D.—2

XII

Additional lighting has been provided in the drill-yards at Auckland, Wellington, and Dunedin; signals at Mangaweka and Mataura; new carriage-yard, locomotive-yard, and diningcar store, Thorndon; goods-offices, Te Kuiti; goods-yard, Lambton Station; yards at Kaiwarra and Stratford; locomotive workshops at Petone and Hillside; gas-house, Christchurch; and goods-yard, Invercargill. Electric heaters have been installed in the Railway booking-office and dining-car depot, Auckland, and Railway Battalion Headquarters, Wellington. The Newmarket Workshops have been partially electrified. • A transformer-house has been provided equipped with transformers of sufficient capacity for the complete electrification of all the shops, and eleven motors aggregating about 85 horse-power have been installed and brought into use. Additional motors have been installed at Hillside Workshops and at Christchurch enginedepot. A main-switchboard house has been provided at Addington Workshops to provide for eventual complete electrification equipment, and some temporary gear installed; seven additional motors have been installed, aggregating 49 horse-power, making a total of 243 horse-power now installed. Level-crossing Automatic Warning-bells. Seventeen level crossings have been fitted with automatic electric warning-bells at the following places: Mount Eden (two); Newmarket (two crossings); Helensville South; Hamilton; Palmerston North (two crossings); Napier; Featherston (five crossings); Lower Hutt; Chertsey; Styx. The present number now completed is twenty-three. The alarm bells and switches have been installed at level crossings at Christchurch (two) and Temuka. An automatic mechanical alarm-bell has been installed in the Lyttelton Tunnel. Expenditure. Particulars of expenditure on electric block-working, telegraph and telephone facilities, and electric lighting for the year are as follows : — New works — £ s , d. Electric tablet-working ... ... ... ... 4,383 0 2 Telephone and telegraph lines -... ... ... 1,415 15 6 Electric light ... ... ... ... ... 2,535 14 5 Electric motors, cranes, &c. ... ... ... .-.. 2,771 3 3 Level-crossing alarms ... ... ... ... 5,198 9 9 Total ... ... ... ... ... £16,304 3 1 Maintenance— £ Si d. Electric block-working and telegraph and telephone facilities 12,079 3 1 Lines, &c, maintained by Post and Telegraph Department 1,772 17 0 Electric light ... ... ... ... ... 2,516 14 2 Total ... ... ... ... ... £16,368 14 3

TRAFFIC. Mr. H. Buxton,_ Chief Traffic Manager, reports that the following are the leading features of the traffic in the various districts :— Whangarei Section. Revenue, £53,965; increase, £2,815. Passengers increased 3,828. Live-stock increased 7,834. Timber increased 2,832 tons, and general goods 2,533 tons. Minerals decreased 14,263 tons in consequence of the flooding of a coal-mine. Kaihu Section. Revenue, £6,478; increase, £594. Passengers decreased 5,864. Timber increased 8,196 tons, but other goods traffic declined. Gisborne Section. Revenue, £27,971; decrease, £807. Passengers decreased 3,294. Live-stock decreased 58,537, owing to the operation of new freezing-works inland. Goods tonnage increased 4,844. General goods increased 3,227 tons, and minerals 4 477 tons, but timber decreased 2,860 tons.