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As the principal seller of transport within the Dominion, the Board is necessarily interested in the promotion of tourist traffic to this country. It is well known, of course, that Railway organizations in Great Britain, Canada, United States of America, Germany, France, India, South Africa, and some other big countries are very active and enterprising in their efforts to draw tourist traffic from various countries to their own lines. A study of the present position justifies a belief that the time has come for the New Zealand Railways to send their message impressively overseas. Happily the Department is fully equipped for the production and distribution of suitable illustrated publicity matter. The preparation and distribution of photographs through the press and also to the Government Tourist Department has been further extended during the past year. A very fine range of enlarged coloured photographs of the principal scenic resorts in New Zealand has also been prepared and is now ready for exhibition in various centres of the Dominion, in order to assist in still further increasing passenger traffic by rail. The photographs are used largely in the New Zealand Railways Magazine, and also by other publications, to convey pictorial information to the public regarding railway developments and improvements of all kinds. Many overseas publications have used photographs distributed from the Railways Publicity Section, and the High Commissioner's Office, London, has been able to effect distribution of photographs of this type amongst leading British and Continental newspapers and magazines. Articles illustrated with railway photographs prepared in this Division have been supplied to publications in various countries, such as Messrs. Thos. Cook and Son's Travellers' Gazette, and The Railway Gazette, London. Railways Magazine. —Now in its ninth year of publication, the Department's official monthly Magazine maintains its high standard as a modern magazine, and continues to serve in its role as departmental " house organ." Distributed free to the staff, the Magazine provides a comparatively inexpensive, attractive, and readily accessible medium in which subjects of immediate and prospective railway interest and importance may be discussed and clarified. All subjects within the range of the Department's services and facilities are naturally within the scope of the Magazine, and only authoritative information is published. In making available, in compact form for the guidance of the staff, accurate knowledge concerning the _ operations of the Department, and by emphasing in other directions the importance of the railways in the national life of the country, the Magazine is doing a definitely constructive work. By free circulation amongst the Department's customers, the Magazine exerts an important beneficial influence from the Railway viewpoint, and both inside and outside the Service the Magazine continues to win high commendation from its readers. The advertising figures for the past year represent a doubling of the revenue from this source — a fact which indicates the increasing appeal of the Magazine to advertisers. The revenue from sales has also notably increased. The overall cost of the Magazine to the Department is a progressively decreasing one. At the present time the net cost of the Magazine to the Department is l-Bd. per copy. The prospect is that with a glowing revenue from advertising and sales, the cost to the Department will continue to decrease. If the Magazine account were credited with its publicity value to the Department, as house organs usually are in the case of private firms, the position would show a considerable profit. WAY AND WORKS BRANCH. The following are the principal features connected with the operations of the Way and Works Branch during the year Permanent-way. —The relaying done during the year was as follows Main line and branches, 52 lb., 53 lb., 55 lb., 56 lb., 65 lb., 70 lb., and 100 lb., M. Ch. relaid with 55 lb., 70 lb., and 100 lb. new material .. .. ..3172 Main line and branches relaid with second-hand material 55 lb., 56 lb., and 70 lb. .. .. .. ■ • • • • • • • .. 0 78 Total .. .. .. • • • • • • 32 70 Sleepers.—The number of new sleepers placed in the track during the year was 152,046. Ballasting.—During the year 163,336 cubic yards of ballast was placed on the track. Slips, Floods, do. —During the year a number of minor slips, floods, &c., occurred at the following places and caused delay to trains : — Between Ohaupo and Lake Road (Ohakune District). Between Manunui and Piriaka (Ohakune District). Between Kakariki and Greatford (Wanganui District). Between Porirua and Paremata (Wellington District). Between Ngaio and Khandallah (Wellington District). On Hokitika line. Between Taiôma and Parera (Dunedin District). On sth August, 1933, a fall of about 300 tons of papa rock occurred on the Point Elizabeth line, breaking the centre line. Track was cleared for traffic the following day. A further fall'of 20 tons happened on the 10th August, 1933, damaging the centre rail, but traffic was resumed on same day.

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