D.—2.

The following table gives particulars of repairs, &c., to cars for the year:—

Sixty-three new 47£ ft. Class A bogie-cars are under construction. Brake-vans. —The number of brake-vans on the Ist April, 1903, was 283 : during year 3 old worn-out four-wheel vans were written off and replaced ; 18 new bogie brake-vans were built and added to stock: the number of brake-vans on the 31st March, 1904, was 301. The repairs, &c, to brake-vans for the year were as follows: —

Fifteen new bogie brake-vans are under construction. Wagons. —The wagon-stock on Ist April, 1903, consisted of 12,709 vehicles, and on 31st March, 1904, the number was 13,132 wagons. Towards the end of the year four old wagons were sold and written off; four new wagons are being built to replace them, but were not completed at the close of the year. Three hundred and seventy new wagons were built and added to stock; fifty-six new wagons were also built to replace wagons written off and sold to Public Works Department. One of the four-wheeled D cars (written off car-stock) was converted to a sleepingvan, Class K. There were also two new wagons built for the Napier Harbour Board. The carrying-capacity of wagon-stock has been increased by 3,476 tons, or equal to nearly 4 per cent., being an equivalent of 579 ordinary wagons. Good progress has been made with renewing old axles, also in fitting extra-coil bearing-springs to still further increase the carrying-capacity of wagon-stock. The fitting of all stock with stronger coupling-pins is on the point of completion. The following table gives particulars of repairs, &c, to wagon-stock : —

The following new wagons were under construction at the close of the year, viz. : 158 bogie and 338 four-wheeled wagons. Tarpaulins. —The stock of tarpaulins on Ist April, 1903, consisted of 9,322 sheets; to this number were added during the year 680 new tarpaulins, making the stock on 31st March, 1904, as 10,002 tarpaulins. Eight hundred and eighty-three old. worn-out tarpaulins were written off the books and replaced by a similar number of new tarpaulins manufactured in the Government railway workshops, and, in accordance with usual practice, charged to working-expenses. The following table shows the work on tarpaulins for the year:—

Two hundred and twenty-five new tarpaulins were under manufacture at close of year.

8

Number and Type. Particulars. Total. Bogie. Six-wheel. Four-wheel. lumber passed through shops ... Suilt new lonverted six-wheel to bogie overhauled leavy repairs iight repairs... 'ainted and varnished... 'ouched up and revarnished 1,626 63 6 33 217 1,307 306 461 60 4 12 44 24 7 10 1 9 5 1 1,696 63 6 37 230 1,360 335 469

Description. ".a 3~ I '3 A O CD H > So EH g '3 & |3 s 3 Cm M 3 13 2 a '8 0 -a 2 c 3 o irake-vans 532 21 9 65 437 103 129

Description. ci, CD PT Cβ 03 if i s '3 pq 1 CD ! "8 ■+3 B g s Pi CD Oh P <a H c< Ph ■a 3 I '3 CM CD o I agons 11,051 428 74 12 1,509 9,028 1,636 3,227

Description. Number passed through Shops. Manufactured new. Condemned and replaoed with New Sheets. Repaired. 'arpaulins ... 9,623 680 883 8,060