P.—2

XVI

Telegraph and Telephone Facilities. There have been 345 miles of wire and 181 miles of poles erected and brought into use ; also various alterations and additions have been made to improve existing lines. Forty-five telephones have been fixed and brought into use. twenty additional and seven extension connections have been made with the public telephone exchanges, and four Morse connections and eight electric hells have been brought into use. A number of old-pattern telephones have been replaced by new and modern ones. Totals now in use : Morse sets. 230 ; telephones, 1,211. ; miles wire. ."i,640 ; miles poles, 2.096. The work on the following lines is in progress : Riverton-Orepuki telephone line, Mlenheim-Seddon telephone line. .Mercer Thames Morse line, Palmerston North Wanganui Morse line. Greater facilities are still needed in some districts to meet the more pressing requirements. Electric Lighting and Power Working. Electric light has been installed in the signals at Thorndon and at Abbotsford, Green Island, and Kaiwarra stations and signals; at Eketahuna and Outram stations: New Plymouth engine-shed; and additions at Lambton Station and the Signal and Electrical Workshops. Wellington. The installation of additional lighting at Petone Workshops. Dunedin engine-shed, ami Auckland goods-shed is in hand. The expenditure on electric block-working, telegraph and telephone facilities, and electric lighting for the year was : — _Tew works — i. s . d. Electric tablet-working .. 4,697 5 I Electric lock and block .. .. 1,618 17 li Telephone and telegraph lines .. 1,906 16 0 Electric light .. .. .. .. .. .. 1,198 16 1J £9,42] If- 3 Maintenance— £ s. d. Electric block-working and telegraph and telephone lines .. 8,064 4 2 Lines, &c., maintained by Post and Telegraph Department . . 2,917 0 li Electric light .. .. .. .. 1,683 8 2 £12,664 12 10 Public telephone-exchange connections .. .. £2,406 18 4 The electrical work in connection with the electrification of overhead cranes in the locomotive workshops, Hillside and Petone, and the installation of a number of motors for driving machines at Hillside, have been carried out for the Locomotive Branch. Instruments, &c. Electric lock-and-block instruments, 74 ; tablet instruments, 708 ; Morse sets, 230 ; telephones, 1,211; signal-repeaters, 153 ; electric bells, 155 ; cells, 17,836 ; automatic tablet-exchangers, 277. Number of lock-and-block stations, 34 ; number of tablet stations, 299 ; number of officered stations. 423 (lock-and-block and tablet stations shown as officered stations). Traffic. Mr. H. Buxton, Chief Traffic Manager, reports as follows : — Whangarei-Kawakatva Section. Revenue, £36,463 ; increase, £4,236. Passengers, live-stock, grain, and merchandise show good increases. Kaihu Section. Revenue, £4,024 : decrease, £93. Decrease general. Gisborne Section. Revenue, £16,498 ; increase, £2,307. Increases occurred in all classes of traffic. North Island Main Line and Branches. Revenue, £1,877,610; increase, £135,367. The principal items of traffic were : — Number. Number. Passengers .. .. 6,142,422 ; increase, 467,151 Season tickets .. .. .. 147,637; „ 12,555 Parcels, &C. .. .. .. .. 576,561; „ 50,082 Live-stock .. .. .. .. .. 2,832,598; decrease. 309,582 Tons. Tons. Goods .. .. 1,667,952; increase. 55.899 The annual revenue per mile of railway rose from £1,614 18s. lOd. to £1,746 12s. 2d., an increase of £131 13s. 4d., and per train mile from 7s. lljd. to Bs. 4d.