D.—2

XV

Land and Leases. —Number of leases registered during year, 479 ; aggregate rental of same, £7,724 lis. lid. Total number of leases current on the 31st March, 192.1, 5,887 ; aggregate rental of same, £39,050 2s. lOd. Private-siding agreements registered during year, 86 ; aggregate rental of same, £3,624. Total number of agreements current on the 31st March, 1921, 497 ; aggregate rental of same, £16,007. Miscellaneous agreements entered into, 17. Total number of Proclamations issued taking or giving up land, 27. Total amount of compensation paid during year for land taken, £23,778 2s. Bd. Staff. Maintenance Branch —Working staff, 3,596; office staff, 155: total 3,751. Signal and Electbical. Fixed Signals at Officered Stations. Home and distant signals were provided at Pigeon Bush and Waingawa. Distant signals in addition to home signals have been erected at the following stations : Napier, Awatoto, Farndon, Whakatu, Hastings, Pakipaki, Opapa, Ngawapurua, Mangatainoka, Pahiatua, Mangamaire, Hukanui, Eketahuna, Mangamahoe, Mauriceville, Opaki, Masterton, Carterton, Woodside Junction, Fcatherston, Mangaroa. The total number of officered stations (including tablet stations) is 485, of which 300 are, equipped with fixed signals, 100 are. interlocked, and 85 unequipped. Nineteen signal repeaters have been installed during the year, making a total of 350 now in use. Interlocking of Points and Signals. Alterations have been made to signalling and interlocking at Frankton, Ngauruke.hu, Palmerston North, Sockburn, and Dunedin. Interlocking with the tablet system has been installed at the following : Service siding at 19 miles 35 chains 50 links near Papakura ; Bell Block Station, Waiongona Station, Durham Road. Station, Norfolk Road Station, Ngaere Station, Whareroa Station, Ball Road Station, Kakaramea Station, Pariroa Pa Station, Waverlcy Racecourse Station, Moumahaki Station, East Town Station, Baker's Crossing Station, Ratana Station ; service siding at 68 miles 60 chains 30 links near Shannon ; service siding at 113 miles 54 chains 60 links near Pareora. The following switch-out tablet stations have been equipped with special locking arrangements for points and signals ; Bonny Glen, Whakatu, and Opaki. Special switch locks (Woods) interlocking the facing-points with home signals have been installed, at Whakatu, Waingawa, Pigeon Bush, and Mangaroa. Total stations now interlocked, 100 ; tramway crossings, 7 ; siding and flag stations interlocked with tablet, 166 ; stations where Woods locks are installed, 301. Signal cabins at Taihape, Woodvillo, and Balclutha have been enlarged to accommodate tablet instruments. The electric pneumatic system at Dunedin has worked satisfactorily during the year. Mechanical and electrical detectors have been installed at a number of stations equipped with fixed signals, the main line from Auckland to Wellington being nearly completed and the main line from Lyttelton to Bluff in hand. The installation of electric automatic signalling on the Wellington - Upper Hutt line has been commenced. Block Working. — Electric Tablet. No additions have been made to tablet working. The total mileage now equipped is 1,657 miles of single line out of a total of 2,975 miles open for traffic. Tablet instruments at Taratahi were shifted to Waingawa. The number of tablet instruments now in use is 900, at 376 stations. The total number of automatic tablet exchangers now in use is 346. Lock and Block. The electric lock-and-block system has worked satisfactorily during the year. Track-circuiting has been installed at Addington in conjunction with the lock-and-block system. The total mileage equipped is 43 miles of double line. The total number of lock-and-block instruments now in use is 80, at 36 stations. Telegraph and Telephone Facilities. Twelve miles of poles and 40 miles of wires have been erected during the year. One additional Morse connection has been installed. The telegraph-cable through the Lyttelton Tunnel has been renewed. The railway-wires at several high-tension-line crossings have been placed underground. Thirty-five new connections to railway telephone circuits, 10 new connections to public exchange, and 3 extensions to existing connections have been made. Fifteen electric bells and pushes have been installed. The intercommunication telephone system in the Head Office, Wellington, has been reorganized, and a complete set of dictograph telephones installed. The District Offices at Auckland have been fitted with a set of 15 intercommunication telephones.