leslie, the chief engineer
for the extension. The line finally determined on was
more northerly and direct than that first suggested
in the survey of 1864. It would be a cheaper line to
construct, and would pass through a more populous
and productive district. Some of the cylinders for the
construction of the principal bridge over the Goroaie
on the extension line, along with the requisite ma-
chinery for rutting them in position, were now on
their way to India, and the remainder would be de-
spatched with all expedition. The capital account
showed that £1,574,301 had been expended, leaving
a balance of £158,857.