British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Volume II - Page 855

CHAPTER XX.

NET TON KlLOMETRES

Standard 105 cm.

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Total

1936-37 1939-40 1942-43 1943-44 1944-45

153,835,000 118,767,000 359,323,000 477,236,000 379,922,000

11,533,000 13,094,000 27,895,000 24,007,000 17,341,000

165,36P,OOO 131,861,000 387,218,000 501,243,000 397 ,263,000

The average haul on the standard gauge in Palestine is about 100 kilometres.

8. The railways within Palestine are now handling heavier traffic than at any time during the war. About half the total is on military account.

9. The Palestine Railway Administration is a department of the Palestine Government; in the operation of the railways the aim is to apply commercial standards. The present financial position of the railways is satisfactory, largely as a result of the favourable revenue receipts during the war, despite the fact that all military traffic was handled at cost rates. A comparison of pre-war and present day combined expenditure and earnings for all sections is given hereunder :-

Working Revenue
expenditure"
LP. LP.
1936-37 600,699 956,301
1939-40 495,875 541,117
1942-43 1,579,030 2,425,952
1943-44 2,IS4,669 3,115,470
1944-45 2,321,453 2,658,122 10. The cost of running the railways has risen sharply during the war owing to the great increases in cost of labour and materials. At the end of the financial year 1944/45 the operation of the Palestine Government Railways (that is excluding the Hijaz and Kantara-Rafa Railways) had resulted in an accumulated debit balance of £P.140,000 including all advances for capital works and renewals. It is expected that at the conclusion of the current year's working this deficit will have been converted to an accumulated credit balance of £P.200,000 on working, but this will be more than absorbed in financing renewals of plant and equipment. There is a. heavy accumulated deficit on the working of the Hijaz Railway.
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* For the 'over-all' figures see table 4 in chapter XIV. The above figures do not include certain items, e.g. contributions to the renewals fond, interest and capital expenditure.

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