S 3
14. Coaches Nos. 1, 2, 4, 15 and 23 received heavy repairs and were scraped and varnished with Ningpo varnish, which, it is hoped, will prove more serviceable than the paint hitherto used. 22 other coaches received light repairs.
15. Wagons Nos. 1, 3, 10, 13 and 15 have undergone heavy repairs including the fitting of new steel roofs, also light repairs to 34 other wagons have been effected. One 30 ton covered goods wagon has been converted into a break down van and fitted with tools, and one bogie passenger wagon reconverted to a 30 ton covered goods. A concrete flooring was laid in one 30 ton open goods wagon required for fish traffic. Two pig and produce wagons have been converted into covered goods.
16. Main Line locomotives Nos. 1, 5, 6, 7 and 8, and No. 3 Fanling Branch have received heavy repairs: Main Line locomotives Nos. 4, 9 and 10, and Nos. 1 and 2 Fanling Branch, have also passed through the shops. One of the construction metre gauge engines was, previous to sale, thoroughly overhauled, also the 5 ton steam crane, and locomotives 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8 have been painted during the year.
17. An electric workshop has now been fitted up which enables repairs to the lighting equipments of the coaches to be done much more expeditiously than in the past.
18. In the workshops, an old circular saw has been converted into a wood planing machine and a bandsaw made from scrap material. A spring furnace has also been built for the making of laminated springs required for engines and carriages which have hitherto been obtained from England. Several new useful attachments have been made to fit existing machines.
19. The estimated Capital Expenditure for the year was $386,198 but owing to the delay in the delivery of materials from England, only $209,388.74 of this sum was required and after the deduction of $10,670.25 received by sales of old construction plant and materials, the year's expenditure amounted to $198,718.49.
It has been the custom in the past for the Stores in Suspense Account to appear as a subhead in the Construction Account, but as it was decided to transfer this to a separate account, the value of the stores at the end of 1915 ($109,818.46) has been deducted. The Construction Cost of the Main Line to end of the year now stands at $14,710,917.29 and the Fanling Branch $89,808.57.
20. The Revenue Statements of Earnings and Expenditure follow the line previously adopted. The expenditure of all departments have been carefully watched, and with the exception of the excess of $10,020.58 under locomotive expenses, subhead fuel, which was due to an advance in the price of coal, the estimates have not been exceeded, and this sum was reduced to $4,059.76 by savings under other heads of the locomotive expenses. In spite of the increased cost of coal the percentage of expenditure to gross receipts show a decrease of 0.545% when compared with the pre-