IX

D.—2

capacity and made one trip per week only the present stock would still be sufficient to deal with a tonnage greatly in excess of the present business. It is evident that the equipment has a very large margin over normal requirements, and that margin would be ample to meet the fluctuations that occur during the year if users of the wagons loaded them to their full capacity and discharged them with reasonable despatch.

Statement showing Goods, Tonnage, and Wagons available and suitable for dealing with same at 31st March, 1908.

The following statement shows a brief comparison of the traffic and the rolling-stock for dealing therewith when the Government resumed control of the railways in 1895 with that at 31st, March of the present year : — 31st March, 31st March, T Per Cent of 1895. 1908. Increase. In(Jrease Passengers (number) ... 3,905,578 9,756,716 5,851,138 150 Season tickets „ ... 28,623 185,174 156,551 547 Parcels „ ... 444,981 937,565 492,584 111 Horses „ ... 11,185 18,423 7,238 65 Carriages „ ... 750 2,829 2,079 277 Dogs „ ... 23,517 47,766 24,249 103 Drays „ ... 705 2,530 1,825 259 Cattle „ ... 40,890 150,751 109,861 269 Sheep „ ... 1,519,921 4,593,100 3,073,179 202 Pigs „ ... 43,292 125,987 82,695 191 Chaff, lime (tons) ... ... 36,972 169,767 132,795 359 Wool „ ... ... 103,328 120,593 17,265 17 Firewood „ ... ... 85,102 110,154 25,052 29 Timber „ ... ... 198,578 616,892 418,314 211 Grain „ ... ... 388,556 739,568 351,012 90 Merchandise „ ... ... 377,938 757,647 379,709 100 Minerals „ ... ... 857,917 2,319,913 1,461,996 170 Total tonnage ... ... 2,048,391 4,834,534 2,786,143 136 Total revenue .. ...£1,150,851 £2,761,938 £1,611,087 140 Locomotives (number) ... 269 410 141 52 tractive power (lb.) 1,756,178 4,516,250 2,760,072 157 Passenger-cars (number) ... 498 1,002 504 101 Passenger - cars, seating accommodation ... ... 17,455 42,861 25,406 145 Brake-vans (number) ... 204 333 129 63 Sheep-wagons „ ... 390 1,008 618 158 * Total wagons, all classes (number) 8,264 15,142 6,878 83 Wagon carrying-capacity (tons) 50,861 117,255 66,394 131 Train mileage run... ' ... 3,221,620 7,051,274 3,829,654 119 Notwithstanding the drought experienced during the last summer, I confidently anticipate that the commercial prosperity that has existed of late years will continue to manifest itself during the next financial year, and I estimate the revenue for the year ending the 31st March, 1909, at £2, 835,000, and the expenditure at £2,020,000.

ii—D. 2.

Section. Goods Traffio for Year 1908. (Exclusive of Live-stock.) Goods- , 'agons. Lgons. Tonnage Capaoity per Day. _ Capaoity per Excess of Annum, ca!cu- Capaoity of iated at Two Wagons over Trips only per Traffic Week. offering. No. Kawakawa ... Whangarei ... Kaihu Auckland ... Gisborne Wellington-Napier-New Plymouth Picton Nelson Westport Westland ... Hurunui-Bluff Tons. 4,926 160,348 11,953 571,433 13,498 30 206 59 1,884' 28 190 1,256 374 17,185 188 Tons. 19,760 130,624* 38,896 1,787,240 19,552 Tons. 14,834 26.943 1,215,807 6,054 791,300 55,022 31,853 662,812 538,134 1,986,509 2,764 132 93 588 673 6,974 24,158 812 578 4,498 5,848 53,781 2,512,432 84,448 60,112 467,792* 608,192 5,593,224 1,721,132 29,426 28,259 70,058 3,606,715 Total 4,827,788 13,431 108,868 11,322,272 6,494,484 * In these cases the wagons are m iraffic by 100,900 tons in the case of Y\ ide use of at lei hangarei, and b] .st four times per week, t] 272,772 tons in respect to ie capacity then Vestport. ifore exceeds the