D.—2b.

to one side; but the rock is quite sound. The tunnel is sound and safe, and will give very little trouble to make good wear-and-tear, with the above-mentioned exception of repairs to the brickwork. 4. The fencing consists chiefly of hedges, which are in fair condition , cattle-stops, gates, and signboards all in good condition. 5. Lyttelton Station and the intermediate stations are in good condition, and where the woodwork is old it is kept in repair. Signals and signal-boxes in good order The Lyttelton sheds have been extensively repaired, and are in good condition, the corrugated-iron roofs are getting old, and will require renewal in a few years. The Christchurch Station is in very good condition. In some of the older buildings there is evidence of their being the worse for age. This is chiefly in the iron roofs of some buildings, and the floors of some shops, where the concrete or wood is the worse for wear, but on the whole all buildings are well cared for and in good condition. Sidings are well ballasted and in good order, but they contain the usual large proportion of very old and half-rotten sleepers. The tools in engine-shed are in good condition, the fire brigade appurtenances, with pumps and artesian water supply, are all in good order, privies and urinals are clean and neat, but the woodwork is going at ground level. The station-buildings and offices are kept in first-rate order At the Addington Station everything is in good order except the loading-bank, which shows signs of decay in the woodwork. At the Addington Workshops are the following buildings, all of which are in good condition, good preservation, and well kept—namely, stores buildings, traverser and pit, woodworking shop, upholstering shop, water-tower and room in it, blacksmiths' shop, boiler shop, brassfounders' shop, pattern shop, pattern store, tarpaulin shop, and 'a seasoned-timber shed with racks, and shed for iron with racks. In the shops is a very large assortment of machines of every description for iron and wood working, smith forges, steam hammers, plate furnaces, boilers, and engines, all of which are in excellent condition, and to all appearances not the least the worse for wear The water-supply is from artesian wells. The water is lifted by steam pump to a tank on a high tower, and everything appears in order for fire prevention. The drainage is kept in efficient condition by open ditches, and the urinals and privies connect with the sewerage of Christchurch, and are in good condition. The largest quantity of stores is kept at Addington. The total value in store at the end of 1894 was £37,000, being £25,370 of general stores, £2,967 of seasoned timber, £878 of bridge timber, £6,159 of sleepers, £2,629 of permanent-way materials, and a small quantity of coal. The value of stores issued for one year's use was, for year ending the 31st March, 1894, £44,963, being £30,373 of general stores, £3,539 of seasoned timber, £1,834 of bridge timbers, £7,236 of sleepers, and £1,980 of permanent-way materials. This shows that not one year's supply is kept in stock , this, we think, is good policy in regard to railway stores, as large stocks for several years' use are very apt to be wasted. Three men, a junior clerk, and one cadet look after and keep account of these stores. We looked over the whole of these stores and found everything in good condition, neatly sorted, and well housed. Christchukch to Cclveeden (69 Miles). Christchurch to Bangiora. This is one of the oldest pieces of line in New Zealand, the formation of which is in good condition, clean, and well drained. 2. The rails are double-headed 701b. per yard of iron, they are generally fairly good, but some are much worn and laminated. With present traffic these 701b. rails are good for many years ; and the road is in first-rate condition, well ballasted and good sleepers, most of which are jarrah. Erom Addington to Culverden there are 19 miles 14 chains of 701b. iron rails, 13 chains of 721b. iron, 12 miles 30 chains of 561b. iron, and 36 miles 77 chains of 531b. steel rails. 3. The bridges have all ironbark piles , in many the beams and capsills are ironbark , many of them have iron girders, and some have concrete abutments, there have been a few renewals and several extensions and new flood openings, and all the bridges are in excellent condition, except that in some the back-lining planks are getting rotten, but this is of small importance and easily put right. There are very few culverts, and they are in good condition , those which are open have ironbark beams. 4. The fencing is partly of thorn hedges, which are thin and poor, but most of it is post and wire and top-rail; generally the top-rails are either partly rotten or fallen down, and they are mostly renewed with barbed wire. The fence-posts show signs of age, and many are rotten at the ground. There have been some renewals of these, but a large number more will require to be replaced soon. Cattle-stops have all been renewed with ironbark beams, the old native timber beams not being safe for the heavier engines. Some of these rest on sills, many of which are old but still good , others rest on concrete walis. Gates and signboards are in good condition as far as can be seen, but a recent gale by blowing some down shows that the posts of many of the latter are rotten at ground-level, and it is likely that gate-posts are in the same condition. 5. Some of the station-buildings and appurtenances are getting old, but everything is in good renair The shelter-sheds, station-buildings, platforms, coal stores, tank-stands, cattle-pens, platelayers' cottages, Stationmasters' houses, and goods-sheds are all in good order and preservation, privies and urinals clean and well kept. Officers' and waiting rooms tidy and neat, signals and posts in good condition. Loading-banks generally good, though the woodwork of some is getting very old. 6. Mile-posts are in good condition.

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