D.—2.

Mr. H. Buxton, Chief Traffic Manager, reports as follows :— Hurunui-Bluff. Eevenue, £1,218,903; decrease, £1,563. Amount. Amount. No. £ No. £ Passengers ... 4,165,792 366,396 Decrease 218,863 Decrease 22,899 Season tickets 74,819 35,255 Increase 3,548 Increase 2,851 Parcels, &c. ... 540,127 85,759 Increase 20,698 Increase 9,460 Live-stock ... 2,455,921) (Decrease 177,232) Tons. \ 692,361 \ Tons. \ Increase 6,137 Goods ... 1,986,509 J (Decrease 7,490 j Miscellaneous ... 39,132 ... Increase 2,888 The Christchurch district contributed £559,000, a decrease of £14,766 as compared with previous year, but an increase of £43,000 as compared with 1906. Passengers show a decrease in number of 230,006. The decreases were at the stations in the vicinity of Christchurch which showed unusually large booking for the previous year on account of the Exhibition. School and factory excursions and season tickets show an increase. Coaching traffic (parcels, horses, dogs, &c.) also increased. With the exception of chaff, firewood, and timber the goods traffic decreased. The tonnage totalled 43,391 tons less than for the previous year. Grain fell off by 41,800 tons, and wool by 8,800 tons —the effect of the very dry season las year. There was a decrease of 146,832 sheep as compared with previous year, but in the previous year large numbers were railed from Canterbury owing to the shortage of feed due to dry weather. The Dunedin district contributed £393,830 : a decrease of £6,170. Passengers decreased by 11,088. The ordinary bookings increased considerably, but the holiday excursion bookings showed a decrease of 44,000. The larger bookings of the previous year under this head were owing to the Exhibition. The sale of season tickets increased by 2,402. Coaching revenue was about the same as for the previous year. Fruit and rabbit traffic increased largely. Live-stock showed decreases owing to the previous year's traffic being increased abnormally by the dry season. Chaff, firewood, merchandise, coal, and other minerals show increases; timber, grain, and wool decreased. The net increase of tonnage was 13,898 tons, due chiefly to an increase of 14,363 tons of mercnandise, of which 11,418 tons was in shipping traffic from Port Chalmers. The Invercargill district contributed £266,073, an increase of £19,373. The season was exceptionally favourable in Southland for all classes of traffic, which consequently show satisfactory increases. Passengers increased by 22,246, but passenger revenue decreased by £2,087 owing to the shorter journeys made. The passenger revenue for the previous year was increased by about £10,000 by traffic to Christchurch to the Exhibition. Parcels show an increase of 10,106, cattle 4,291, and sheep 45,487. Goods traffic increased by 29,000 tons. Lake Wakatipu Steaviers. Eevenue, £6,637 ; increase, £478. The improvement was general in all classes of traffic. The passenger revenue increased by £43. Picton, Nelson, and West Coast Sections. Picton. —Eevenue, £25,142 ; decrease, £249. Passengers and live-stock increased, but goods traffic declined. The latter business was affected by the closing of the cement works and by the improved condition of the Wairau bar. There was an increase of 3,500 tons of grain. Nelson.—Revenue, £20,756 ; increase, £1,381. The increase was general in all branches of business. Wistport. —Revenue, £97,980; increase, £5,360. Passengers and coaching traffic show satisfactory increases, and there was an increase of 17,836 tons of coal. Westland.— Eevenue, £121,206 ; increase, £18,229. The increases under the various headings were : Passengers, 31, 312 ; season tickets, 1,192 ; live-stock, 3,614 ; firewood, 128 tons ; timber, 24,855 tons; grain, 796 tons ; merchandise, 2,177 tons ; coal, 66,162 tons. Wellington - Napier - New Plymouth. Revenue, £786,843 ; increase, £62,256. Amount. Amount. No. £ No. £ Passengers ... 3,175,963 279,081 Increase 147,441 Increase 16,570 Season tickets 59,877 24,916 Increase 10,073 Increase 3,893 Parcels, &c. ... 281,614 56,806 Decrease 6,899 Increase 8,686 Live-stock ... 1,959,984) (Increase 65,709) Tona. !■ 398,850 \ Tons. [ Increase 31,288 Goods ... 791.300J (increase 74,140) Miscellaneous ... 27,189 ... 1,819

XIX