D.—2.

XXIV

In July the Foxton line was extensively damaged by floods over a distance of four miles, and was closed to traffic for three weeks. A slip on the Lawrence Branch blocked traffic from the 19th to the 24th September. A heavy flood occurred in the Wairau River (Picton Section) on the sth October, and the railwaybridge at Tuamarina was washed out for a distance of 240 ft. The line was not restored until the 21st December. On the 24th October a big slip came down on the track in the Manawatu Gorge. The clearing of the debris was a difficult task, and the line was not reopened for traffic until the 29th November. Heavy rains on the 24tli and 25th December caused slips and washouts on the North Auckland line between Swanson and Kanohi, and bridge No. 30 was extensively damaged. Traffic was suspended for several days, the line not being finally cleared until the 29th December. The Canterbury and Westland Districts suffered severely by floods and slips during the year, the principal damages being as follows : The continued washing-out of the embankment at Omoto, which necessitated the erection of a new bridge ; the carrying-away of four piers of the Blackball combined railway and traffic bridge; damage to bridge No. 79, Reefton line; the scouring of piers of bridge No. 26, Cheviot Branch ; washouts between Cora Lynn and Arthur's Pass ; the scouring of the embankment at Chaneys owing to the overflowing of the Waimakariri River ; washouts near Westport owing to the overflowing of the Buller River. Three thousand seven hundred and twenty-five tons of stone were used for protective works in the Canterbury and Westland Districts. Passenger Traffic. —The number of ordinary passengers carried during the year was 10,305,065, a decrease of 1,508,415 as compared with last year; 643,261 passengers were carried at holiday and other cheap excursion fares, and 267,535 children and adults at schools, factories, and friendlysocieties excursion rates. The total excursion traffic for the year was 910,796 passengers and £384,184 revenue, as against 905,462 passengers and £470,394 revenue the previous year, an increase of 5,334 passengers and a decrease of £86,210 in revenue. The increase in passengers is largely due to the number of schoolchildren carried to the various centres in connection with the visit of Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of York, while the decrease in revenue may be attributed to the number of long-distance passengers who visited the Dunedin Exhibition during the previous year. Season tickets issued totalled 585,094, a decrease of 15,198 ; weekly twelve-trip tickets issued numbered 113,187, a decrease of 12,992 ; workers' weekly tickets on suburban lines numbered 352,128, a decrease of 2,588. Following are particulars of the issues of twelve-trip and fifty-trip bearer tickets during the year :— First Class. Second Class. Total. Twelve-trip .. .. .. .. 5,575 36,572 42,147 Fifty-trip .. .. .. .. 1,642 5,390 7,032 Totals .. .. .. 7,217 41,962 49,179 The total number of passenger journeys for the year was 26,002,137, as against 27,653,414 the preceding year, a decrease of 1,651,277. Every first-class seat earned £39 16s. and every second-class seat £30 18s. during the year, the total seating-accommodation provided being 19,682 first-class and 49,063 second-class seats. Goods and Live-stock Traffic.- —The goods and live-stock traffic was 7,308,449 tons, an increase of 52,307 tons over the preceding year's figures. The increases were —Sheep and pigs, 690,712 head ; goods (including minerals), 132,285 tons. The increase in general goods traffic was 114,852 tons, and in minerals 17,433 tons. The traffic in imported coal decreased by 18,548 tons. Native hard coal increased by 120,469 tons, but native brown-coal traffic was 71,257 tons less than last year. The North Auckland collieries forwarded 102,816 tons of coal during the year, as compared with 116,267 tons the previous year. The output railed from Waikato mines was 478,031 tons, as against 497,676 tons last year. The coal forwarded by rail from mines on the Westport Section totalled 644,160 tons, an increase of 82,102 tons over the previous year's figures. The mines in the Greymouth district railed 375,164 tons, ail increase of 33,330 tons. The output from mines in the Wairio district, served by the Ohai Railway, was 194,425 tons, an increase of 6,047 tons. TRAFFIC. The following are the leading features of the traffic in the various districts in comparison with the previous year. The revenue figures shown are from transport operating services only ; the nonoperating services, such as advertising, refreshment-rooms, rents, &c., are not included. Kaihu Section. —-Revenue, £6,924 ; decrease, £1,487. Passengers increased 723. Parcels increased £84. Sheep increased 548, and timber decreased 3,359 tons. All other goods decreased 704 tons. Gisborne Section. —-Revenue, £36,179 ; decrease, £3,386. Passengers decreased 5,558 ; parcels, luggage, &c., decreased £450. Cattle increased 1,252, and sheep decreased 2,022. Timber decreased 1,845 tons. All other goods increased 4,069 tons. North Island Main Line and Branches Section.—Revenue, £4,377,730 ; decrease, £157,216. The principal items of traffic were : Passengers, 5,651,207 ; decrease, 1,086,935. Season tickets, 419,648 ;