Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/634

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THE BRITISH EMPIRE: — KEW ZEALAND

wards, 140 of 280,229 tons were British ; 378 of 327,068 tons colonial, and 69 of 68,036 tons foreign.

For the year 1897, the shipping at five principal ports was as under : —

Port

Vessels Inwards

Vessels Outwards

No.

Tons

No.

Tons

Auckland.

220

249,610

190

188,778

Wellington

131

210,842

96

184,175

Lyttelton.

49

47,426

47

84,920

Dunedin *.

46

55,757

29

42,997

Bluff Harbour. *

66

80,770

66

94,963

Internal Communications.

Railways.

On March 31, 1898, there were 806 miles of Government railways open for traffic in the North Island, and 1,249 in the South Island, besides 167 miles of private lines — 2,222 miles in all. For that year the revenue from Government railways was 1,376,008?., and the expenditure 857,191Z., surplus 518,817Z., the expenditure being 62'30 per cent, of revenue. The total ex- penditure on construction of all the Government lines open, and unopen, to March 31, 1898, had amounted to 16,872,045?. In 1897-98 the ton- nageof goods carried Avas 2,628,746, and the passengers numbered 4,672,264.

The private line of the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company is 84 miles long. The capital cost of construction and equipment to February 1898 was 769,165?. The gross earnings from traffic for the last financial year were 92,793?., and the working expenses 44,094?.

Of the Midland Railway, 79 miles of line are open for traffic. The total expenditure on this line has been about 1,300,000?. The revenue from the year ended March 31, 1898, was 19,382?., and the expenditure during the same period 14,188?., or 73 '20 per cent, of revenue.

All the chief towns of the colony are provided with tramway systems worked by horses, steam-motors, or cables.

Post and Telegraph.

In the last five years the Post Office received and despatched the following correspondence : —

Letters

Letter

Post Books and

News-

Money Orders

Years

Cards

Cards Parcels j

papers

Nos.

No.

No.

No.

No.

No.

Issued

Paid

1893

27,447,550

1,392,250

8,225,641

12,167,688

210,957

165,503

1894

27,640,011

—

1,253,840

9,588,315

12,333,708

222,678

174,810

189.0

28,949,936

6.37,013

1,201,633

11,023,330

12,675,973

243,497

183,996

1896

29,787,763

054,290

1,231,835

12.833,882

13,216,521

269,566

203,084

1897

32,272,923

757,172

1,341,821

14,825,386

14,261,345

293,659

215,240

The receipts of the Post and Telegraph Department, including commission on money orders for the year ended March 31, 1898, amounted to 371,962?., the working expenses for the same jieriod being 364,403?. The officials numbered 2,963 on March 31, 1898.