ANOTHER RECORD

Hokitika Guardian, 3 January 1930, Page 2

ANOTHER RECORD

OTIRA TUNNEL TRAFFIC,

OVER HALF A MILLION TONS

Since. August 4th, 1923, when the Otira Tunnel was opened lor traffic, the huge total of 2,732,868 tons ol goods lias passed through it from west to east. The - following figures, which give the tonnage for each year, show how the traffic has grown:— 1923 (4 months 27 days 88,171 1924 302,044 1925 i "... 354,867 1926 421,906 1927 449,996 1928 536,568 1929 ... ... 579,316 In many respects 1929 was a. record year—it furnished the highest aggregates, for the full period, for a single month, for a week, and for a day% The heaviest month was August with 63,579 tons, week ending December 14th with 16,298 tons, and day, December 12th, with 3057 tons.

In many respects the year just ended was an exceptional one for West Coast the coal deadlock in New South Wales resulting in a prosperous time for the mining companies and the timber trade experiencing a further recovery from the slump conditions prevailing a year or two ago. So he" w has the traffic become that the Railway Department was obliged last year to institute the running of gooffs trains through the tunnel ft night, This innovation has greatly facilitated the handling of the rolling stock,

Damage was suffered to the line through the earthquake on June 17, and coal production ceased for some weeks, the June tonnage suffering as ia result. Industrial trouble l»t B|iack'ballcausltxtya cessation of work at the mine there for some days, and in consequence it did not contribute its quota to the long strings of coal waggons which straining locomotives draw incessantly lip the slope to Otira. Originally designed to carry not more than 1030 tons a day, the Otira Tunnel is now the means of over 2000 tonsj of goods reaching Canterbury from the West Coast daily. r lhe growth of the traffic is probably the greatest factor in deciding the Denartment to provide more rolling stock, for a truck going to one of the West Coast coal mines or timber sidings for loading is lost to Canterbury for several days. However, by the adoption of a new goods time-table, handling of the rolling stock ha's been greatly .facilitated. This has probably done as much' to overcome the congestion with which the Department is faced at rush periods as the construction of new waggons at Ad- , dington.