D.—4.

A. K. DREW.]

79

17. You produce a statement showing the receipts and expenditure of this tramway from 1895 to 1916 ? —Yes. [Statement produced and put in —Exhibit 2. | 18. The last column, in brackets, shows the expenditure out of revenue which has been charged to the Capital Account ?— Yes. In the case of an ordinary institution it would be charged to Capital Account. 19. But the disbursements do not include interest on loans ? —No. 20. They include all working-expenses, including any expenses on improvements required during the period ?—Yes. 21. Do you produce a statement showing the chief item of traffic over this line from the year 1899 to the "year 1915 ?—Yes. [Statement produced and put in—Exhibit B.] The year 1916 is not yet completed. Our statements are dated from Ist January to 31st December in each year. 22. The Chairman.] In the first four years you were £2,321 to the bad ? —Yes. 23. And now you are this year £222 to the good ?— Yes. 24. Mr. Skerrett.] I understand that it is proposed, at a cost of £7,000, to extend the tramway into the river-bed ? —Yes. 25. How is it so much as that ?— lncluded in that are several improvements and additions which are required on portions of the present line. The matter of this extension is only in its infancy. Besides making the extension into the river for metal, there are several additions that are required on the line in other parts, such as the construction of sheds and sidings, which we are entitled to do out of loan. The Council cannot borrow money for the purpose of anything but new works. We cannot borrow money for maintenance or for relaying. 26. The Chairman.] Have you estimated the cost of the connection between Pukenui and Greatford or the railways farther on ?—No, I have not. 27. Mi. Skerrett.] Has the Council no information as to the suggested course from Pukenui towards Marton ? Would you require to build a traffic-bridge ?—The proposal is to use the present traffic-bridge over the river at Bull's. This matter was referred to the Public Works Department, and they estimated that it would cost approximately £10,000 to make that bridge suitable for the tramway as well as for the present road traffic. 28. What would you estimate per mile to be the cost of the extension ?- -Approximately a total cost of about £2,500 per mile.

Thursday, 25th May, 1916. Alfred Kingsley Drew further examined.' (No. 26a.) 1. Mr. Skerrett.] Do you produce for the information of the Commission a copy of your scale of freights on the tramway ?—Yes. [Statement produced and put in—Exhibit 6.] 2. The Chairman.] Supposing goods are landed at Foxton for Sanson, they go into a truck belonging to the Railway Department, I suppose ?- They are unloaded from ship at Poxton and loaded into trucks by the Railway Department. 3. Then, you take the trucks by your engine ?—The trucks are made up into a train just the same as in the oase of the Government trains. Our engine takes them out of Foxton and takes them to their destination. 4. The trucks, I suppose, belong to the Railway Department ?—Yes. 5. Your engine goes to Foxton, takes them up, and takes them to Sanson ?— Yes, 6. What do you pay the Government for this haulage to Himatangi ?—We do not pay anything for haulage. We pay a toll of so-much per ton for the cunning-right over the railway, and we pay a hire for the trucks independently. 7. What does it cost per ton ?—The ordinary goods cost Is. 6d. per ton —that is, a toll; and other goods ss. per truck. 8. You pay, I suppose, wharfage, and loading in addition ? —Wharfage in addition. We do not pay any charge for loading. The wharfage includes loading-charges. 9. What do you pay for that ?— The wharfage is on a. Government scale with. 10 per cent, added. I do not know what it is. 10. Mr. Hannay.} What do you pay for the wagons ?—We pay Is. per day or portion of a day for each wagon, and the same charge for each tarpaulin. 11. You do not pay for more than a day—you send the engine down ?—I will give you an instance of that: A truck is picked up at Foxton on-the Monday ;it goes on the tram-line on the Monday. On the Tuesday it is unloaded. It may be loaded up again with goods to go via Himatangi to Palmerston. On Wednesday morning we take it to Himatangi. We would pay 3s. for that truck and 3s. foi the tarpaulin. 12. Mr. SkerreU.] Do I understand you to say that the wharfage charge does not include the use of the railway-truck as wharfage ?—Yes. 13. Referring to your tariff, do you add the 10 per cent, war addition ? —No; we have not added the 10 per cent, additional charge that has been put on by the Railway Department. 14. I want you to explain exactly what the figures in brackets in your statement of receipts and expenditure on the tram represent. Do those figures include labour or expenditure; in relaying the tram-line ?■ —No, they do not. 15. State exactly what they include ?—Those figures are the amounts paid for new material alone —nothing else.