D.—2

XV

The principal features of the traffic were increases of 26,470 sheep and 2,243 tons of timber, and a decrease of 3,046 tons of minerals. North Island Main Line and Branches. Revenue, £2,166,669 ; increase, £8,568. The principal items of traffic Were — Number. Number. Passengers .. .. .. .. 7,537,933; increase, 341,650 Season tickets.. .. .. .. 192,477; „ 9,771 Parcels, &c. .. .. .. .. 703,695; „ 29,370 Live-stock .. .. .. .. 3,926,845; „ 115,470 Tons. Tons. Goods .. .. .. .. 1,856,678; decrease, 15,940 The increase of passenger revenue was £25,733. Parcels levenue decreased £3,276. The decrease is caused by the competition of the parcels-post and the general tendency to economy of expenditure. The increase in numbers is caused by the number of small lots of cream, due to the use of home separators. Goods revenue decreased £13,888. The decreases were : Chaff, &c. 18,786 tons ; firewood, 842 tons ; timber, 31,530 tons ; gi am, 3,809 tons ; merchandise, 6,081 tons. There was an increase of 43,856 tons of minerals. Live-stock traffic was somewhat retarded by a shortage of shipping for frozen meat, but there were considerable movements of stock from districts where pasturage was short owing to the dry season. The annual revenue per mile of railway fell from £1,976 ss. 7d. in 1913-14 to £1,972 9s. 2d. or 1914-15. The revenue per train-mile decreased -|d. (from Bs. Id. to Bs. Ofd.). Following are the principal variations in the districts :— Auckland District. —Revenue, £762,054 ; ncrease, £26,839. Passengers increased by 38,314, due chiefly to Easter holiday bookings. Season tickets increased by 5,472, and parcels 25,083. Cattle increased 16,873, calves 3,771, sheep 49,730, and pigs 11,104. Wool increased 298 tons, and coal 38,000 tons ; but there was a decrease in other minerals (roadmetal, bricks, &c.) of 24,000 tons. Chaff decreased 8,910 tons, timber 11,667 tons, grain 4,036 tons, and merchandise 4,119 tons. Ohakune District. —Revenue, £280,003 ; decrease, £8,910. Passengers increased by 29,154, due to Easter bookings and removal of restriction placed on travel by Maoris during smallpox outbreak. Parcels increased 20,600, due chiefly to cream traffic. Cattle increased 3,000, and sheep 14,800 ; but timber decreased 17,200 tons, and grain 576 tons. Wanganui £410,597 ; decrease, £8,797. Passengers decreased 48,295. Last year large excursions took place in connection with the visit of H.M.S. " New Zealand." This year school excursions were abandoned, and passenger traffic generally has fallen off. Cattle increased 9,500, and sheep 16,000. Timber increased 3,470 tons (chiefly inward shipments of Oregon pine at Breakwater, and merchandise 1,500 tons. Decreases occurred in chaff, 2,882 tons ; pigs, 2,700 ; wool, 134 tons ; firewood, 618 tons ; grain, 2,200 tons ; and minerals, 2,100 tons. Wellington District.— Revenue, £714,015 ; decrease, £564. Passengers increased 322,879, due to Easter traffic and to traffic in connection with the military camp at Trentham. Season tickets increased 4,271. Parcels decreased 10,774 in number and £514 in revenue. Cattle increased 9,455, and pigs 2,265 ; but sheep decreased 20,558. Goods traffic was affected by the slump in the hemp (dressed flax) production, the restricted export of frozen meat and by-products from Petone and Ngahauranga, and the dislocation of shipping. Another factor was that last year the merchandise traffic was swollen by the waterside workers' strike forcing on to the railway large quantities of goods which would in the ordinary course have gone by coastal boats. Grain increased 2,979 tons, and minerals 31,355 tons. Chaff, &c, decreased 5,634 tons, timber 2,953 tons, and merchandise 3,635 tons. Picton Section. Revenue, 31,408; decrease, £842. Passenger revenue decreased £417. There were fewer school excursions during the year, and the previous year's figures were unusually large, owing to traffic induced by the visit of H.M.S. " New Zealand " to Picton.