THE RAILWAY DEPARTMENT.

Evening Star, Issue 3806, 6 May 1875, Page 2

THE RAILWAY DEPARTMENT.

From the Engineer’s report we extract the following The traffic on the Green Island section has steadily increased since the opening; the number of trains, then three, has been increased to six daily, and this number will shortly have to be augmented, as the oeal and other traffic is rapidly increasing. The number of passengers carried during the year was 191,163, against 93.774 carried during the previous year, showing an increase of 97,389 for the year. The number of tons of goods cairned was 81,917 against 53,188 carried during the previous year, showing an increase Of 28,729 tons. The total receipts amount to L 35,687 6s 7d against L 21,553 16s 7d for the previous year, showing an increase of L 14,133 9s. The expenditure for the present year is 1.18.583 5s 3d against L 13,624 los Id for the preceding year, showing an increase of L 4,958 9s 2d. The expenditure for the current year includes the sum of 2,213 3s lOd outstanding liabilities incurred prior to the 31st of March, 1874 ; had these been paid within the period in which they were incurred, the expenditure, including the working of the'' Creen Island Railway, would only have been 1 532 Is 6d in excess of that of the previous year. The excess of receipts over expenditure is L 17,104 Os 4d against L 7,929 Os 6d, showing an increase of L 9,174 19s lOd for the present year. A still further increase may be expected, as the facilities for receiving, carrying, discharging, and delivering goods are rendered more complete. The working of the department has been reorganised during the year. A proper system of railway book-keeping has been instituted, which will prove an effective check upon the receipts. The importance of this cannot be over-estimated, as the railway receipts are rapidly increasing, and upon the opening of new lines of railway during the [present year, they will form an important item of the revenue of the Province. The new wharf at Port Chalmers has not given sufficient accommodation to the shipping. During the wool season, vessels were obliged to discharge in the stream for the want of pier accommodation. I would respectfully urge upon the Government the consideration of this important matter. Mr Conyers calls attention to the necessity of providing at Dunadin a Lenton travelling crane for the unloading of heavy packages, and of a small shunting engine at Port Chalmers. Stress is laid upon the necessity for improving the passenger accommodation at Port Chalmers • it is very unfit for the large traffic, and its inconvenient position, at the very end of the pier, renders the shunting and making up of trains extremely dangerous to passengers, who congregate in large numbers, as the times of departure of the trains approach. To the extreme care of the officials there, Mr Conyers justly ascribes the non-occurrence of serious accidents. The construction of a loop at the further end of the Green Island coal line, to facilitate its working, was recommended by the Inspector of Permanent way. The average speed at which trains are run is 17.15 miles anpiour. On the

lines m Otago proper the working expensa are *>2.07 per cent of the receipts, and on the Southland lines 76.46 percent. It is only fair to the Southland traffic manager, to state that the expenditure in his department includes for new buildings at Winton, and •“1)518 for additional way on stock, which should be properly charged to capital accounts.