The Sun.
London, England, 1866-12-08 00:00:00

against £135,161 for passengers on 306 miles and
goods on 1851 miles in the same half of 1865. The
receipts per train mile in the past half-year came
to 11s. 50., and for the corresponding period
last year to 13s. 41d., showing a decrease of Is. lid.
per train mile. The receipts for passengers during
the half-year amounted to £2,486 for first-class, to
£5,967 for second-class, and to £85,715 for third-
class passengers—total, £94,168 ; and for the corre-
sponding half of 1865 to £90,654, showing an in-
crease of £3,514. The increase in the receipts for
third-class passengers amounted to £6,932, from
which must be deducted £933, the decrease in the
passengers, and £2,485 for
receipts for-first-class
second- class, leaving the increase, as mentioned,
£3,514. The merchandise receipts amounted to
£127,674, against £41,806 in the same half of 1865,
showing an increase of 85,868. The gross receipts
for the year ending the 30th of June last amounted
to £425,184, and for the preceding year to
£198,582, showing an increase of £226,632. The
sea competition had not been without its injurious
effect upon the traffic of the railway in keeping down
the reasonable and remunerative rates that might
otherwise be obtained, as on neighbouring lines, and
also in lessening considerably the quantity of goods
conveyed by railway. This effect was increased by
three important but removable causes :-1. The site
of the present Ahmedabad terminus being on the
eastern side of the unbridged Saburmuttee river, a
barrier was unfortunately placed between the rich
traffic of the Kattywar district and the railway; 2.
The want of proper roads and approaches to the
railway stations, which was especially felt through
the monsoon months, when the sea competition did
not exist ; 3. The long delay that had occurred in
handing over to this company the land necessary for
the line from Grant Road to Calaba (Bombay) and
the slow and
the terminal buildings there. The result was to pro-
longtloperation of transhipping
and carting all theem y
goods coming to or from the
harbour of Bonib
amounted
could take
distance of 31 miles, when
coasting vessels take them there direct. The
the half-year ending the 30th of
working expenses for
to £140,074 or 58-70 per cent.
June last
per Cent. for the corre-
spondingincrea'so of £45,267.
against £94,807, or 70.13
was G. 8,31. against 9s.
half of 1865, showing
-year, averaging 31
The train mile expenditure
The trains
4id., showing a decrease of 2s. 'lid.
were heavier in the past half
vehicles per train, as compared with 22 in thepre-
vious half-year ; and the cost of haulage per vehicle
per mile had been reduced by 20per cent. The net
toelillst receipts
amounted on
revenue for the half-year amounted to £98,555,
being
capital account to
41.30 of the gross rtehce 30th of e ipt s. The
Jun total
to £5,648,934, and the expenditure to £5,761,664.
With regard to the extension of direct railway com.
munication from Bombay to Delhi and Agra via
Baroda or Wassud and Neemuch, a question of im-
perial and growing importance, the directors were
happy to inform the proprietors that the Secretary
of State had sanctioned a further survey of that
line by the officers of this company during the pre-
sent working season, and they hoped that it might
be constructed at no very distant period, as it would
add most materially to the prosperity of the existing
railway.

DEMERA RA.

The traffic receipts on this company's line for the
fortnight ending the 27th of October amounted to
$5,467, and for the corresponding fortnight last
year to $5,436, showing an increase of $3l.

INDIAN TRAMWAY.

The half-yearly general meeting of this company
was held yesterday at the offices, Moorgate-street ;
Sir Macdonald Stephenson in the chair.

The report, an abstract of which has appeared in
The Sun, was taken as read.

The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the
report, said that although another meeting must be
shortly convened to receive and Consider the deci-
sion of the Secretary of State with reference to the
future extension of the company's operations in
India, it would be as well to recur to the past. The
company's railway of 19 miles in length had been
completed at a cost, in round numbers, of £3,000,
with £2OO for general charges, and £7OO for rolling
stock, in all £3,900 per mile. The further expenses
incurred were for interest on capitalduring construc-
tion, and on account of other propdsed lines in the
three Presidencies. The year's traffic receipts had