28o A^i:W SOUTH WALES. 



nearly 54,000,000 passenger fares were collected, tlie net earnings 

 were under 2 per cent, upon a capital cost of £877,244. The position is 

 now materially improved, and tliougli the capital cost has up to the 

 30tli June, 1895, been increased to c€l,428,518, they last year earned a 

 net profit of 5d. per tram mile, equal to o*G9 upon the capital. The 

 gross receipts were £282,310, working expenses o£230,99o, and net 

 pi-ofits £51,323. 



Some of these tramways are not as yet profitable. The Ocean -street 

 cable line was excessively costly, and last year — the first during which 

 it was operated — it only earned 1*64 percent, upon its capital. Two of 

 the outlying sections were operated at an absolute loss. Still, as the 

 Sydney lines worked by locomotives earned as much as 4"G2 per cent., 

 the deficiency on the other sections was made good, and the average net 

 profit of over 3'58 per cent, may be said to cover the interest upon their 

 cost of construction. They now, in fact, return slightly more than the 

 railways upon their capital. 



As already remarked, the majority are worked by steam motors, 

 which draw two, or three, and occasionally four cars, each capable of 

 seating 70 passengers, and that they are extensively patronised and 

 are a great boom to the people is evident from the number of fares, 

 collected. They are worked upon the section, or " zone" system, and 

 the great bulk of the fares paid are paid by penny tickets, two being 

 charged for the first section out of Sydney, and generally one for each 

 section afterwards, the average being about a penny a mile for each 

 full section. The tramway conductor is reqviired to ring* a bell-register 

 for each penny ticket received, and to tear the ticket in half before 

 the passenger, and though cash is taken, it is discouraged by making 

 the payment in cash heavier than that by ticket. Tramway tickets 

 are to be purchased all over Sydney, and many people will accept them 

 as small change, though not adapted for the purpose as they show 

 wear rapidly. 



As in the railways, the great problem in the ti^amway service has 

 been to keep down working expenses. The lines were always well 

 patronised by the public, but not many years back the cost of working 

 absorbed nearly the whole of the receipts. The Railway Commissioners 

 have, however, succeeded in introducing many economies, and this has 

 in the main conduced to the increase in the earning power. Considera- 

 tion has recently been given to the question Avhether the tramways 

 could not be worked more cheaply by electricity. There are certain 

 great advantages in a stationary motive power, and there is the initial 

 cost of introducing a change of this description to be taken into calcu- 

 lation, and it must be conclusively shown that such a change would be 

 to the advantage of the revenue and the public before it is likely to 

 be adopted. But the evidence in favour of electricity is so strong — 

 the power being generated at one central point for distribution over 

 all the lines — that the prospect of the change is steadily growing. 

 The result will be a far more frequent service of lighter trams, one 

 which will suit the convenience of the public better, yet at the same 

 time one less costly to operate. And the cost of working has always 

 been the difficulty in connection with the Sydney Tramways. 



