THE PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1924, 21 August 1888, Page 3

THE PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

*_ — , — ■ Mmm The Statement delivered by the flon Mr Mitchelson on Saturday has the merits of conciseness and clearness, and is altogether a business-like production. As was anticipated, it shows that the present Governrrent are fully determined to give full effect to the " tapering off" policy of their predacessors, the total appropriations being L 1,093,132, as against LI 962,542 for the year preceding. Just about one half the total authorisations asked for this year is made up as follows, viz, : — Chargeable to part 1 of the public works fund — im migration L9llO, departmental L 5500, railway L 10,400, roads L 277,402, waterworks on goldfields L 984, purchase of Native lands L 14,485, telegraph exten sion L 20,000, public buildings L 84.281, lighthouses harbor works and defence L 61,965, rates on Native lands L 11,500, thermal springs LlOOl expenses of raising loan L 30,000, total L 526.438 ; chargeable to part 2 — Public Works Depart- . mental L3OOO, railways L 77,240, roads L 2050, purchase of Native lands L 5571, expenses of raising of loan LSOOO. total LI 37,8 61 ; chargeable to part 3— -Pub- , lie Works Departmental L 20,000, railways L 396,552, expenses raising loan L 20,271, total L 428,833. The sum of the totals of the charges against the three several parts of the, public works fund thus aggregates Ll t 65%92 ' as above stated. Except for a vote of LBOOO to cover liabilities outstanding immigration has almost entirely disappeared as an item of colonial expenditure, the only sum asked for future expenditure being LICOO, to assist the passage of members of separated families. We draw attention to this vote because to our knowledge there are residents m this district who may be glad to avail themselves of the opportunity of getting assistance for the passages of relatives at Home. The amount will not go -far, and probably those who make the earliest applications to the Government will fare the best. Under the head of Departmental it will be seen that Mr Mitchelson has pursued a vigorous policy of retrenchment, as an example of which it may be continued, the salary of the Under-Secretary has been reduced by LIOO, and the assistant Under-Secretary and accountant by L 25 each, the total vote being L 20,500, as against L 25,532 voted last year, The votes for roads are large as compared with other items of expenditure, and it is already complained that they are not altogether fairly apportioned. Including liabilities the total authorisations asked for are as follows : — Roads, bridges and wharves, north of Auckland L 732, main roads L 20,700, miscellaneous roads and bridges, Auckland L 10,150, Wellington LIOOO, Nelson L 11,500, Marlborough L 7300, Canterbury L2OOO, Otago L 1875. These items ore charged to the Public Works Department, but there are also the following sums chargeable to the Lands Department for roads to open up lands for sale, viz. :<— Auckland LI 6,450, Hawkes Bay L7BBO Taranaki L 6340, Wellington L 17,920, Nelson L 3200, Marlborough LBOO, Westland L 6150, Canterbury L 4150, Otago L12,G10, Fouthland L 8512. Besides these sums there are chargeable to the Mines Department the following, viz. : — Auckland L 6300, Marlborough LIOO, Nelson L 11,580, Westland L 5900, Otago L 4150, Southland L 725. Altogether, leaving out of account certain general votes m which they may participate m various proportions the votes under the head of " roads " work out thus by provincial districts, viz, : — Auckland L 33,632, Nelson Ll 6,280, Wellington L 18,920, Southland L 9237, Marlborough LB2OO, Canterbury L 6150, Otago L 19,635, Hawkes Bay L 7380, Taranaki L 6340, Westland Ll 1,050. For waterworks on goldfields, once so largo an item, there is now happily set down only the small sum ,of L 984, and for the purchase of Native lands, including liabilities, the vote aßked for is L 14,485. The vote for telegraph extension, L 20,000, needs no comment, as it is a proh'tablo expenditure, but the total for public buildings appears large. It is L 84,281, of which L 27,174 is asked for lunatio asylums. For harbor defences L 56,541 is asked, but of this L 36,420 represents existing liabilities. The votes under the head of railways are mainly to cover existing liabilities, the only salient exceptions being the Wood-ville-Palmerston, and Otago Central for the further prosecution of which substantial votes are taken. Altogether the Statement is very much what might have been expected m the circumstances. It has been received with pretty general acquiesoence, if not with approval. ;