27

D.—2 a

IV. MANAGEMENT —continued. (b.) Signal and Electrical Engineering. Under the present organization of the New Zealand railways the Signal and Electrical Branches are amalgamated under the supervision of a Signal and Electrical Engineer. The technical staff includes an Assistant Signal and Electrical Engineer, Chief Signal Inspector, Chief Electric Lines Inspector, Signal Instruction Assistant, Superintendent of Signal Shops, and a Chief Draughtsman. The total number of employees in the department is 416, of which 32 are in the shops and 384 on the outside staff. The Signal and Electrical Engineer is responsible for the installation and maintenance of all signal interlocking appliances, line wire and poles for telegraph, telephone, and safe working instruments, all electrical machinery and lighting (except at Otira), and the overhead gear in connection with the electrified line between Arthur's Pass and Otira. Workshops. The workshops are situated in Wellington, and deal chiefly with the assembling of apparatus supplied on indent from England, maintenance repairs to mechanical and electrical apparatus, rewinding of motors and transformers, and the manufacture of switchboards and certain small pieces of apparatus for special purposes. The shops are divided into a mechanical and electrical shop and a small test-room, and, in spite of the fact that they were not built for the particular work for which they are used, are sufficient for present-day requirements. However, the construction of the new Wellington Station and yard will necessitate the removal of the shops, and it is proposed to erect new ones elsewhere. All the work done in the shops is charged against a job-number, which is entered on an order form. A return of labour and material used on each job is forwarded to Head Office, where 20 per cent, is added to the labour charge for overhead expenses. Raw materials are obtained from the Stores Branch on requisition, the Stores Branch making a charge of 2|- per cent, for transport and overhead costs. No piecework or premium methods of payments are in force. Safe-working Equipment. Of the 3,053 route-miles open for traffic there are 1,653 miles equipped with block working (tablet), 33f miles of double line with block and lock, 8 miles of double and 82 miles of single line with automatic signalling, 198 miles signalled without block working ; 2,016 miles of track are signalled, leaving 1,037 miles which are unprotected by any form of signal. On these lines the train order system is in operation. Electrical Equipment. The electrical installation for lighting of houses, stations, signals, &c., provides for a total lighting and heating load of 1,196 kilowatts. Electric motors and dynamos are installed at twenty-five places. In addition there are five substations and transformers. The total number of motors maintained by the Department is 283. Standardization of Signals. Prior to the time when electric signalling was brought into use on the New Zealand railways the two-position lower-quadrant mechanical signal, pivoted in the centre, was the standard installation. With the advent of electric signalling, however, the three-position upper quadrant was brought into operation. This was immediately followed by the three-position daylight colour-light signal, which, in view of the economy arising from the elimination of all moving parts, has been adopted as a standard type of signal. The standard signal system for single-line working is the absolute permissive block system, the departure signal being normally at " Danger," while the intermediate signals are normally at " Clear," with the opposing departure signals electrically locked. Advantages of Automatic Signalling. The signalling and safe-working appliances all over the line are up to modern standards, and are well maintained, reflecting credit on the Department. The policy of installing automatic signalling is, in our opinion, a sound one, in view of the greatly increased facilities afforded to train operation, the relatively high wages, and the eight-hour day.

5—D. 2a.