PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

Evening Star, Issue 3883, 4 August 1875, Page 2

PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

T . rr ~ ELLINGTON*, August 3. „ on p ra hlo Mr Richardson made his Public Works Statement this evening, and instead of entering so fully into detail as formerly, he drew attention to the maps, tabh'S, and reports from the various engineers and others that would bo attached to the printed statement. It was only then for the first time that he was able to speak with any degree of certainty as to the cost of the various railways.

APPROPRIATIONS FOR RAILWAYS. The appropiiationstak'm in 1872 had in many cases been only approxima'o, but, during the past two years, detailed surveys of neatly all the had been completed, and he was now in a position to place reliable estimates before the House. Bo ore doing so, he referred to the past action of the Public Works Department. with a view to show how satisfactory are the rsu’ts of the laige railway works undertaken by the Colony. The Railway Act of 1872 appropriated L 3,886,900. This was then supposed sufficient for constructing 761 miles of railway, of which 278 Were in the North Island, and 486 in the Middle Island Further appropriations were taken in 1873, amounting to L 1,680,000, and additional small appropriations in 1574, the total hein,' L 5,777,000, for the construction of 1,010 miles, of which 372 were in the North Island, and 640 in the Middle Island Now that the actual len.th and cost can be correctly estimated, it is fourid that, to complete the lines in the No. thJsland, tin re will be an additional appropriation required of L 142,000 for some of them, while on the others there will be a saying in the appropriation of L 50.000. From this calculation is excluded the twenty-four miles from Featberston to Masterton, afterwards separately alluded to. !• or the completion of the Middle Island lines, additional appropriations will be required on some of them, amounting to L 205.000, while on others there will be a balance of L 433.190. Omitting the length from Featberston to Masterton, there will, therefore, be required to be nearly appropriated L 407,400, with a balance of excess of votes of L 93,319, thus only really increasing the present appropriations by 1.314 081. The total appropriation will be 1.6,091,981 for the completion of thfs mileage, fully equipped ; 1,000 miles of it being of a heavier rail than previously contemplated. With three txceptions, the lines will be constructed at an average cost of 1,5 600 per mile, the exceptions being the Wellington to Featheiston, the Port * 'halmers, and the Dunedin to Moeraki these costing L 10,000, L 27.000, and L 9,000 per mile respectively. There are open for traffic 278 miles; 173 miles more will be ready within three months, and 116 by the end of the year. The excess of cost is attributable to the rise in labor, in material, the still greater rise in the price of timbi r, and heavy cost of transhipment. This rise will be more readily understood when it is borne in mind that the rise in Home prices forced a large p irtion of the permanent wav to be contracted for at rate ; no one could possibly have anticipated. In 1872 it was at the time considered to be far in excess of what was likely to he real-sed when the lines were opened, but the result has been so much in excess, that soon after the close of last session orders for addi tional rolling stock, amounting to 1.96,000, had to be sent Horae. The Engineer in Chief, in the face of this larger traffic, had recommended 100 miles of 521b. rails te be ordered tor curves and steep gradients, instead of the ordinary 40ib rails.

BAD QUALITY OF MATERIAL. While on this subject it i=> thought well to refer to the charges which have been very freely made during the past year as to the bad quality of the material. As far as experience has shown, at pre ent there is very little to complain of. The orders sent fcloms have been very Well executed on the whole In addition to the inspection which takes place in England, everything is so closely examined in the Colony that whereever there is any room for complaint It is at once made, and claims for remedying the evils are sent Home. In almost every instance the amounts claimed have been at once recognised and paid, or fresh material sent out free of cost.

SCARCITY OF LABOR. Although many of the works have not pro ceeded as expeditiously as contemplated, yet a large amount of wor-c has been done. Delays have, in most cases, arisen in greater or less degree from want of labor, and there has scarcely be n a locality where contractors have been able to procure a sufficient supply. Urgent demands have been received from almost every district to press on the works f ister, but the Government have been careful to avoid further forcing up the rates of labor, and, where nec assary, have extended the t me for completion. The House is urged not to enter upon extensions or new lines until proper surveys have been made and reliable details procured. Ihe extra cost is attributable to a departure from this rule.

ADDITIONAL APPROPRIATIONS. Th# principal additional appropriations required on authorised works areL2o.ooo for Auckland to Mercer, L 20.400 lor Napier to Waipukurau, and L 24.000 for the conversion of the Manawatu tramway, thereby making a total of L 84.000 for twenty-five miles of railway; L 59.000 for Wellington to Featherston, and 1.50,000 for the branch fine and terminal accommodation connecting the main line on the north and south of the River Wanganui with the Wanganui township. This branch is necessary for developing the traffic on the portion* of tho main line now under contract. An alternative line has lately been suggested, which, it is hoped, will greatly reduce this almost prohibitive cost. L 13,000 for Nelson to Foxhiil; L 25.000 for Picton to Blenheim, principally owing to tho extra bridging, and LIS.OdO for continuing tho line to tlie centre yf Blenheim. . L 37.000 for Greymouth to Brunnerton, L 19.000 for the Waimate branch, 1.16,0i>0 for other Canterbury branch lines, Ll6 000 for Waitaki bridge, 1.37,400 for Moeraki line, L 46,000 for Dunedin to Clutha, and L 39,500 for .11 at aura to Invercargill.

THE RAILWAYS OPEN FOR TRAFFIC worked by the General Government have all, as booh as completed by the contractors, been placed by the Engineer-in-Chief under the immediate charge of Mr Passmore, who was selected on account of the large practical expert ce he possessed iu connection with the working of railways in other countries, and p alienlarly with the narrow gauge and working of heavy gradients. lbs offi ;er has had anything out an enviable task, but thus far the Government have every cause to be satsfml with the way in which he has carried out the important work entrusted to him. The Wellington to Masterton Railway has yielded during the fourteen and a half months it has been opened L 1,891 13a Id over and above the working expenses. This is a result which may bo consi dered highly satisfactory when it is remembered what a fragment of a line is open, that the present temporary terminus is inconveniently distant from the city, and that the hue is so short as almost to preclude goods traffic. The Napier ami Paki Paki Hue h*s yielded during eight aid a half mouths L.2,028 9s. Considering how short a length of this line has been opened for traffic, the results are very encouraging. The Auckland and < inehtinga during the past year yielded L 2.149 5s Id. Ihe line Penrose to Mercer Lad only been opened a few weeks, and could scarcely have

beou considered to have been in working order, i hese profits, amounting to L 6,069 7s 2d, show the annual yield by these three lines of railway on the capitalised cost to be, therefore, a fraction over two per cent, for a few months. The Auckland and Onehunga line was not worked in a satisfactory manner. The cause is explained, and is now removed, and there is no reason to doubts that traffic will henceforth be carried on with due regard to economy and public convenience. Complaints, as regards rates for j aaungers and goods, have been made, but icasona are given for considering those complaints unjust. The loudest complaints have been male as fc> the scale fixed for the lino trom Auckland to .Mercer. Whether these complaints are justified, honorable members are to judge for thenase vea from the following facts, iho length of the line L sixty-three miles, and on it there are several miles of very steep gr - dienta. 'l'he first-class passenger fare for the whole distance is ILs; the second class is 7s 6d and the rates charged for goods vary, accord* mg to description, from 15s 8d to 12s per ton. ihe coftch rate for passengers between Auckland Mid Mcrcpr up to the opening of the ml-

way, was 15s, and the waggon rate for goods, from 60s to 635, 1 he°e facta si eak for themselves, and will, T think, he admitted to be u complete answer to the complaints that have b'en made. With a view to assist to develope the Waikato mines, it is intended to fix a special haulage for coal from Mercer to Auck land at 7s 2d per ton, ()u the < anterbury and Ota/o lines the profit for the Provincial yen' ending on 31st March last, is given as Ll6 641 (is lid, and L 22,323 9a 6d respectively. *

ROAM. The only road calling tor special attention is that, between Mastevton and Manawatu Gorge; 1j25,62Z Jias been expended thereon during the year The metalling will be proceeded with in the spring. The bridge over the Manawatu Gorge, opened lately, is 628 ft In length, and is one of the largest m the island, suitable for both road and railway tralfio. The t tal length of roads in the North Island completed, or in progress, is 1,888 miles of dray, and 520 miles of horse roads, at a cost of 1.478,073 Us 3d ; in Auckland, L 268,364; Hawkes Bay, L 70.214 ; Wellington. L 164.074 ; Taranaki, L 75.422. Tho maintenance of many of these roads, more especially those in the unsettled districts, is a matter which, involving as it does considerable annual outlay, will require. to be provided for. It is proposed to utilise, as far as possible, the services of the Constabulary for this purpose; and, when these are not available, other provision will have to be made The total amount expended on roads in Nelson south-west gold-

fields has been L 63,283, and the length completed or in progress will be 114 miles. The total amount expended on roads in Westland is L 112,009 11s sd, and the length 135 miles. WATER-RACES. The three large water-races for supplying water on the goldfields have all of them proved much more costly undertakings th'.n was anticipated. A further su u of L 41.000 is required to complete them. 'I he excess is caused mainly by the largo expenditure necessary to secure the stability of the head works of the Nelson Creek and Waimea Races. The same result has occurred on th<large water-race at Nas.-by, which is bein: supervised by_ the Provincial Government of Otago, for which LI,OOO additional is require i It would appear that, with all the precautions which have been taken to obtain reliable data previously to the commencement of the four great works, the same unsatisfactory results have been met with as have occurred in resp-.c to similar undertakings in other parts of the world, and more particularly in Im da Cali foinia, and the adjoining Colony of Victoria fortunately the works entered upon in NVw Zeal <nd are not on such a large scale as in thus* cases al o above referred to, and th • watir-r c i-

undertaken will, if the House votes the necessary fun is, be completed, and within a few months be made remunerative. But M i Richardson is ready to admit that the late Go vernment of which he was a member, made a grave error in yielding to the pressure which was brought to bear upon it, and entering upor the construction of these races without more reliable data. The new survey of the MikmiU' Water-race is finished, but not yet to hand. It will be dealt with late in the session. A l-»rg-number of public buildings hj ive been erected under the diiectmn of the Colonial Architect, but the high prices of labor anil material of ail descriptions have compelled the Government to hold over all those winch the requirements of the public service permitted, COAIi EXPLORATION. The coal exploration of the Buller field has been proceeded with as rapidly as possible, and the plotting of coal outcrop has been going on contemporaneously with the survey of the country between Ngakawau ami Mount Rochefort, and between Mount William Range anti Cascade Break it has been completed A rough estimate of this area gives as much as 140,000,050 tons in seams of 20ft and upwards, attaining at one point a thickness of 63ft The brown coal of the Kupa Kupa mine, Waikato, is being steadily worked, the seam holding about 18ft in thickness at Raglan* The coal formation again appears at Miranda Redoubt. It occurs varying from 16ft to 18ft, Coal is reported in Shakespeare Bay, Picton ; but examination of the country does not give any prospect of its being found theie iu workable quantities. The almost inexhaus itie coal fields in Otago are now being worked to a coni-

paratively large extent, and with the facilities that will be immediately offered by the railways in course of construction, the development of these mines will be rapidly extended. The same remark applies to the coa fields iu Canterbury and the neighborhood of Greymouth. INSPECTION OF MACHINERY. The Inspection of Machinery Act has been brought into force, and machinery in 351 establishments inspected, and 513 steam boilers. The fes amounted to L 90 3; the expenditure to L 825. The Government consider that while no attempt should be made to create r venue from this source, the fees should be made to pay all necessary expenses of carrying out the Act. As a rule, the owners of machinery of all classes have signified their

approval of the Act, and there is no doubt that the Inspectors’ recommendations have been of much service ; and if the provisions of the Act are ca> efully carried out in the future, very great benefit must accrue to the public. BAILWAY APPROPRIATION. The Government consider the railway appropriations to he taken this year out of loan should be only those which will tend to render the railways already authorised more complete, and that fu- ther extension should be postponed until at all events the greater proportion of the railways now in course of construction are open for traffic. They feel convinced, from the satisfactory results shown by those already opened, that there will be no difficulty in raising whatever funds may be necessary to fui ther extend the main trunk lines The A uck--Imd workshops have coat L 12.000, and L3,00u mure will be required. The experience of the Uanawalu Tramway having shown the waste occasioned by laying down wooden rails, the Takapu Tramway will be converted into a railway, for which L 27.000 is required The !ine_ from Manawatu to Wanganui is, on com pletion of plans, fire miles longer than antici pated, re luiring L 20.500 to finish it. The line from Feat hern ton to Alaslerion—twenty-four miles—being practicaly unprovided for, will require L 120,000. ibe Wellington terminus, in-

cluding the reclamation, will cost L 35,000 and the estimat d cost of the railway wharf is L 25.000. L 5,000 will aho be required for a small workshop, built so as to be capable easy extension , The inland line from Waitara to Inglewood, L 3.500. The Government hope

uext session to be able to submit estimates fur completing the Main Trunk line between Taranaki and Wanganui, and Mastert-m. through Mauawatu to Napier. Survey parties are now engaged on these routes, and although the coal of c mipleting these railways will be ven large, still the Government are satisfied there will be no difficulty in raising the necessary funds when the railways now in hand are finished and the extension can bo undertaken with economy. Westport and M' unt Rochefort are so far advanced that provision must be made for shipping coal and for protective works, for which c 30,500 will bo required. The plans are prepared. Ll 000 is absolutely required for a new passenger station at Port Chalmers, including refund of cost of reclamation. About 1.9,000 has been spent on Dunedin workshops. They will cost the same as Auckland, E15,000. A survey has been made to join the East and West Coasts of the Middle Island by Mr Foy the Engineer-in-Chief. From his data he recommends that the best route for a railway north of Hokitika is from Grey mouth River Almira, to the Tataekuri, over the Hope Pass) thence along the Hope and Waiau to where that river would be crossed by the extension northwards of the main trunk line. Other routes have been travel sed and found itapracticable. The Government are not yet in a position to recommend any action in the Assembly.

CONCLUSION, 1 4 The statement concludes as follows; During the past year the expenditure on roads has been L 123,958 15s Sd in addition to a toial expenditure to 30th June, 1874, of L 608.788 Ids 4d; on railways the expenditure for thff year has been L 1,997,165 3s 9.1, in addition to E1,994,256 10s 5d previously; a d oh water- races there has been L 113.335 18s 2J expenditure, in addition to L 101.352 18s 3d. The total exp nditure to the 30th Jiiue l ist for each of the ab ore class of works beingn roads, L?32,74fi 12s; on railways, L3,99l 421 lit 2d; and watnr-rawe, L 214,668 16a sd,

in .? a expenditure of L 4.838 «57 2s 7<L f he hafnfittes on these respective works wore at the same dateßoads, L 23.132 2s 7d M'Wff-o 5s XOct; and water -races, IvT , id. niokiug a toial liability on those works of L 1,780,570 14« fid. and of expenditure and liabilities 1.6,619,427 17s Id. I iIH Uld add that the greater portion of the expenditure of the ■ liabilities above-men tit med. together with the amount of the new sendees I have lail befoie you this evening, will le distributed os stated in my honorable colleague’s Financial Statement, over a period of two years. But we have not only the expenditure side of the question before us to-night ; we have also the beginning of the return which the larger portion of the expenditure on railways will pro luce. 1 have stated that on all lines opened for traffic a very graiifying profit his been received, more especially when the fragmentary character of some of these lines is taken into account. Now, sir with the case of those short lengths before us, I think there is no room for any gloomy for# bodiugs as to the financial success of the railway system adopted by the Colony, Even at present the easy and certain communication the railways afford has greatly agisted settle' ment in the country districts, and this constantly growing clement of settler population must furnish a Corresponding increase of traffic, as the lines in course of completion open up country hitherto cut off from a market, by reason the cost or difficulty in communicating therewith. If further evidence of the probable paying results of our rail ways expenditure should be needed, I ask the House to turn to the table appended hereto, as reprinted from the annual reports» the Commissioner of it always ;n Victoria,: * the year 1874. I have had that table re-printed because I think it is calcul to insure great confidence in he minds of honorable member*. It shows that in the year 1874 there were open in the Colony of Victoria 441 miles of railway, the total cost of which was Lll 557,434. The average cost per mile was L‘6 207. the gross receipts from all sources were 851,042, the working exi ensea we e 1 376,715, and the net income was L 476.327, being interest at the rale of per c-nt on the total capital. Now, sir, we in jNev Zea and shill have 991 miles of railway for t.e total cost of L 6 091 281, or at ohe rate of about Jr• 000 per mile.. After making full allowance for tne difference in the popu litioa of the two Colonies, and tlie extra expense involved in the working by our having three or four great centres of traffic

•. n -tea.t) of one, as Yict ta, I cannot but think that honorable members will agr e with 1110 in beiinviug th.it the comparative ntfi re.ico in co t, which is more th m at the rate of I 20.000 pr mile iu fav rof New Zealand, leaves such a margin as will ensure very satisfactory results to the railways in this olony. The Hous- will mvo already judged from wh it I hare said that the poicy of the Government is to compete all the lines now in hand, and get them into thorough working order. It will then be seen wherever extensions ire most want.-d to furt er open up the country Meanwhile, !arge as the liability is which lias already been incurred for railway construction, I am sure that if the railways are but prudently managed the result will bo 'Uch as to make it vei y easy for succeeding Governments to raise whatever further sums may he required for any railways it can be shown will help the settlement of i-he-country, the one main object which has been kept iu view since ihe commencement of what is styled the l-’ublio ' orks and Immigration policy. Sir,’l have trespassed on the limeof the tlou-ie very largely on two similar occasions in previous yews, and I am sure I have to-night sorely tried your patience, and that of honorable members, but ;he importance of the occ sion is such as to warrant me in extending my remarks to the length I ha> e done It now only remains forme to thank you, sir, and the House, for the censideiation you have shown to me.”