3

D.—6

28. The Minister shall cause the accounts for interchanged traffic to be compiled and audited for each four weeks, or thereabouts, in accordauce 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 line 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 accounts. 29. The Company shall permit any officer duly appointed by the Minister to examine any traffic accounts on its line, if necessary, for accounting and audit purposes; and, similarly, the Minister shall permit any duly appointed officer of the Company to examine any traffic accounts on the line interchanging traffic with the Company's line. 30. Except as otherwise provided herein, the fares, rates, and charges for the conveyance of all passenger, parcels, coaching, and goods traffic upon the company's line shall be fixed by the Company. 31. The Company shall supply the Minister with schedules of such fares, rates, and charges, and the Minister may cause the same to be gazetted for the information of the public. All such fares, rates, and charges to be used subject to the general regulations in operation on the New Zealand Government railways. Such fares, rates, and charges will be in addition to the fares, rates, and charges which are made by the Minister for the conveyance of passenger, parcels, coaching, and goods traffic upon the Government lines. 32. When through goods are consigned to the Company's station at Wellington for shipment at the Railway or Glasgow Wharf, the Minister shall perform the shunting from the Company's station free ; but for the Company's local traffic may charge the gazetted rates for port traffic, such charges to be in addition to the other rates. 33. The Company shall be responsible for payment of all damages or losses to persons or property occurring on the Company's line, unless such damage or loss is clearly traceable to the negligence or error of any Government servant, or to the defect of any Government stock or appliances. 34. The Government, similarly, shall be responsible for payment of 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. 35. The Company's rolling-stock and tarpaulins shall be correctly numbered and lettered to distinguish them from the Government stock, and the Company's wagons shall also be correctly tared. 36. The Company shall pay the Minister for all tickets and stationery issued to the Company's stations. 37. The Minister may at any time cause rolling-stock the property of the Company to be put off the Government trains if defective or dangerous, and may forbid such stock from running on the Government line until such defect or dangerous condition be amended by the Company. In < such cases, due notice being given, demurrage will not be chargeable. 38. The Company, similarly, may at any time cause rolling-stock the property of the Government to be put off the Company's trains if defective or dangerous, and may forbid such stock from running on the Company's line until such defect or dangerous condition be amended by the Government. In such cases, due notice being given, demurrage will not be chargeable. 39. The Company shall run one train daily from Wellington to Longburn, and one train daily from Longburn to Wellington, to connect with the Government daily service between Longburn and New Plymouth. 40. The Company shall nominate an officer in charge of its line with, whom the Government District Traffic Manager at Wanganui may communicate for the purpose of carrying on the traffic in terms of this agreement. 41. This agreement shall take effect as from the thirteenth day of October, 1902, and shall remain in force for twelve months from that date. As witness my hand this seventh day of October, one thousand nine hundred and two. J. G. Ward, Minister for Railways. The seal of the Company was hereunto affixed, this twenty-second day of September, one thousand nine hundred and two, by order of the Directors, by W. M. Hannay, General Manager of the Company.

Approximate Cost of Paper. —Preparation, not given ; printing (1,300 copies), _1 15s. Hd.

Authority: John Mackay, Government Printer, Wellington. -1907.

Price 3d.]