PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS

Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2659, 25 August 1871, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS

No 2 PUBLIC W RKS.

The Report then points to the appointment of a Board of Works “ who shall act.. as a Board of Advice and not of control,” and suggests for consideration whether it should “ consist of a few members at the seat of Government or of a greater number i resi lent in the different provinces.” It had not been found needful to delegate’the Governor’s poweis to persons or boards in accordance with the Act. it .was considered more advisable to act after consultation with * the Ptovincial authorities, and through the ’ agency of Distiict Engineers. The authorised surveys were almost completed and would, with surveys of lines recommended by Supe intendents and. Provincial Council*, be submitted for consideration of the Legislature. By a return, appended to the report, the outlay for “ Survey, construction, plant, and rolling stock to June 30th, is shewn to bo as follows : SOUTH ISLAND SURVEYS. Auckland to Waikato • £1,150 11 0 New Plymouth to Patea • 471 6 6 Patea to Wanganui and Mauawatu Gorge - - 4,189 14 Napier, through Seventy Mile Btlsh to Mauawatu Gorge 00? 7 f} MIDDLE ISLAND SURVEYS, Nclsoii to Foxhill - , - £264 0 0 Canterbury lin- s, North and South - - - 1,572 18 5 Waitaki railway bridge - 333 10 10 Widtaki to Moeraki - - . 800 0 0 Bdclutha to Invercargill - 1,100 0 0 Ma f aura to Invercargill ■ 654 I 3 Athol to Kingston .- - 330 0 0 Westland ... - 51 6 3 MIDDLE ISLAND CONSTRUCTION. '1 imam ard Temuka line - £7,000 0 (| Dunedin to Cluthaj sections 1, 2, and 3 • - - 25,325 15 0 Compensation - - - 12,309 5 (j Engineering and contingencies ‘ 87 13 10 PLANT ANP BILLING STOCK. Canterbury’ - • • £22,000 0 0 Waitaki Bridge • • - 8,500 0 0 Dunedin and Cintba liue - 20,009 0 0 i The tot-.l coit and liabilities for surveys in the North Tsl.-nl are £6,818 19s 3d ; and for the Middle Island, £5,105 16s 9d. Telegraph—Since the end of last session 274 miles of electric tcLgraph have been constructed, and is now in fail operation. Water races on Goldfields.-The only action under the authority "of tho lmmigration and Public Works Act has been taken in the Thames goldfield an I in the Westland goldfields. At the Thames a survey is in progress ; and in Westland three schemes are proposed, but not decided upon * The report • recommends a Commission combining engineering and geological knowledge and pra.tical experience in all large spbemes Immigration. —After pointing put tljat the Act not only empowered the Governor to rev serve land for railway construction, but for settlement of immigrants. tlio report under this head concludes thus : “ It must bo borne in mind that the General Government cannot take steps for the introduction .of immigrants under the.Act except at the instance of the Superintendent

ef the Province conce ned. Already the Provinces of Hawke's Bay, Wellington, and Canterbury have taken practical advantage of the Act in this matter to a considerable extent, and I anticipate that other Provinces will soon do the same. The correspondence will also show that the Government have promised,' in the case of the Provinces oi Canterbury, Otago, and Hawke’s Bay, that the Legislator should be .risked to authorizi a refund to them respectively of certain expenditure incurred by those Provinces on account of imnrfigrants who had been sent for, and who were on their way to the Colony when the Immigration and Public Works Act of last Session was passed. The Canter bury claim is L 7.325 17s Bd, against which there is a set-off of promissary notes’ tg tin amount of L 1,582 ss; that of Otago is LG,904 7s fid ; the exact amount of the claim of Hawke’s Bay has not yet been ascertained but will probably be about L7OO. I append a return of expenditure and liabi'ities up to 3Jth June last, on account of Immigration. The amount is L 34.530 15s sd, about a thiH of which is'to be refunded either by relative and friends in the Colony, or by the emigrants themselves previously to and subsequently to embarkation. Under.the authority •f the 45th section of ‘‘The Immigration ami Public Works Act, 1870,” an Agent-General in England has been appointed, and Dr Ftatherston has been selected for that office. The great public services which he has rendered, and his s*l£ devotion for so many years to the public interest will, I am sure, render this appointment acceptable to the Colony ; and his high qualifications afford ample assurance o£ his efficient iulfilmcnt of the oncrousanil very responsible duties which will devolve on him.”