OTIRA TUNNEL

Hokitika Guardian, 2 April 1930, Page 3

OTIRA TUNNEL

YEAR’S GOODS TRAFFIC. A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE-. A 'compilation, from the monthly totals furnished by the Railway Department, giving the tonnage of goods trains running through the Otira tun-. nel from Westland to Canterbury., of the aggregate traffic for the year i nding yesterday reveals on© or two interesting facts. By comparison with the twelve months preceding, for instance, the .total shows an increase of 05,468 tons. A further proof’ that the traffic is growing month by month is given by a comparison with the figures for the year 1929, when the aggregate was 579.316 tons. Outsliadowing all other factors in producing such remunerative returns for the Department was the mining deadlock in New South Wales, which caused a welcome flow of orders lor West Coast coal, not only from consumers in the rest of the South Island, who had hitherto used imported chal, but from the Commonwealth 'itself. The latter orders, of eJ-in-W, 1 were shipped from Greymouth, •. bit the others made a difference of many thousands of tons,in the goods traffic on the Alidjand line. The earthquake on June I.7th, 1929, caused damage to the line, and industrial trouble at Blackball was also responu'ble for reducing the total tonnage. Washouts in Jan nary of this year interrupted traffic for three days', and the Dobson colliery, which has been producing a-s much coal as any mine on the West Const in 'recent months, has been idle for several days. A f a< '* lor which has compensated for this joss of freight to the Railway Department has been,.thestate of the Grey bar, which has comp-ded many consignors to use the railways instead of shipping. . ALL RECORDS BROKEN.

In many respects 1.929 was a record year—it furnished the highest aggro-, gate for the full period,.for a single month, for a, week, and for a day. The heaviest month vytas August With 63,579 tons, the heaviest week that lending December 14tih, with .16,298 tons, and the best day, December 12tfi with 3007 tons. " Ten trains were necessary to convey- the. goods offering on February Ist, 1930, when the total tonnage was 2761, and the same number on February sth (2763 tons). March • 7tli showed the best return for one clay to date for 1930, the total being 2775 tons. Nine trains were required fourdays in March. Tire following figures supply a comparison of the traffic for the twelve months up to the end of the financial year, with the preceding corresponding period:—

1928-29 1929-30. Tons. Tons. April ... 37.811 43.616 May ... 48,286 56,279 June ... 56,225 42,648 July. .... 51,047 58,659 August ... ... 49,546 ‘ 63,579 September ... 55.536 , 52,861 October ... ... 44,110 57,553 November ... 49,360 47.524 December ... 40,603 44,476 January ... ... 40,329 43,777 February ... 43,199 53.402 March ... 38,593 55,269 Totals ... 544,175 609,643