STATEMENT SHOWING THE PROPOSED MAIN AND COAL-FIELD LINES OF RAILWAY, AND THE ESTIMATED TRAFFIC, AND THE ESTIMATED WORKING EXPENSES OF EACH LINE PER ANNUM.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1871 Session I, D-05a

D.—No. sa.

STATEMENT SHOWING THE PROPOSED MAIN AND COAL-FIELD LINES OF RAILWAY, AND THE ESTIMATED TRAFFIC, AND THE ESTIMATED WORKING EXPENSES OF EACH LINE PER ANNUM.

PRESENTED TO BOTII HOUSES OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, BY COMMAND OE HIS EXCELLENCY. ♦

WELLINGTON.

1871.

MAIN AND COAL-FIELD LINES OF RAILWAY.

3

MAIN LINES.

Lines. Estimate of Traffic. Miles in Length. Trains per Day each Way. No. of Stations. Working Expenses per Annum. * Auckland, to Kaipara. The present yearly traffic round the North Cape, ria Onehunga, and via Riverliead, to and fro, is estimated at 4,372 tons, with about 4,460 passengers. 17 1 2 4 £ 5,800 7,500 Auckland to Mercer and osehunga. The present yearly traffie via the South Eoad and Onehunga, to and fro, is estimated at 59,124 tons, in addition to a large number of passengers. It has been found impossible to st&te the carriage-cost of the present traffie with accuracy, or the number of actual passengers ; but the number of persons passing the Toll Gate at Newmarket, to and fro, on foot and otherwise, is about 530,400. •17 1 2 8 9,800 13,000 Napier to RcaTANIWHA. The yearly carriage-cost of the present traffic is as follows: —Merchandise by waggons and carts, £7,000 ; timber, wool, and agricultural produce, £1,000 ; passengers by coaches, £2,500 ; total, £13,500. When the Seventy-Mile Bush is opened by the road now making through it from Manawatu Gorge to Ruataniwha, and the totara forests worked, timber will of itself produce a larger traffic than the whole of the items above estimated. 53 1 2 5 10,250 12,500 Wellington to Masterton. The present yearly traffic of timber, wool, produce and merchandise amounts to about 12,688 tons, the carriage-cost of which is £29,224. The passenger traffic produces £1,750 ; and the cost of driving cattle and sheep for the home market (i.e., exclusive of those for exportation) amounts to £950 —making a total carriagecost of £31,924. The newly purchased district of the Seventy-Mile Bush will be opened up by this line in conjunction with the proposed tramway from Masterton, and produce a large export of timber. 70 1 2 7 12,500 ] (i,000 Manawatu to Wauganui. (Tramway.) The present yearly traffic on the route of this line is—cattle, 2,000 head, sheep, 20,000 head, horses, 189 head, pigs, 2,000 head, passengers by coaches and spring carts, 38,896, horsemen, 12,432, agricultural and other produce, 2,191 tons, and merchandise, 620 tons, the total carriage-cost of which is £12,022 2s. During the past year 600,000 superficial feet of timber was imported into Wanganui which would have been supplied from Rangitikei had there been a rail or tramway, and at the present moment there are many thousands of bushels of grain, and large quantities of produce, which would be sent in to Wanganui but for the want of cheap carriage. The present traffic would be increased fourfold if a rail or tramway existed. US 1 2 7 5,600 9,400 Nelson to Fox Hill. The receipts at the Toll Gate on this line amount to £900 for the present year. The traffic which this sum represents would, it is estimated, be raised to threefold on opening the line. Sufficient data is not obtainable to convert this toll rate of £2,700 into tons and carriage-cost. 7,000 9,000 20 1 2 7 Blenheim to Picton. The present yearly traffic on the route of this line is—passengers, 10,000, merchandise, 5,000 tons, wool, 6,000 bales, flax, 400 tons, agricultural produce, 2,380 tons, fencing stuff and firewood, 2,000 tons, and 1,000,000 feet timber, which with stock pays a carriage-cost of £17,880. In addition to the ordinary stimulus which the railway would produce, this line will open up a large bush country and give a great impetus to the fencing and cultivation of the plains and agricultural portion of the Province. It will also enable the wool vessels to load at Picton instead of Port Underwood, and thereby facilitate the importation of merchandise direct from England, saving the double freight which the inhabitants of Marlborough now pay. 20 1 2 6 G,300 8,500 The traffic for the present year is about 200.000 bushels of grain, 7,000 bales of wool, 2,000 tons merchandise, and 2,000 passengers, besides timber, coal, &c, the carriage-cost of which is £3,975. The increase of traffic may be gathered from there being over 630,000 acres of good arable land not yet sold, and a large portion of the arable land that has been sold being still used for pasturage. 3,600 4,200 Rangiora to NOrtu Kowai. (Extension.) 11 1 2 5 Rakaia to Ashburton. (Extension.) The traffic for the present year is about 7,000 bales of wool, 100,000 bushels of grain, 1,000 tons of merchandise, 4,000 passengers, besides timber and other prodvice, the carriage-cost of which is £4,750. There are in the district about 300,000 acres of good arable land, of which 237,000 acres remain unsold. 20 1 i 4 4,700 6,500 MoERAKI TO Waitaki. The following is an estimate of the first year's traffic on this line ; but it may be taken a^ being at least 50 per cent, under the actual traffic to be developed as soon as the railway commences : —Wool, 9,000 bales, grain, 800,000 bushels, flour, oatmeal, bran, &c, 2,550 tons, agricultural produce, 1,000 tons timber, 5,000 tons, stone, 20,000 tons, coal, 1,000 tons, lime, 100 tons, merchandise, 5,000 tons, live stock, 15,000 head, passengers, 8,000, at a total carriage-cost of £15,225. 40| I 2 8 9,000 ]2,25O Invercargill to Mataura. The present yearly goods traffic along the route of this line pays a carriage of £5,900, which, with passengers £1,100, makes a total of £7,000. As an illustration of future traffic when line is open, reference can be made to the letter of the Manager of the Meat-preserving Company at Woodlands, dated 18th August, 1871, and laid on the Table of the House of Representatives on 5th September. In this letter it is stated that next season, with railway facilities, the traffic of those works to and fro will be 8,000 tons, it being at present only about 1,800 tons. 1 2 7 0,000 8,600 WlNTON TO Kingston. (Extension.) The present yearly goods traffic along the route of this line pays a carriage of £9,700, and passengers £2,500, or a total carriage-cost of £12,200. It is estimated that the traffic would be increased fully sixfold on the opening of the line. 10,000 13,000 (i'.i 1 2 7 • The Workii ig Expenses include the ordinary maintenance of Permanent Way, but not the Depr and Carriage Stock, nor for renewal of rails. •eciatioi i-Fund foi Locoim itive

4

MAIN AND COAL-FIELD LINES OE RAILWAY.

COAL-FIELD LINES.

Links. Estimate of Traffic. Miles in Length. Trains per Day each Way. No. of Stations. Working Expenses per Annum.* Kawa Kawa to Shipping Pout. The actual delivery of coal has been for nine months past, 21,072 tons. No estimate of probable coal traffic has been received, but it may be fairly taken as at least relatively proportionate to the prospective traffic on the lines Brunner to Givymouth and Rolleston to Malvern. 1 2 2 3,fiOO 4,300 Bkumteh to Greymouth. The present yearly traffic is at the rate of 3,640 tons of supplies, and 15,600 tons of coal, with 5,200 passengers, at a carriage-cost of £5.005. The traffic in coals on completion of the line is estimated at 50,000 tons. 6 1 ■> 2 4,500 6,000 ROLLESTON TO tlALTERN Branch. The traffic for the present year is about 400,000 bushels of grain, 4,000 bales of wool, 1,500 tons merchandise, and 2,000 passengers, besides timber, &c, the ciirriage-cost of which is £9,940. The coal traffic, when facilitated by railway, is estimated at 8,000 tons. The traffic to Westlandwill puss over this line. The arable land in the district still unsold is 75,000 acres. 85* 1 5,000 7,500 * The Working Expenses include the ordinary maintenance of Permanent Way, but not the Depreci; Carriage Stock, nor for renewal of rails. ition F and for 1 ocomoti' re and October, 1871. JOH N BtAl :kett, C.E.