PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1734, 13 December 1887, Page 2

PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

♦— In the House last night, the Hon E, Mitchelson delivered the Publio Works ' Statement, of which the following ia a summary: — i He oommenoed by saying that he would not go into minute details of the various works, as he found that all essential particulars had been completely given m reports of the Engineers, whioh had already been laid upon the table of the House. In the case of the several railways with which he would have to troat upon, therefore, ho would merely endeavor •to state as shortly as possible the present condition of tho various lines, the funds already available and now proposed to be provided for them, the rate at whioh it was proposed to expend these funds, and the condition into which the several railways will probably be brought when these funds are oxpeuded. RAILWAYS IN COUItSK OF CONSTRUCTION AND PROPOSED, INCLUDING ADDITIONS TO OPENED RAILWAYS. I find that the total length [of opened on the 31st March lust was m the North Island 632 miles, and m the South Island 1090 miles— total, 1722 miles. On the 31st October last, there were opened for traffio 1744 miles, of which 632 were m the North Island and 1112 m the South Island. There were also at that time 176 miles of railways m course ,of construction, (of whioh 87 were m the North Island and 89 m the tfouth Island, The total expenditure on railways, including cost of provincial lines and purohase of district railways up to the 31st of Maroh last, waa £14,082,711, and the liabilities on the 31st March were £486,376, making m all £14,569,0«7. HELENBVILLE, NORTHWARDS. On the railway from Helensville northwards a cdnttaot is m progress for the formation of 4 miles, and is expected to ba finished during ' the present month. Until the line is completed to Kaukapakapa, a distance of 7 miles from Helensyille, it will not oarry much traffic, and it ia therefore proposed to complete it to that extent as soon as practicable. The funds already provided with the addition of £25,000 now proposed, will complete the railway for traffic, for 7.milos up, to]Kaukapakapa. AUOKLAND TO PBNBOSE DOUBLING LINE. For tho Auokland to Penrose line an allocation was made under the loan of 1886, but it would have gone only a short way towards the completion of what was required. None of the neoesaary works have as yet been put m hand, and as the balance necessary to complete the works, Eome £77,000 cannot conveniently be provided out of the money now proposed to be borrowed, it is not.intended at present to take any further steps m the matter. GRAHAMSTOWN, TK AROHA. The funds already provided will oomplete the line to Ohinemuri, 20 miles from Grahamßtown, and it is proposed to put the remainder of the bridging and plate laying still required for this sectien, 23mile8 inland, m hand this year. The rate of expenditure ia for this year £10,000, and for the three followiDg years £15,000, £10,000 and £6921 respectively; total, £41,921. PATARCRTJ ROTORUA. After referring to the works m progress on this line, 32 miles, the Minister said that the funds already provided with the addition of £18,000, including £9000 for rails (now proposed to be allocated), will complete the railway traffio from Pataruru to Okotiriki saddle, a length of 18 miles, that being the shortest distance that can bo oponed with any real alvantage, and will also enable communication to be established by road from that point to Ohinemutu, a distanoe of about 11 miies. The rate of expenditure proposed, cxolueive of the amount required for rails, is £40,000 for this year and £25,000, £25,000 and £7377 for the three following years, to end of Maroh 1891 £917,377. NORTH ISLAND TRUNK RAILWAY. I find with very much regret the original estimate of the line was altogether misleading, the probable coHt originally indicated haying been £1,360,000, whereas the present estimate, exolusive of the probable costs and ohargea of raising the loan and the amounts allocated to purohaße of Native lands, is £2,085,000. If to this amount there is added pay £1000 for raising loans and also the £10,000 already allooated for Native lafids, it brings the total to £2,285,000, and taking the £1,000,000 already authorised from this, shows £1,285,000 as still required to be authorised m order to complete the whole lino from To Awamutu to Marton. If the work is to go on under the altered circumstances now disclosed, I think the proposals whioh I have shown on table O attached to this statement, and whioh I shall presently describe would be suitable for adopting m ao far as regards the amount of money which might reasonably be expended during the present and three following years, at eaoh end of the railway, but before any further work is undertaken I think the House should have an opportunity of expressing its opinion on the new aspect, whioh the matter has assumed, and m any caße I do not propose to put any new contracts m hand until after next session. With regard to the alternative roate from Stratford to Te Awamutu there was no guarantee that the estimate £1,036,000 waa any more aoourate than the other, and it wpuld, therefore, bo premature .to express any opinion on the subject until a trustworthy estimate of this line is completed for comparison with the revised estimate made of the oentral line. It wonld, therefore, I think, be desirable that a survey Bhould be made of the Taranaki route of a more acourate oharacter than those hitherto made, m order that something like a correot estimate may be formed of the probable cost of a railway m that direction. I After stating what had been dono up to the present, the Minißtor oontinuod : It ig propoaod that the line shall be carried on steadily from Tekuiti to near Maramate, about 55 miles from Te Awamutu, this being tho point at which a line could diverge to Taranaki, should it be decided to take the line that way, and the rate of expenditure indicated is £70,000 for this year, and £75,000, £75,000, and £80,000 for tho three following yaard ; totil to end of Maroh, 1891, £300,000. As m the oaße of the works at the north end of the lint, the proposal indicated m .table C as to the south end of the lino, is to carry on steadily from Marton for the four years coding 31st Maroh, 1891, by whioh time it is anticipated that the railway will have reached to Powhataroa, near the mouth of the Eautapu Valley, a distanoe of about 32 miles from Marton, and the rate of oxpendituce eupgested is £26,000, for this year, and £35,000, £40,000, and £42,000 for the three following years. After carrying out these proposals at both north and south ends of the line, it is estimated that there will bo a balance of loan still available for further vjorks tq the extent of about £5d,000. The Minister made a lengthy statement m regard to road and river works m tho IJpper wanganui oountry. and m regard to tho rurchaso of Native lands on the lino of Trunk Eailway. NAI>IER, PALMERSTON. The Napier and Palmeretoa Hallway waa completed and opened for traffic to Woodville (J7 milos from Napier, Spit) m March last, and now only remains to be completed from VVoodville to Palinsrston, a distanoe of about lo mil G g. To oomplete. thh important link m the railway system of the colony an jadition to existing funds is required to &,£ri ;e , nt Of £120 '°°0 (which includes f■ v „ * ra ? Is )» and this ' Bum ia proposed to be allocated accordingly, and it is hoped inSi the * ork W 'U be completed by Maroh, ibju. lhe rate of expenditure proposed, ' a . of am °an* required for rails, is . for thia y flftr » flnd and i/U.813 respectively for the two following I |» T#»l. to the end of Marob, 1890, WELTINOTON-WOODVILLE, } . -r° > Vell ington-Woodvillo Railway is com, i pieted and open for traflio from Wellington * to Mangamahoe, a distance of 82 miles. Tho iVe m? gth from Wellington to Woodville is iis The balance of tho old loan will w?r Une l ° Ekat ahuna, 88 miles from t Wellington. It is not proposed to provide J lor anything fuvther &t pi-esp^t, o JjLCTHUI?J-A\yA'i,'Eß4. ll it has been decided to rooomraond an al- 'I location of £'JOOO for the completion of tho « lust o miles at the Blenhoim end for traffio. n «HEYMOUTII-IIOKITIKA. b „*h 6 fiJpnay already available, with an ad- a ™ J °V f "now pronpaad to be allo, £ X « • tl V? l )u * cllnso of further rails, w iU pedient aS far aS ib at P rusont ox * 1 m, MOUNT HOSIERS. ( £ xnV Mouut Somors railway is completed a XX,° pen for traffio from Tinwald to Mount ft * om 58, a diaiftqQe. of. 23 miles \ aud from t<

Mount Somera to Springburn, a length of 4 miles, the work ib m progress by the unemr played of Christohuroh. It ig estimated that this lenpth will be completed m May next. The total distance from TinWald to Springburn is 27 miles. The funds provided for this work under the loan of 1886 are already exhausted, but it is proposed to allocate £70,000, inoluding £20,000 for rails out oi the loan now contemplated, m order to finish the line to Springburn, whioh is a very convenient stopping place. If this is authorised the whole work oan be completed by about the end of the present financial year. The rate of expenditure proposed (inclusive oi amount required for rails) is £8000 for this year, and £2027 for next year, the total sum available for construction of works from 31st March last inoluding the additional sum now proposed to be allocated being £9027. OTAGO CENTRAL. It ia estimated that the line will be readj for opening to tho Deep Stream (20 milef rom the oommonoing point) about Heptembei next. The balance of the loan of 188(3 beint insufficent to complete this railway to the first point to which it could be opened witt any real advantage, it is proposed to supple^ ment the funds already provided by a furthei sum of £105,000, including £20,000 for rails which it is estimated will enable the railwaj to be completed for traffio from Chain Hills to Middlemaroha distanoe of 40 mi'es. The rate of expenditure proposed, exolusive o: amount required for rails, is for this yeai £70,000, and for the next two years £60,00( and £40,974, respectively. BIVERBDALE BWITZERB RAILWAY. The total length is 14 miles, and it wotik require a further sum of £15,000 to COmplett it altogether, and thia amount the Govern ment does not see its way to provide out o the loan at present proposed. It is, there fore, merely proposed to go on with the ex penditure of the funds m hand for this line so far as they will reach. SEAWARD BUSH The Seaward Bush Railway is complete! and opened for traffio from Appleby t< Waimatua, a distance of about 5 miles. Tto balance of loan of 1886, together will £10,000 (including £5000 for rails) propose* to be allocated under loan now contemplated will be sufficient to finish the line for traffi to Oteremaka. LUII9DEN SIARAROA. The Lumsdeu Mararoa railway is oom pieted as fair as it contemplated to carry i at present. EDENDALE FORTROSE. The money already provided under th loan of 1886 will complete this railway to th crossing ot the main road at the Glenhar homestead, and it is no: proposed to oarry i any further at present. ADDITIONS TO OPENED LINES. He referred to the fact of the expenditui under this head, which inoluded a mult: plicity of works, such as additional stationi goods sheds, sidings, rolling stock, etc having been steadily decreasing since 1883-* whioh was due to the railways being fairl well equipped now. which they were not thei He anticipated that the expenditure whioh h had provided for during the present and th« following years would bo sufficient, nameh £40,000, £30,000. £29,000, and £19,239, rei pectively, and ho was m hopes that after th year 1890-1 works of this nature would be c insignificant that they could be oharged upo revenue. WORKING RAILWAYS, Coming now to the working railways, I fin that the receipts for the year ending 31 £ March last were £998,768, and the oxpendi ture £699,072, the net profit being £299,69£ or £2 Ga per cent, on the outlay c £13,017,5(57, whioh the Hneß open for trafQ had coat up to the end of Maroh last. Th rates of profit on the different sections hay varied from £15 103 on the Greynioutl section to lid on thePicton seotion. In con sidering this profit, ie should be borne ii mind that the railways do a largo amount o free work for the other departments, probabl to the extent of about £35,000 per annum The mileage open at the end of the year wai 1722 miles, 124 mileb having been opened o purchased during the year. , None of th< engines whioh are being manufactured m thi colony have yet been completed, but deliver of some of them is expected about the end o* the year. The result of tha working durini the present (financial year up to the perioc ending loth Ootober is that the revenue fo: the 28 weeks of this year is nearly £20,000 ir exoess of that for the [corresponding perioc last year, while the expenditure is slightly less. Reductions m expenditure are beinj made wherever I have seen them possible and I bolieve that still further economy cat .be effected, even with the oonsidorabli addition to our business which I confidently look forward to, as I am assured that we maj expect a largely inoreased grain tonnage this season. As circumstances at present stand I shall not attempt to indioate m detail th< direction m whioh I may think that the management may be improved, the revenue increased, and the expenditure reduced. Tht Government has already said that m itt opinion the groundwork of the system U defective, and that it is essential for proper administration of this valuable property thai Commissioners should be appointed, who are to act independently and who will deal with the railways, and conduct their business unfettered by political control. MISOELIiANEODS ROADS AND BRIDGES. Much attention was devoted to this head, and the Minister intimated that it was proposed that the expenditure shall be gradually reduced for the present and three following years from £35,000 to £5000 per annum, and it is intended to stop Buoh expenditure at the end of the fourth year. SUBSIDIES TO LOCAL BODIES, As regards subsidies to local bodies under the looai bodios Finanoo and Powers Aot, my oolleague, tho Colonial Treasurer, has already, m his Financial Statement, alluded to_ this subject, bo I ebaU do no more than reiterate that it is proposed to reduce the amount of subsidies paid last year by onehalf for the current year, and provision has been made m the current year's estimates for this purpose. Further provision will also be made under the Publio Works Fund for half subsidies due next year m the event of its not being praoticable to throw them entirely on the Consolidated Fund before that date. In any oase they will oeaae to be a oharge on the Publio Works Fund after Maroh, 1890. WORK FOR TUB UNEMPLOYED. The Government, does not consider that any moneys expended on relief works are a proper charge to loan funds. It is intended that for the future only such amounts for unemployed shall be oharged to loan as are expended on works of reproductive character, and if further assistance than that is required to meet the unemployed difUou.lty it is intended to provide for it out of the oo.iv J j solidated revenue; It is also, considered that no rplief works that can possibly be avoided should bo undertaken, as we believe that it is detrimental to the interests of the men thQmselves to keep them employed on purely relief works, which after all is merely another name fqr charitable aid. We have determined that such further works as are provided should he ontiroly m country districts. The expenditure last yoar was £16,029, and provision has been madejfor furthor expenditure, if required, to the oxtent m all of about £30,000 for tho present and throe following years. ROADS TO OVEN UP CROWN LANDS BEFORE BALSC, Al^SO VJLLA9E SETTLEMENTS. Tha important woi'k of rendering Crown Lands moro accessible to scttljmont by clearing and formation of road linos has boen, and is being promoted extensively. For the present year £00,000 has boen allooated. In ' the two ' following years, however, it is proposed to considerably diminish the expenditure. In regard to Village Settlements, Government had been given to understand that the liabilities as stated at the end of September, may possibly not all accrue, and that consequently aomoMpg lesa fchao the £72,200 may evonfyafly pc found tq be sufficient', and if this is so the bafanoe thus saved will be made available for further works m the sha.p.e o( roads to jpen up lands before sale, PURCHASE OV NATIVE LAND. ( For this yoar the expenditure required to ] meet engagements will amount to about , £12,000, but as £11,000 will come to the \ iredjt of the vote from the fund provided for J ftud purohase a'pug Uie North J.3land Main ( L'runk Railway, tho actual ohr.rge this year ] vill amount to only about £1000, and for . lext two years tho expenditure proposed will ie £10,000 and £5000 respectively ; the total r Elocutions proposed for the purpose is thus ] Elt|,OoO. t IWWiailAl'ION. f For this and tho throe following years the . xpendiluro proposed is respectively, £16,120, I J20.000, £20,000 and £14,000, being a total llooation for immigration purposes out of : unds m hand and now proposed ' \ o £70,702, i

j TELEGRAPH EXTENSION. For the present and three following years the amounts proposed are £20,100, £10,000, £6000 and £5000, the intention being that the coat of future extensions of the telegraph system should be gradually thrown on the consolidated fund and that after Marob, 1890, no further expenditure of this oharacter shall be oharged to loan funds. PUBLIC BUILDINGS; During the present year, the liabilities already incurred are such, espeoially m respeot of Lunatic Asylums, school buildings, . and the printing offloe at Wellington, that ' the expenditure will have to be about £109,000, It ia proposed, however, to . materially reduoe the expenditure out of loan 1 on this class of works during the following . three years, the amounts proposed being, I respectively, £G0,700, £26,000 and £17,600. The total amount allocated for public buildings during the four years is thus £212,410. As regards Bchool buildings, I should mention that provision is only proposed to be made for this year's grant, together with liabilities which will probably exist, the intention of the Government being that after the end of this financial year 1 provision should be made for this class of | works m some way or other than by drawing on the public works funds. LianTHOUSES. For this and the next year, the expenditure proposed is £4,300 and £4000 respectively. HARBOB WORKS. For harbor works a sum of £500 only has been allocated, and it j;has already been expended, being the balance of a grant of £1500 made under the vote of last year to tho Hokitika Harbor Board. HABBOB DEFENCES. The cost of the harbor defences of New Zealand up to the end of Maroh last was £318,827. and I find that a further sum of £130,000 is required to pay off existing liabilities and complete the undertakings which are at present m hand. This sum has, therefore, _ been allocated to harbor defences, and will be required for payment to the extent of £80,000 this year and £10,000 next year. To the end of September last, the total expenditure was £353,033, of which £174,022 was for guns, ammu ii jn, torpedo boats, torpedoes, and other v.-.t material imported from England, t ;! remainder, £179,471, for works within '^ colony itself, including land purchase. RATES ON NATIVE LANDS. The amount required to meet our engagements under the existing Act will be for this year £15,000, and for next year £10,700, beyond whion nothing more has been provided as it is proposed that the Aot should be repealed. PUBLIC WORKS FUND. Part I.— After explaining the position of this fund minutely, the Minister said the the Government had come to the conclusion that they must ask for a further authority for £500,000 under Part I. of the fund, and assuming that this is granted, the total assets under this fund, counting from 31st March last, would be £1,075,060, and he Bum" marised the allocation of this sum during the present and next three years. Part ll —Coming to Part 11. of the funa, and the portion devoted to the North Island Main Trunk Railway, we had unexpended on 30th Sept. £615,258, with liabilities amounting to £137,474. Starting with the balance at the end of the year, namely, £674,315, tho expenditure suggested by the Engineer m Chief of the work is £619,800, whioh would leave a balanoe unexpended on 31st Marob. of £54,515. Part lll.— Under Part 111. of the Public Works Fund we had unexpended on the 31st March last the sum of £769,235, and by the end of 30th Sept. last this was reduced to £556,645, with liabilities amounting : to £304,004. The net amount available for further undertakings on the 30th Sept. was" therefore only £252,641, and as this amount was quite inadequate for carrying the most of the railways to a point at whioh they would be even moderately reproductive, it was decided to ask for further authority of £500,000, of whioh he specified the proposed allocation. Taking the whole three funds together the proposed expenditure is for 1887-88, £1,127,550, for 1888-89, £986,900, for 1889-90, £577,677, and for 1890-91, £248,994 giving an average throughout the 4 years of about £735,281 per annum. In referring to the probable effect of determining the right of expenditure for three years m advanoe, he said that he was quite alive to the fact that he might be met with the assertion that it is impossible to absolutely advert to every suoh programme or kepp expenditure rigidly within the limits which have fixed, but while admitting that this to a certain extent, ia true, he nevertheless maintained we shall probably come much nearer, what is the intention of the Government and he believed also the wish of mo.st of hon. members as regards the so-called " Tapering off " m borrowing, by the shaping of some definite programme to guide us suoh as he had endeavored to do rather than by leaving everything to the ohapter of aqcidents. • # conclusion. Finally he stated that m approaohing this task of dealing with the Publio Works ex. penditure of the colony, the Government was convinced that however much the oonstruotion of Publio Works may have tended to develope the country generally, and also to meet the demands of growing settlement, it was nevertheless evident that our rate of expenditure m the past, has been more than the colony could well afford, and that the time has come when we must really ourtail. With that objeot m view Government prepared the proposals hejhad laid before the Souse. Throughout the whole of this al. looation Government's objeot had been to do justice to all concerned, and to endeavor whon practicable, within the limits of the fueds at their disposal, to avoid Btopping ruthlessly any works on whioh expenditure already incurred would be altogether thrown away, or which would yield a reasonable per centage on tho cost if completed. To the best^ of their belief thesa objects had been attained by the aUooation whioh he had described. The chief feature m the proposal was to s'eadily reduoe oxpenses under loan from, m round numbers, £1,110,000 per annum for this year to £300,000 per annum. Jot the third year from March next, and they believed that m this way the loan expenditure may be gradually brought' to an end after Maroh 1101, without on one hand increasing our burdens overmuch, or on the other putting too sudden a cheok on the ' progress of colonial industries.