The Sun.
London, England, 1868-10-01 00:00:00

RAIL WAY IN7ELLIGENCE.

GREAT LUXEMBOURG.

I-- The report of the directors states that the grass
receipts oil' the main line fOrthe half year ending
the 30th June last amounted to £151,473 against
£132,738 in the first half of 1867, and £147,884 in
the same half of 1866 ; the net earnings being
£77,269 against £58,300 and £66,436 respectively.
The gross receipts of the past half year exceeded
those of the corresponding half Qf 1867 by £18,735,
and of the same half of 1865 by £3,589. The in-
crease was almost entirely owing to the conveyance
of a large quantity of heavy merchandise, such as
iron, wood, lime, &c.: the quantity carried during
the first half of 1867 was 559,382 tons, and during
the first half of the present year 830,137 tons.
This augmentation of traffic was all the more satis-
factory that trade in Belgium, especially the iron
trade, was still far from prosperous ; and a better
state of trade would add sensibly to the revenue of
the railway. The working expenses in the past
half year amounted to £74,204, or 48.9 per cent. of
the receipts, against £74,437 or 56 per cent., in the
corresponding half of 1867. Those figures showed
that, notwithstanding the increase in the gross re-
ceipts of £18,735, there had not been any increase
in the working expenses; this was ascribed princi-
pally to the diminution in the cost of fuel, to the
exercise of general economy, and to the facilities
arising from the laying down along a portion of the
railway of the second line of rails. The number of
miles run by the trains during the past half year
amounted to 836,260, being 19,536 more than
for the same period of 1867. The cost per
train mile had been under 10d., showing a consi-
derable reduction on former half-years. The rolling
stock and permanent way had been maintained in
good repair ; 8i miles of the latter had been relaid.
The second line of rails had been laid and was now
in use between Poix and Longlier. The works be-
tween Longlier and Lavaux would be completed be-
fore the end of theyear. There would then be a con-
tinuous length of double way in this part of the line
of about 20 miles, which would be of great service in
promoting economy, regularity, and freedom from
risk in the working of the railway. The revenue
account had been debited with the whole amount
of interest due during the half-year. The gross re-
ceipts of the Ourthe line during the past half-year
amounted to £14,661, being only £648 in ex-
cess of the gross receipts for the same half of 1867,
which amounted to £14,013, while the expenses
exceeded this sum by £1,186. For the first_ half
of 1868 the proportion of expenses to the re-
ceipts was 84 per cent., leaving a profit on the
working of £2,335. The working of the part of the
William Luxembourg line between the Belgian and
Prussian frontiers had yielded a profit to the com-
pany of £l,lBO. The net earnings of the canal
amounted to £415. After deducting £62,110 for
interest and reimbursement of obligations, and
£5,500 for dividend on the preference shares, there
remained a balance of £20,129. The directors
proposed to pay a dividend of 3s. 6d. per share, to
apply £1,049 towards the repayment of the sum
advanced by the Belgian Government as guaran tee
of interest on the railway from Namur to Arlon,
leaving a balahce of £1,580 to the credit of the
current half-year.