PUBLIC WORKS EXPENDITURE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2827, 19 July 1916, Page 4

PUBLIC WORKS EXPENDITURE

The promised efforts at economy in. the matter of public works expenditure have not produced any startling results. The Public Works Statement presented to Parliament last evening shows that the expenditure for the year from the Public Works Fund proper was £2,344,94-1, which is £262,646 less than in tho previous year. Tho year ended March, 1915, however, was a record year,, so that the. reduction shown cannot be regarded as affording eviany drastic economics. The .principal items in the expenditure for the two years are as follow: — . . 191-1-15. 1915-16. .C ' £ New railway construction GIG.S7S GG2.919 Railway additions 499,875 402,252 Bonds 514,310 424,494 Public buildings 432,000 33-5,774 Telegraph extension 288,393 249,554 Departmental 100,719 111,489 Plant, material & stores — 74,418 It will be noted that with the exception of new railway construction aud Departmental expenses, which show a slight incrcaEc, all the main items show a reduction. There is, however, a new item of £74,418 for plant,* material, and stores. Compared with the expenditure in previous years, tho total economies elaimcd arc not impressive, as the following figures will show. — Year. £ / 1008- 7 2,035,144 1907- 8 1,909,G8S 1908- 9 2.183,245 1909-10 2,022,876 1910-11 1,891,918 1911-12 2,190,731 1912-13 2,3-17,965 1913-14 2,421,4G4 1914-15 2,565,019 1910-1G 2,033,784 These figures show tho total net expenditure for tho past ten years. The most satisfactory feature of the Ministerial review of 1 the situation is the evident recognition by Mr. Fraser of tho necessity for a still closer pruning of the public works expenditure while the war is on. l?or the current year the Estimates are framed on much more economical lines. Last year the Estimates provided for an expenditure (of £2,803,550, whereas on the present occasion the figure is £1,838,000, or nearly one million pounds less. This docs not neccssanly mean that tho actual expenditure will be one million less than last year, but the substantial reduction in the amount "to be voted gives promise of a heavy curtailment in the amount expended. The condition of the Public Works Fund as disclosed by Mn. Fraseu is satisfactory. It is gratifying to note that lie docs not expect to find it necessary to draw on the million loan to be raised this year for tho current year's expendi- | tare. It will bo recalled that when the two million loan was raised locally in 1915, tho statement was made that with funds in hand it would suffice until tbe end of March, 1917. Tho doubts subsequently raised by tho announcement of a further million loan to be raised in 1916 for public works purposes are removed by the Minister's explanation that the loan of this year is merely a safeguard to ensure ways and means

being available between March 31 next- and the meeting of Parliament. No new grants arc provided in this year's Estimates for roads and bridges, but in order to meet any pressing needs that may arise, power 13 to be taken to transfer votes for works which a local body inay consider to be of minor importance to other more urgent purposes in the same country. With the safeguard that tho local authority most concerned is to be tho deciding body in the diverting of such votes from one purpose to another, this is a wiso provision, and may assist to minimise hardships which" are inevitable from the curtailment of public works expenditure in growing communities.