D.—2.

RETURN No. 24. Statement showing approximately Sleepers laid and removed up to 31st March, 1897.

RETURN No. 25. Comparative Statement of the Number of Employés for March, 1896, and March, 1897.

RETURN No. 26. Statement of Accidents for the Year ending 31st March, 1897.

26

Approxi: iate Length opened each Year. Sleepers. Year. North Island. Middle Island. Total. Laid during Construction. (2,100 per mile.) Eemoyed during Maintenance.+ M. ch. M. ch. 45 7° 18 58 11 68 27 62 11 21 126 78 248 4 152 39 94 58 56 46 4° 73 32 71 40 16 40 19 22 50 24 o 47 52 11 39 17 32 M. oh. 45 7° 18 58 11 68 27 62 21 76 188 17 317 27 216 63 198 54 83 65 67 26 101 30 63 3 42 21 44 69 80 0 90 78 7° 3 1 28 79 18 31 32 45 34 9 27 27 17 26 62 16 44 6 18 41 4 75 1867 1870-71 1871-72 1872-73 1 873-74 !874-75 1875-76 1876-77 1877-78 1878-79 1879-80* 1880-81 1881-82 1882-83 1883-84 1884-85 1885-86 1886-87 1887-88 1888-89 1889-go 1890-gi 1891-92 1892-93 1893-94 1894-95 1895-96 1896-97 10 55 61 19 69 23 64 24 103 76 27 19 26 33 68 39 22 67 2 2 22 19 56 o 43 26 58 72 11 47 18 31 " 57 28 21 96,338 39.323 2 4 ,88 5 58,327 46,095 395>246 666,409 455,254 417,217 176,006 141,382 212,888 132,379 88,751 94,211 168,000 191,048 147,814 60,874 42,814 68,381 71,636 57,408 36,382 130,620 92,558 38,876 10,370 74,261 73,947 106,763 125,632 148,325 137,993 139,040 122,027 108,690 129,634 133,954 139,912 132,569 155,827 170,681 188,291 210,588 20 68 5 68 27 27 17 26 28 38 16 62 T 4 73 3 64 33 58 27 24 3 48 1 11 Totals 4,161,492 2,298,134 * Nine months only. t Complete information not recorded until 1880-81.

Department. I I 1 9 'nl 3 < M s c rt f 'E. rt 2 s c bo c I Hi c s 0 o I o I s o 2 s o "a 1895-96. General Traffic ... Maintenance Locomotive 7 ; 9 7 , 16 4 I3_ i8 ! 38 : 4 8 6 164 233 173 225 372 197 101 94 161 908 1,067 781 f 00 29 "* 33 37 18 18 "3 10 25 8 I09 J|5I3 '-933 1,422 Totals ... 18 57° 794 356 2.75 6 130 _^i 49 43 4,977 1896-97. General ... Traffic Maintenance Locomotive 6 j 11 10 ! 26 4 I 17 7 16 6 169 263 176 234 387 216 no 125 216 947 1.173 853 57 222 47 3S 41 44 18 J 9 10 11 1 120 1,60s 2,305 i,597 5.627 Totals I 20 54 29 608 837 451 2,973 326 120 47 42

Passengers Killed or Injured. Servants of the Department Killed or Injured. Persons Killed or Injured while crossing at Level Crossings. Trespassers. Workshops. tshops. Miscellaneous. Section. From Causes beyond their own Control. From their own Misconduct or Want of Caution. From bei thei" Cov Causes pond r own itrol. From their own Misconduct or Want of Caution, T3 2 s2 3 o H Killed. Injured. Killed. Injured. Killed. Killed. Injured. Killed. Injured. Injured. Killed. Injured. Injured. Killed. Injured. Killed. 1 [awaliawa Vhangarei ... taihu aicliland rapier-Taran'ki Wellington ... [urunui-B luff rreymouth ... Westport Felson 'icton 1 3 1 2 5 I I IO IS 7 72 4 2 1 3 6 2 I 3 i I I I I 7 : 10 ... 2 15 ! 24 J ... a 2 I 1 3 I 24 35 27 146 6 ... 3 35 ... 5 3 2 1 ... 1 1 ... j ... 1 Totals ... 4 11 112 o 46 ■ 3 2 8 58 I ... s 243