NAVAL BLOCKADE OF BALTIC ENDED

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 24, 23 October 1920, Page 9

NAVAL BLOCKADE OF BALTIC ENDED

4 (Rec. October 22, 9.30 p.m.) London, October 21, A Moscow wireless message nnnouu6cs that the British ileet in the Baltic has left and the naval blockade has ended. -Aus.-N Z. Cable Assn.

to my Department for expenditure. It Is regretted, howover, Hint very' little labour was offering for 'road construction generally, especially in remote localities, and. even in the- .inoro settled districts men were hard to get. Furthermore, tlio construction of bridges has been materially hampered owing to the difficulty of obtaining steel and hardwood, consequent upon the state of the steel market, ami the scarcity of shipping space. It is hoped, however, with the co-operation and assistance of settlers, and the. possibility of improved markets and shipping facilities, that better progress will lie made fills financial year. The incroused use of machinery is contemplated. 'At the present time graders are used wherever possible, but steam shovels are now being utilised, and, in addition, a considerably increased number! of graders, to be drawn by mechanical traction, are on order. It. is hoped in this way to make up. for the shortage of efficient labour. MAIN ROADS. Legislation is in course of preparation, and will bo brought before the House, making provision for .the Government taking over the control and maintenance of main roads. With the aid of this legislation it is "hoped to improve and maintain the main roads of tne Dominion in accordance with the standard demanded by .modern transport requirements. Should my proposals be carried nut, I hope to be able to employ the most up-to-date methods in connection with road-making and maintenance. The work will .be carried, out on a largo scale in accordance with a definite .programme and under the coh'trol of a wellorganised staff.'. TELEGRAPH EXTENSION. The telephone exchange system is stend,ily expunmng. Five new exchanges wore opened during tlio year, and none wi'ro eios<.-il It was fouiio. necessary to provide iuluitiomu switchboard accommodation at sixty-eight others. The work of con-earth-working systems to metallic circuit is being systematically continued. The increase in the number oi exchange connections for the year ffto 81118. The telephone exchange, plant has been extended by the erection, of Hii miles of poles and 11,547 miles of wire; and the telegraph and inter-urban tole'phonc Jsysjleni ,uow . consist*, of 50,751 miles of wire; making a total length'of 228,281 miles of wire in the whole telegraph and telephone system of tho Dominion.

The policy of providing for telephone exchange subscribers' circuits by means of underground cable is being continued. During the year 8015 miles of underground cable wires were run out. Tho l>arty-lino system was extended by the addition of 577 lines and 1900 subscribers Toll lines throughout the Dominion are congested, and additional circuits are reuuired in every district. The provision ot additional lines wilt involve heavy expenditure for copper wiro and other material. Extensions to the manual and automatic exchanges are required in tho centres as'well as in many smaller towns. The construction of underground cable systems at Ohdstehureh and Dunedin in preparation lor automatic excliangcs will be proceeded with. Scarcity of material still hampers tho constructional operations of tho Department.

LAND FO/1 SETTLEMENTS ACCOUNT Roads In open up Crown Lands.—A sum of was appropriated last' year for this purpose, but labour difficulties and shortage of material retarded progress. CONCLUSION. In putting forward tho above statement it Iras been my endeavour to 90 allocate tho funds 'placed at my disposul as will best serve the interests of tile Dominion us a whole While it has boon impossible to proceed this year with nil the works for which requests have been made, I oin of opinion that concentration on fewer' works will Tesult in all the necessary undertakings being carried out not only more cheaply, but also mure expeditiously in the long run than would result from an attempt to enrry on simultaneously a grentor number of •works ■ than can "bo adequately supplied with niKi and material. Though tho sums, placed on the Estimates exceed tho amounts appropriated during tho lost few years, it must be boruo in mind that the cost of everything linn no much increased that the'larger sums on the Estimates, when expended, will not produce as great a result as similar amounts liavo produced in pro-war times.