ANOTHER RECORD.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19816, 2 January 1930, Page 3

ANOTHER RECORD.

OTIRA TUNNEL TRAFFIC. OVER HALF A MILLION TONS. Since ■August 4th. 1923, when the Otira Tunnel was opened for traffic, the huge total of 2,732,863 tons of goods has passed through it from west to east. The following figures, which give the tonnage for each year, show how the traffic has grown:— Tons. 1923 (4 months 27 days) 88.171 1921 ... ... 302,044 192-3 ... ... 354,867 1920 ... ... •■■ 421.906 1927 ... ... ... 449,996 1928 ... 536,568 1929 ... ... ... 579,316 In many respects 1929 was a record year—it furnished the highest aggregates, for the lull period, for a single month, for a week, and lor a day. The heaviest month was August with 63,579 tons, week ending December 14th with 16,298 tons, and day, December 12th, with 3057 tons. In many respects the year just ended was an exceptional one for West Coast industries, the coal deadlock in New South Wales resulting in a prosperous time for the mining companies and the timber trade experiencing a further recovery from the slump conditions prevailing a year or two ago. So heavy has the traffic become that tho Railway Department was obliged bust year to institute the running of goods trams through the tunnel at night. This innovation has greatly facilitated the handling of the rolling stock. Damage was suffered to the line through the earthquake on June 17th, and coal production ceased for some weeks, the June tonnage suffering as a result, as will be seen by the table below. Industrial trouble at Blackball caused a cessation of work at the mine there for some days, and in consequence it did not contribute its quota to the long strings of coal waggons which straining lcomotives draw incessantly up the slope to Otira. Originally designed to carry not more than 1000 tons a day, the Otira Tunnel is now the means of over 2000 tons of goods reaching Canterbury from the West Coast daily. The growth of the traffic is probably the greatest factor in deciding the Department to provide more rolling stock, for a truck going to one of tho West Coast coal mines or timber sidings for loading is lost to Canterbury for several days. However, by the adoption of a new goods time-table, handling of the rolling stock has been greatly facilitated. This has probably done as much to overcome the congestion with which the Department is faced at rush periods as the construction of new waggons at Addington The following table gives the tonnage of all goods trains, exclusive of engines passing through the Otira Tunnel from west to east since the end of 1924 :

1925. 1926. 1927. 1928. 1929. January— 20,050 28,311 25,130 30,474 40,329 February— 26,411 30,183 32.126 35.946 43,199 March— 28,959 30,029 33,907 43,094 38,593 April— 26,026 28,274 32,475 37,341 43,616 Mav— 34,672 34,078 39,275 48,286 56,279 June— 34,862 July— 39,202 37,629 39,253 56,225 42,648 43,445^, 44,200 51,047 58,659 August— 35,309 39,4166 48,471 49.546 63,579 September— 29,259 41,268 46,380 55,536 52,861 October— 27,134 40,958 35,805 44,110 47,553 November — 28,134 30,709 38,951 49,360 47,524 December24,849 37,536 34.023 40.603 44.476 354,867 421,906 449,996 536,568 579.316