D.—a

X

counting service with the company ; and the company's employees, in accordance with the provisions of the same section, have paid into the fund £5,478 ss. 7d. as the contribution towards purchasing back time for superannuation. A number of contributors who had broken time in the service of the State Railways have taken advantage of the provision in section 56 of "The Public Service Classification and Superannuation Amendment Act, 1908," and paid the amount required to enable their broken service to count for superannuation. The accumulated fund now amounts to £157,151 14s. 9d. A feeling appears to exist among a section of the contributors to the fund that widows of railwaymen who have retired on superannuation should, at the death of their husbands, receive the same allowance as widows whose husbands die before reaching the retiring-age. It has been pointed out on several occasions that the contributions at present made to the fund are the minimum, while the benefits are the maximum. It is obvious, therefore, that no additional charges can be put on the fund without a corresponding increase being made in the rate of contribution. The financial stability of the fund is of paramount importance to every contributor, and each such person should carefully consider the effect the adoption of the suggestion would have on the fund before seriously putting it forward. It should be definitely understood that no charge can be placed on the fund without a corresponding increase in the payments of each contributor thereto. 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:—

Although favourable circumstances of a non-recurring character existed during the last financial year, and there has been a slight depression during the first portion of the year just entered upon, I feel confident from present indications that a return to prosperity is assured, and am of opinion that the railways will again show satisfactory results. I therefore estimate the revenue for the year ending 31st March, 1910, at and the expenditure at £2,143,500.

31st March, 1895. Passengers (number) ... 3,905,578 Season tickets „ ... 28,623 Parcels „ ... 444,981 Horses „ ... 11,185 Carriages „ ... 750 Dogs „ ... 23,517 Drays „ ... 705 Cattle „ ... 40,890 Sheep „ ... 1,519,921 Pigs „ ... 43,292 Chaff, lime (tons) ... ... 36,972 Wool „ ... ... 103,328 Firewood „ ... ... 85,102 Timber „ ... ... 198,578 Grain „ ... ... 388,556 Merchandise „ ... ... 377,938 Minerals „ ... ... 857,917 Total tonnage ... ... 2,048,391 Total revenue .. ...£1,150,851 Locomotives (number) ... 269 „ tractive power (lb.) 1,756,178 Passenger-cars (number) ... 498 Passenger - cars, seating accommodation ... ... 17,455 Brake-vans (number) ... 204 Sheep-wagons „ ... 390 Total wagons, all classes (number) ... ... 8,264 Wagon carrying-capacity (tons) 50,861 Tram-mileage run... ... 3,221,620 31st March, 1909. 10,457,144 192,457 961,293 19,124 2,550 50,798 2,427 159,884 5,211,489 117,626 182,666 137,916 102,620 582,860 793,793 729,971 2,342,048 4,871,874 £2,929,526 452 5,162,237 1,116 46,722 356 1,066 16,120 128,031 7,458,236 Increase. P T 6r Cent o: Increase. 6,551,566 168 163,924 573 516,312 116 7,939 71 1,800 240 27,281 116 1,722 244 118,994 291 3,691,568 243 74,334 172 145,694 394 34,588 33 17,518 21 384,282 194 405,237 104 352,033 93 1,484,131 173 2,823,483 138 £1,778,675 155 183 68 3,406,059 194 618 124 29,267 168 152 75 676 173 7,856 95 77,170 152 4,236,616 132