D.—2

RETURN No. 30. Statement of Alterations effected in and Additions made to the Scale op Charges during the Year ending the 31st March, 1898. PART I.—PASSENGERS. Genebal Fabes and Regulations. Season Tickets: Regulation amended to provide that twenty-four hours' notice is to be given when these tickets are required. School Season Tickets : Distance for which tickets are available extended from fifty-five to sixty miles. Technical Schools' Commutation Tickets : Age-limit removed. Rates and regulation re technical school season and commutation tickets inserted. Technical School Season Tickets : Distance for which tickets are available extended from fifty-five to sixty miles. Teachers' Saturday Season Tickets : Regulation amended to provide for tickets being issued conditionally on a roll of attendance being kept at each training school or examination class. Regulation re school parties, factories, and friendly societies amended. Regulation re tickets for judges of exhibits proceeding to shows inserted. Regulation re special trains for Government Departments amended. Regulation re conveyance of Defence Forces by special trains inserted. Local Fares and Regulations. Whangarei Section. Stage system abolished, and ordinary tariff fares and regulations adopted. Distance between Whangarei and Kamo to be counted as three miles for purpose of charging fares. Kaihu Section. Minimum fares inserted. Auckland Section. Regulation re round-trip tickets, Auckland to Auckland via Paeroa or Te Aroha and Thames, or vice versa, amended. Tickets not now available via Te Aroha. Napier-Taranaki and Wellington Sections. Fares and regulations re through booking, Te Aro, Wellington, &c, to Napier, &c, via Rimutaka (including coach-journey), removed. Wellington Section. Rates and regulations for workmen's 12-trip tickets, Lower Hutt and Petone to Wellington and Te Aro, inserted. Wellington-Napier-New Plymouth Section. Regulations for computing fares for through passengers conveyed over Government Railway via Rimutaka line inserted. Hurunui-Bluff Section. Fares to Hanmer Plains Hot Springs from Dunedin and Invercargill inserted. Regulation re issue of excursion tickets to Taieri Beach from Mosgiel, Milburn, Milton, Waitahuna, Lawrence, Stirling, and Balclutha removed. PART lI.—LUGGAGE, PARCELS, HORSES, ETC. Passenger's Luggage: Regulation amended. Passengers allowed to take free of charge 1121b. of either personal luggage or goods (except furniture and bulky musical instruments) purchased bond fide for their own domestic use. No luggage allowed free to day excursionists, but other excursionists to be allowed 112 lb. of personal luggage free. Workpeople allowed to take, at their own risk, worktools, or work which they do at their homes, up to 112 lb,, free. Bicycles, Tricycles, Velocipedes, and Perambulators : Rates for bicycles accompanying passengers made applicable to machines carrying only one rider. Rates for maohines carrying more than one rider inserted. Season and Annual Tickets for Bicycles: Regulations amended to make charge applicable to machines carrying only one rider. Commercial Travellers' Luggage : Each passenger allowed to take 112 lb. of luggage, including weight of two sample bicycles, packed, free. Sample Bicycles : Regulation inserted. Commercial travellers representing recognised bicycle agencies established in New Zealand permitted to carry with them, as commercial travellers' luggage, two sample bicycles. Lost Luggage : Regulation amended. Left Luggage : Regulation amended. Left Parcels : Regulation amended. Parcel Rates: Rates amended. Regulation amended to provide for single-seated bicycles, not packed in cases, being charged as 28 lb., rate and a quarter. Tandems, &c, to be charged 50 per cent, additional for each seat after the first. Chinese crackers included among articles to be charged double parcels rates. Safety small-arm cartridges reduced to single parcels rate. The maximum weight of gunpowder or of Chinese crackers carried through Parcels Department by any one train to be 14 lb. Dangerous goods other than gunpowder and Chinese crackers (in packages not exceeding 14 lb.), safety small-arm cartridges, and fuse not to be accepted for carriage through Parcels Department. Carriages : Rates for two or more carriages sent from same consignor to same consignee, loaded in one truck, and for carriages sent on hire or for repairs, or on loan for use in place of other carriages under repair, and for old carriages exchanged, inserted. Dogs: Regulation amended to provide that dogs not secured in hampers, crates, boxes, or saoks must be provided with efficient means of securing them. Calves, sheep, goats, and pigs (such as are ordinarily sent to market for consumption), properly secured to prevent injury to other goods, to be charged parcel rates. Homing Pigeons: Regulation inserted. Pigeons and crates in connection with pigeon-flying clubs to be conveyed free. Rates for milk consigned to milk-condensing factories inserted. Miscellaneous : Clause re special charge made for sending a messenger in charge of special goods removed.

42