D.—2

Invercargill. —Revenue, £527,598; increase, £44,497. Passengers decreased 19,511, but season tickets increased 573. Parcels, luggage, &<-.., revenue increased £5,514. Cattle and calves increased 2,761, but sheep and pigs decreased 34,906. Timber increased 2,174 tons, and other goods 97,951 tons. Lake Wakatipu Steamers. Revenue, £9,350; increase, £1,331. Passengers increased 4,161. Live-stock decreased 319. Goods increased 1,314 tons.

Average Late Arrival of Trains, Year ended 31st March, 1923.

MAINTENANCE. Mr. F. W. Mac Lean, M.lnst.C.E., Chief Engineer, reports as follows : — The track, structures, buildings, and appliances have been maintained in efficient order and repair. The continued necessity for the utmost economy has prevented any material progress in overtaking arrears of work which could not be undertaken during the period of the war and succeeding years. To deal with these arrears, to keep pace with the requirements of heavier locomotives and rolling-stock generally, and to provide for the convenience of the public and for economical working of the traffic a largely increased expenditure must be faced, specially with regard to relaying and bridge-work. • Permanent-way. —A slightly increased quantity of relaying compared with that of the previous year has been carried, out. That more was not done was due partly to late arrival of materials, as well as the necessity for keeping down expenditure already referred to. The relaying during the year has been as follows :— Miles. Main line and branches, 56 lb. steel relaid with new 100 lb. material .. J Main line and branches, 52 lb., 53 lb., 55 lb., 56 lb., 65 lb., and 70 lb. rails relaid with 70 lb. material .. .. .. .. .. .. 26^ Branch lines, 401b., 451b., 521b., 531b., relaid with 551b. material .. 17J Branch lines relaid. with second-hand 53 lb. and 56 lb. material removed from main line .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 4J Total relaid for the year .. .. .. .. 48^ Sleepers. —The number of new sleepers placed in the track during the year was 172,746. Ballasting. —l6l,ss3 cubic yards of ballast were placed in track. Slips, Floods, &c. —Slips and floods during the year have not been very serious and have not caused much delay to the traffic. In the Auckland District a deviation has been made to avoid a troublesome slip between Wayby and Wellsford. In the Ohakune district slips and subsidences, some of them fairly extensive, occurred in May, July, August, and November, 1922, and January, 1923. In the Taranaki District the sea-wall at New Plymouth was damaged by heavy seas in April, 1922. 5,400 cubic yards of stone were used in repairing the damage. In the Canterbury District the severe earthquakes in December, 1922, caused considerable damage to the railway in the Cheviot district. In the Dunedin District 624 wagon-loads of rock have been deposited at the foreshore at Oamaru. The work done is proving satisfactory, and has withstood some heavy seas. Slips have occurred on the Otago Central in the neighbourhood of Deep Stream and between Clyde and Cromwell In the Invercargill District protective works have had to be carried out in the Orepuki and Kingston Branches. In the Westland District rock protective works totalling 1,884 cubic yards of rock have been carried out in various localities. Bridges. —These have been maintained in good condition. A considerable amount of work in repairs, renewals, and strengthening has been carried out. Water-services. —These have been maintained in good order. Considerable repairs and improvements have been effected.

XXI

Year ended Period ended g j IH „H= j Cfl H CJ • cudp -• ■ os a gjja %2r%s<&o§, a | j g a a ■* - s Period ended j? g> p. i i r\ < S O I » d a 9 3 «D fl I h Fh i h w O CD — <L> * S3 Express and Mail Trains. March 31, 1923 March 31, 1922 .. I 4-01 j 3-62 I 2-91 I 1-62 I 2-SO I 2-48 I 1-94 I 2-31 j 1-45 I 3-82 I 2-31 I 2-01 J 3-46 I 2-57 .. j 4-54 I 2-83 | 311 | 2-10 | 2-74 I 2-11 | 1-89 j 2-45 I 2-06 | 7-73 | 3-58 I 2-80 | 2-89 I 3-14 March 31, 1923 March 31, 1922 Long-distance Mixed Trains. .. I 6-96 | 4-92 j 2-65 I 2-77 I 2-00 I 2-67 2-49 I 3-22 I 3-20 I 4-21 I 4-00 | 4-21 i 4-33 I 3-66 .. | 8-62 i 7-49 j 5-01 [ 4-54 | 3-43 | 349 , 3-48 | 3-74 | 3-52 | 4-77 | 5-90 | 5-35 | 5-66 | 5-00 Suburban Trains. March 31, 1923 March 31, 1922 .. 0-82 0.73 0-70 0-62 0-42 0-37 j 0-60 0-58 0-46 0-62 0-60 | 0-59 0-78 0-61 .. 1-09 1-31 1-18 1-08 0-71 0-56 0-57 0-67 0-54 0-82 0-67 0-64 0-67 0-80 I I