RAILWAY NOTES

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4131, 20 August 1900, Page 5

RAILWAY NOTES

The" followiagUtoaiS' arc exlnjctcd' from . flic .Railways 'Statement for IBJ3-1300; — Tlie.j’oas on . .the Kuwakawa section has been somewhat reduced, viz,, from,-£476 forTßoU ; t6 FlVllor 1000;. ana that on the Nelson-toctioiTirom £3283 to £1648. The loss on. the Pioton section—£ll23 Tor 1809 —hasijieen ;cduvercod. into a small gain of £145 for 1900. . v.:. !■ ■ The net;.earnings'ofrlhq/following sections have'decreased,' viz., Avhaugarei, Kui-. hu, Auckland, AVoihugton-Napier-Ncw Plyindulh, Grcy-Ilokitiku, and Westport; whilst-the. net earnings ,ot the llurunuiBluif and Grey-Brumier "sections have increased. „ " The. ex tension of th,e,lin,e.frqm Paoroa to Thames, opened put lOth’■•DAioiabcr, 1808, is ' developing; business in a. satisfactory manner.;. :■ Thoflalid adjoining .the railway, is being, taken dip for settlement /and there is every .reason -to !expect an -increase;’of' traffic, from year to, year. ." Tim outwards and inwards passengers oh) tins extension realised n revenue-of £81(51 12s -Id; Inwards .parcels. and - goods;'-JCHSOS .-W» lid: and .ohtwarda ilareels ; and goods, £1074 18s lid. , . .. ' • In consequence of this dredging industry, ' railway receipts, from .the Otago Central Railway have since 1836 doubled. ’ The-free carriage-of lime used On farming lands lias now had two years’ trial, ■ hut, apart, ' irqm •’ Otago and , Southland, . where, the consumption has, doubled,, very little advantage-has been taken of the concession. The. total,quantify carried free last your was 12,4,55 tons./'. The Government has .decided to extend '•the- 'period of thS concession for another year..

The reduction, of 20,per cent, in the ratesfor '.’agricultural, produce ’determined upon last-, year- amounted' to.'a rebate ;on previous;'charges of ./1i44,234 -for the year. , , lii cohsequeiico'nft the' stationary character of the . tonnsf.’traffic in the cold-lake district, the-Onvornmeut lias been:..considering/ (lie,advisability' of.running,, during, the 'itupnngr.'months, air improved,.service between 'Dunedin and Kingston! • but ...much cheaper steamer, fares between Kingston and Queenstown, and between Queenstown and the head of the lake, are necessary to make this a success, as it is useless, to expect the business to rapidly expand . unless popular prices arc charged. Additions to rolling-stock and additions tsritl improvements to the lines and-slruc-tuves at a cost of £247,514 have been made during the year, charged as follows: £218,357 to capital account, and £29,187 to .working expenses. ■ . , . Of the 2361 casual labourers employed m the traffic' branch and insured against accident at the cost of working expenses,_ 58, were injured and received compensation during the year. The cost of premium amounted to £420. ~ . ..... , .. .... An average -of 7236 men ’were employed, by! the department, as compared with 6413 -then during the previous’year, |, . In ■ rcopouSo -to , numerous . inquiries .amt recommendations’,' the 'chock-luggage • system was introduced, duriiig tlie year., .but so far the public have not made usCi of Lie, system to any extent. lor l° n K jounieys ’arid'dargc-quahtithei' cl luggage the chock system is an admirable one,-but, passoligefs on short .tourneys with a portniantepu- regard the procuring _of .a check'-as; troublesome, . and in Australia similar results have been experienced where the check-luggage 1 system ban been in force for many years. -•With a view to developing the business between Wellington and Blenheim via the Government line of railway,arrangements were made in August of-last-year io b»qk through. hv. sea and rail, with most, satisfactory results, the. revenue; from that hue having exceeded that of any previous >'9 jr * The ’ cost ,of , :maintenance,; of thoTme, bridges, buildings .and other .structures has still Tardier increased—viz., from £357.183 in 1858-99 to £j(3I,GJ3 in .1893-1000 ,—an increase of £37,430. Of this, increased amount £460 has:been spent on thd Wha.hgarei section, due to strengthening bridges and renewals of track; £8706 on toe Auckland section, duo to strengthening bmps and renewals of track; £15,67T0p (he wol-.lington-Napier-Now.; Plymouth section, due to I‘cnewals of track; £12.340 on the Hnru-nui-Blnff section, due to renewals of track; £583 on the. Grey-Hokitika- section; 'due to bridge repairs and renewals of track; au/L £BIO on the Picton Section, due to Tjf ncv/als of rails and sleepers, and wharf repairs. 1 ■ .. . The’ cost per mile of railway tor maintenance. has a.dr'inced 'from' £172.32 in iSCB-33 to £187.93 in 1839-1900, or £SO per mile per annum in excess of the amount spent in 1894-05, • . The stores branch purchased during the vear stores.-to the value of £492.500- distributed as 'follows; —General'stores; £225,000; coal and coke. £70,000; timber, £53,000; sleepers. £76:000; permanentway material,--£50,000; stationery) £BSOO. jA staff of sixty-nine men were employed in the work of accounts and dintribuf ion. . Included in the amount charged to capital account is a sure of £61,260, expended on account of additions and improvements to sidines, bridges, telegraphs, interlocking apparatus, signals, .■’vcrfri'Jions, station, buildings, dwellings, loading .hanks, stock-yard?, and water services. Many stations.“are being, entirely rebuilt: Aramohn,' Gijntcn and Oama.ru arc cases in point. . ■ ■