OTAGO RAILWAYS.

Evening Star, Issue 4162, 29 June 1876, Page 2

OTAGO RAILWAYS.

™ T J^f cports on the ota £° Railways for 1875-6 have been published! That of the General Manager, Mr Convert, is an exceedingly satisfactory one.-. The expenditure was estimated at L0'9,509.185, and the actual expenditure was L 66,607 14s. The actual receipts amounted to U04,219,.17s 2d, as against Mr Conyere's estimate of L 10&000. These statements show an excess of profit for the past year of L 7.123 Is 2d above the General Manager's estimate. Mr Convert proceeds to say:— This mult is the more gratifying inasmuch as my estimate was by many considered as too hop*. ml, and not warranted by the prospects. To show a statement of the revenue received abore that chargeable to the Province for interert of money expended by the General Government for construction 0 . f v j> h « railways and for rolling- stock Is not within my province. It is, however, I believe, a considerable amount: and I allude to it for the purpose of mentioning that taring the past year the department has been burdened with a large exceptional expenditure Upon the opening of new lines, which require soma time for the developm nt of the traffic, and also {hi consequence of the insufficient number of wanrona for the traffic upon the line Chalmers and Balclntha) with the necessity of employing a large number of men te> discharge the waggons immediately, on arrival. whose spare time cannot be utilised for other purposes. Large additions te the carrying stook were received in the past year, but they w«ra not then and are not now equal to the demand of the steady increase of traffic. The result was, and is. considerable inoonvenience to the public, and. as before mentioned, some unntofltable expenditure by the department. Every however, has beei and is being made «o meet the demand for wambna. irresp chve of the immediate financial result; The surplus of revenue oyer expenditure would luve been greaterpKl the department been credited; as :is usually the ease, with the carriage of the hulls especially when special trains are run for them, i The> traffic audit office alluded to in my last annual report has been established, and is working satisfaotorilr There.waaduringthe year a greatmcrease^flS kinds of traffic,.independentily of that caused hsr the opening of the new linea~ , The passengers titiv ried oaring the year were in the 9 ''. **<****i* the twelve months! U *' 473 « J^* 0 ?? ot s? 0 * 8 oartied auring the year were, 202,878; those in the increase in the twelve months, 76,329. v The money receipts during the year were, L 104.219 17g w« those in the year 187«, L 57.851 lsßis incre.ee in the twelve months, L 46.868 15s Bd. Por the year 1874-5 the expenditure was «tt IS*.* o *?* of *h« woeipts. . For the year 1875-6 the expenditure was 63.90 per cent, ot the receipts, a alight increase above the previous year, but fully acconnted forhy the exceptional expenditure alluded to above. The sir-wheeled looomotives by the Colonial Government were, a«d still are, worked fully up to their haulingcapacities. They have d-roe their work well. Somt are running at the rate of 30,000 miles per «mmm. which cannot be continued, aB it does not allow fSL? J&SS* fo , r examination and repairs, In Wtain 20,000 miles is considered a fair year's work fer a locomotive, The gauge of; the Bluff Harbor and Invercargill and the Oreti Bailways was altered from4ftßMnto3ft6in (the NewZeafmdstojidard gauge) in December last, and-there being a good road bed, and sufficient weight of metal, the trains run as smoothly on this as they did on the broader gauge, with equal pajing load, a considerable re* dnotion ui the weight of rolling stock (or now paying load), and a proportionate saving in haulage, and m the expenditure upon the maintenance oTthe> permanent way.

The following is a summary of the linen opened for traffic in Otago during the year ending 31st March :

Total miles open... 202 12 62 Ofi the Southern Division the expenses per train mile were 4s 2Jd. The working expenses on these lines were 62.83 per cent, of receipts. On the Central Division 6s OJd was the expense per train mile ; working expenses, 69.12 per cent, of receipts, flh the Northern Division 6s 4Jd per train aile, showing a loss on working of L 7 17s 4d. The accident list shows that five persons have been killed and five injured on the Otago railways since their opening. None of those killed were employed by the Railway Department, having lost their lives by walking on the line when drunk.

From Woodlands to M.C. I». Opened. taura Abbotsford to Clu2160 0 8th July, 1871. . tha Odmarn to WslfuW 46 18 0 1st Steptember, 1875. Bridge Mataura to Gore... Winton to Cowan's 14 48 62 27th September,.1675. 6 65 0 30ih September, 1675. Crossing.;, Awamoko Junction 22 17 90 10th October, 1878. to Maerewhenua Cowans CrosBinpto 22 0 0 1st December, 1875. Elbow 8 18 70 6th January, 1878. 141 67 62 Miles open on 1st April, 1875 Miles open during 60 25 0 year endiuir March 31.1876. 141 67 62