D.—s.

returns to the Eailway Accountant, New Zealand Government Bailways, as may be required by such instructions. 20. The Commissioners shall be responsible for causing to be collected from the consignees or other persons all proper charges on behalf of the Company which the Company is legally entitled to charge and collect for goods and passengers which have passed over the line, which charges may have been properly way-billed and otherwise notified by the Company's officers to tho receivingstations on the Government line in accordance with the by-laws and other instructions in operation on the New Zealand Government railways. 21. The Company shall, similarly, be responsible for collecting the New Zealand Government railway-charges on interchanged goods and passengers. 22. The Commissioners shall cause the accounts for interchanged traffic to be compiled and audited for each four weeks or thereabouts, in accordance with the practice on the Government lines, and shall cause accounts to be rendered to the Company within four weeks or thereabouts after the close of each accounting period ; and there shall be a settlement of account as between the Government lines and the Company's line by cash payment of the balance due from one to the other respectively, as may be ascertained from such audited account. 23. The Company shall permit any officer duly appointed by the Commissioners to examine any traffic accounts on its line, if necessary, for accounting and audit purposes ; and, similarly, the Commissioners shall permit any* duly-appointed officer of the Company to examine any traffic accounts on the line interchanging traffic with the Company's line. 24. The rates, fares, and charges for the conveyance of all passengers, parcels, and goods upon the Company's line shall be fixed by the Company. 25. The Company shall supply the Commissioners with schedules of such rates, fares, and charges in the forms attached, and the Commissioners will cause the same to be gazetted for the Information of the public. All such rates, fares, and charges to be used subject to the general regulations in operation on the New Zealand Government railways. Such rates, fares, and charges will be in addition to the rates, fares, and charges which are made by the Commissioners for the conveyance of passengers and goods upon the Government lines. 26. When through-goods are consigned to the Company's station at Wellington for shipment at the Eailway Wharf the Commissioners shall perform the shunting from the Company's station free, but for local traffic may charge the gazetted rates for port traffic, such charges to be in addition to the other rates. 27. The Company shall be responsible for payment for all damages or losses to person or property occurring on the Company's line, unless such damage or loss is clearly traceable to the negligence or error of any servant of the Commissioners or to the defect of any Government stock or appliances. 28. The Commissioners, similarly, shall be responsible for payment for all damages or losses to persons or property occurring on the Government line, unless such damage or loss is clearly traceable to the negligence or error of any of the Company's servants, or to the defect of any of the Company's stock or appliances. 29. The Company's rolling-stock shall be correctly tared, numbered, and lettered, to distinguish it from the Government stock. 30. The Company shall pay the Commissioners for all tickets and stationery issued to the Company's stations. 31. The Commissioners or the Company respectively at any time may cause rolling-stock the property of the other to be put off the Company's or Government trains respectively if defective or dangerous, and may forbid such stock from running on the Government and the Company's lines respectively until such defect or dangerous conditions be amended by the Company or Commissioners respectively. In such cases, due notice being given, demurrage will not be chargeable. 32. The Company shall run one train daily from Wellington to Longburn and one train from Longburn to Wellington to connect with the Commissioners' daily services between Longburn and Wanganui, and a bi-weekly service between Wanganui and New Plymouth. 33. The Company shall nominate an officer in charge of its line with whom the Commissioners'" District Traffic Manager at Wanganui may communicate for the purpose of carrying on the traffic in terms of this agreement. 34. This agreement shall take effect as from the 29th day of November, 1889, and shall remain in force for twelve months from that date. The common seal of the New Zealand Eailway Commissioners was hereunto affixed, this sixth day of March, one (1.5.) thousand eight hundred and ninety, in the presence of— E. G. Pilchee, James McKbeeow, Secretary, Wellington. J. P. Maxwell, W. M. Hannay, Eailway Commissioners. The seal of the Company was hereunto affixed, this twelfth day of March, one thousand eight hundred and ninety, (1.5.) at a meeting of the Directors, and by order of the Directors. James Wallace, General Manager. [Approximate Cost of Paper.— Preparation, nil; printing (1,200 copies), £1 ss.]

By Authority : Geobgk Didsbuby, Government Printer, Wellington—lB9o.

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