D.—2

The total mileage now eepiipped with tablet apparatus is 1,657 miles of single line out of 2,950 miles of single line open for traffic. The number of tablet instruments now in use is 908, at 376 stations. No new automatic tablet exchangers were installed. The total now in use is 345. Lock and Block. The electric lock-and-block system has worked satisfactorily during the year. The total mileage equipped is forty-three miles of derable line. Lock-and-block instruments in use, eighty, at thirty-six stations. The insulated sections of rail at Ngahauranga have been divided and new type of relays fitted. Alterations have also been carried out at Islington. Telegraph and Telephone Facilities. Seventy-one miles of new line and fifteen miles of poles have, been brought into use, anel improvements and additions tei existing lines have been carried out. Idie telephone-lines between Wellington and Lower Hutt have been converteei to metallic circuit. A new telephone-line from Wellington to Upper Hutt has been erected, with, metallic circuit, and the existing No. 9 Morse wire has been renewed with copper wire. Fifty-eight connectiems to railway telephone circuits, seven ne-w connections tei public exchanges, anel nine extensions to existing exchange telephones have been made. Seventeen electric bells and three new Morse sets have been installed. Total now in use are: Morse sets, 281'; telephones, 1,633; electric bells, 280; miles of wire, 7,077 ; miles of poles, 2,606. Electric Light and Power, &c. Electric light has been installed as follows : Auckland, booking-office ; Newmarket, leicomotive workshops ; Frankton, store and orderly-room; Te Aroha, one cottage ; Rotorua, two cottages ; ' East Town, locomotive workshops; Picton, station buildings, yard, wharf, and Stationmaster's house: ; lleathcote, station building, signals, and Stationmaster's house ; Christchureh, refreshmentrooms ; Kaiapoi, station building, yard, goods-shed, anel signals; Ashburton, new station anel yard ; Belfast, station buildings. Aelditions anel alterations to present installations have been made as follows : Auckland, engine-depot and goods-shed ; Rotorua, goods-shed ; Taihape, engine-depot; Thorndon, Locomotive yard and station ; Lambton, station anel goods-shed ; New Plymouth, station-yard ; Linwood, station building ; Fendalton, road-crossing ; Gore, Stationmaster's house. Electric Power. Work has been done in connection with the electrification of "machinery in locomotive workshops, &c, as follows : Auckland, engine-depot and Pintsch-gas house ; Newmarket, workshops and new car-shops; Thorndon, sleeping-car sheds; Picton, locomotive workshops; Addington, locomotive workshops ; Outram water-supply. Electric fans have been installed in the railway refreshment-rooms at Frankton, anel in the Auckland booking-office. Electric fire-alarms, have been installed in the goods-shed and yard tit Auckland, anel in the new car and wagon shops at Newmarket. Complete electric heating-apparatus for urns and for warming the dining-rooms was installed in the Frankton Junction refreshment-rooms. Two additional electric heaters have been provided in the Railway Head Office, Wellington. Level-crossing Automatic Alarm-bells. Seven level crossings were fitted with automatic, electric warning-bells at the following places : 156 m. 60 eh., 156 m. 63 eh., 155 m. 65 eh., 158 m. 14 oh., near Oamaru ; 215 m. 66 eh., near Warrington ; 202 m. 18 eh. and 203 m 20 eh., near Tumai. The present number now in use is thirty. These bells have given satisfaction eluring the year. Expenditure. Particulars of the expenditure, for the year on electric block-working, telegraph and telephone facilities, and electric power and lighting, &c, is as follows : — New works — £ c. <!. Electric tablet-working .. .. .. .. .. 1.354 110 Telephone and telegraph lines .. .. .. .. 3.558 .13 1. Electric light .. .. .. .. .. .. 4.714 12 9 Electric motors, &c. .. .. .. .. .. 6,066 5 1 Level-crossing alarms .. .. .. .. .. 843 6 8 £16,536 19 8 Maintenance — Electric block working and telegraph and telephone facilities .. 12,652 I 1 Lines, &c, maintained by Post and Telegraph Department .. 1,753 8 6 Electric light .. .. .. .. .. .. 3,071 9 5 Electric motors, cranes, fire-alarms, level-crossing bells, &c. .. 1,025 18 2 £L 8,502 17 2

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