286
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.
