D.--1

50

The sections included in the lines opened during the year are as follow: — M. ch. Ashburton Branch— Anama to Cavendish ... 247 Albury-Fairlie Creek Branch— Albury to Eversley ... 10 37 Orepuki Branch— Colac to Eoundhill ... 1 30 Total ... ... ... ... 14 34 In addition to the above, the Oxford-Malvern Branch, 11 miles 44 chains, is finished, except the alterations to the Waimakariri Bridge; and the extension of the Waipahi-Heriotburn Branch from Kelso to Heriot, 4 miles 56 chains, is quite ready for opening. The new sections and extensions commenced during the year are as follow:— M. ch. Nelson-Eoundell Line— Wai-iti section ... ... 2 47 Greymouth-Hokitika Line— Hokitika-Stafford Street section 0 71 Picton-Hurunui Line— Balmoral section ... ... 9 50 Little Eiver-Akaroa Branch— Lake Forsyth extension ... 1 0 Ashburton Branch— Cavendish section ... ... 2 46 Palmerston-Waihemo Branch— Dunback No. 2 section ... 5 55 Eiversdale-Switzers Branch— Eiversdale section ... ... 7 0 , Seaward Bush Branch— Waimatua section ... ... 2 40 Otago Central Line— Nenthorn section ... ... 9 12 Total ... ... ... ... 41 1 Contracts were also prepared for the following railway works : — Picton-Hurunui Line— Dashwood section. Greymouth-Nelson Creek— Arnold section. Waitaki-Bluff Eailway— Port Chalmers Wharf extension. Livingston Branch— Eakis section. Palmerston-Waihemo Branch-— Waihemo section. Catlin's Eiver Branch — Puerua section. The following is a list of lines and sections under construction at this date, or on which work has been done :— M. ch. Nelson-Eoundell Eailway— Wai-iti section ... ... 247 Greymouth-Nelson Creek Eailway—Stillwater section ... ... 059 Greymouth-Hokitika Eailway — Northern sections ... ... 612 ~ ~ ~ Southern ~ ... ... 4 0 Picton-Hurunui Eailway— Vernon section ... ... 4 40 Hurunui-Pahau Eailway— Balmoral section ... ... 9 50 Hurunui-Waitaki Eailway— Horsley Downs section ... 8 40 Little Eiver-Akaroa Branch— Lake Forsyth section ... 2 32 Canterbury Interior Eailway— Oxford-Malvern section and . ' Temuka Bridge ... ... 11 59 Livingston Branch— Windsor-Livingston section ... 12 0 Palmerston-Waihemo Branch— Palmerston and Dunback sections 6 77 Catlin's Eiver Branch—■ Invertiel and Puerua sections ... 5 36 Waipahi-Heriotburn Branch— Swift Creek section ... ... 456 Edendale-Toitois Branch— Mokoreta section ... ... 3 53 Eiversdale-Switzers Branch— Eiversdale section ... ... 7 0 Seaward Bush Branch— Appleby and Waimatua sections 5 40 Otago Central Eailway— Wingatui, Hindon, Deep Stream, and Nenthorn sections ... 32 57 Lumsden-Mararoa Branch— Lumsden section (part) ... 359 Eiverton-Orepuki Branch— Pahia section ... ... 10 30 Total ... ... ... ... 142 27 Nelson to Boundell Eailway. A few minor additions to the works on the open line have been carried out during the year. They consist chiefly of further protective works at Wai-iti Eiver, stationmaster's house at Belgrove, and additions to the station accommodation at Eichmond, Brightwater, and Wakefield. A contract for the formation of the Wai-iti section—an extension of two and a half miles onwards from Belgrove—was entered into in June. About five-eighths of the work is completed. Complete sets of land plans for the Nelgon-Belgrove section have been compiled during the year, and the survey of the land plans of the Wai-iti section is finished. Wbstpoet 3TO Ngakawau Eailway. *■ Railway. —The expenditure oh* this line during the year has been very small: it was confined to planting willows,*at the Buller overflow, fencing portions of the railway reserve, and minor additions to stations and rolling-stock. The Buller Belief Channel, cut in 1879, has not changed much during the year; it still carries a large quantity of water in floods, and is gradually, though