THE NASEBY PUBLIC WORKS.

Evening Star, Issue 4042, 9 February 1876, Page 2

THE NASEBY PUBLIC WORKS.

This meaning the following deputation from Naseby wait?d on the Superintendent to eorsult with his Honor concern!ag the pubi c works at present in courre of construction iu the district Messrs De Lautnur, M.H.R., M.P.C. ; J. P. Armstrong, M.P.C.; W. L. Basch, Mayor of Naseby; Brooks, James Biown, Glen, luder, Craig, and Creighton. Mr Armstrong, in introducing the members of the deputation and opening the subject to te conud .re •, raid he hoped the result of their effort} would be to nuke the public works of Naseby nit only valuable to the immediate dLt id, but also a permanent benefit to the whole Colony. His Honor thought that the best thing he couhl do would be to inform the deputation of the pv sent exact position of the works. He was sorry these had not b;en ca ried on more rap tlly, but for the delay tsere was a variety of reasons-the p incipal ore be : ng the difficu iy of obt in ng the mn y. He had ju-t rec ived a report fr< m tie department, which no would read. It was furnished by Mr W. Arthur, Provincial Engioce-, and was based * u a more minu e one by the Disrict Engineer (Mr Brown), who was superintending the works It sat d that 67 mis of the head race had been completed and 7 mihs 521 cha ns of the sludge channel finished Th r wo.ks ab olutely necessary are a'ancliug about tiLy-sovtu miles of the headrace, coustiu tion o Hood gates and byewash s, oornpletiem of d nr embankment, flushing race, repairs to tun r. el, ruairt nance of race, attd Cvinpleti m of s u ge channel to within one mile of Naseby. The estimated extra cost would be £10,501); of this sum £5,500 b ing for the Itead race and £5,600 for the ala ‘ge charm L The • otal (xpeoditnre when the Seal payments are made will have b.en £12,436, while t e estiniated cost was £42.376 Bs—thawing an excess f < niy £6O 12s. The report recommended the expeaditu-e of the addition! £10.500, as the e o ks la their present state were utte ly valueless. The sludge chunn 1 oou'd be comple e i and made ava'lable in one men hj and the whole work in four or five months. He (his Honor) said that as was well ki own, the Colo ial G - v rnment Irsd been induced o make an additional vote of LIO.OOO for these works. The Hon. i£. Richardson, Minister of Public Works, arrived in Dunedin ye rterd<y, and he would be asked to pash this thmg forw’ard. Mr M'Kellar, Secretary for Gol (fields, had also been requested to go to Naseby to consult the Warden, apd to report as to the best mode of tarrying on the works. His own idta was to havo a Board appointed, in whose hands the management of the whole matter thould be placed. Mr Armstrong said that idea would meet with the entire app oval of the residents. • Something must be done as soon as possible . a revenue was going to waste.

j»j Hojrori a’w deprecated any delay, as the Province waa paying upwards of L 2.000 a-year interest on tho L 40,000, rnd it was the Government's duty to lose no time ii rerouping toonse vt«4

Mr De Ladtour said bis Honor’s views Fome little t me ago were Ihvt an officer should be appointed in charge of the works, (o report to the Government, with a view to their ultimate disposal. Now was the time to appoint such an officer, as it would be impossible to appointa Board without an Act. . -- His Honor thought a Board con'd be ap» pointed without, or at all events the works could be practically placed in the hands of a Board.

Mr De Labour said it, seemed the present break-down was owing really to the want of an officer in charge with discretion, who could act in casesof.emergency without having to report to others. It was asserted that the race would bring in a revenue of £5,000 a-year, but this large income was at present tied up. Even in its present condition a large revenue could be obtained, Tmd why sh uld not regulations be made to allow of such being brought in whi’e the works are still going on to oomp'etion?

His Honor said the real delay was caused by tee ;difficulty in getting the money, though he not bl lining anyone for that. He did not think the expended vote of £300,000 on goldfields had been satisfactory throughout the C' lony, with the exception Of in Otago. At Waipon the works were bringing in a little revenue, and he was glad to hear such god expectations of the future returns fr m the works at Naseby. He would have been gl .d if the Provincial Goienncent had had nothing to do with the latter, for they had beeu a source of endbsa trouble and correspondence ; however, he felt somewhat cheered at hearing that L 5.000 a-year might be looked for from them. Mr De Lautour said t’.e calculation was based on a charge for water equal to only about half those now made in the d strict. It won d be advisable appoint some one with authority to act, until the proposed Board was appointed. His Honor slid the Board could be appointed almost immediatdy, as MrM‘Kelkr’s r. port would soon be to hand. No doubt the works would c-nducted under the vi ion of the District Engineer, with whom the deputation appeared to be entirely satisfied. The fact_ of a revenue of L5,0D0 per annum being anticipated fr. m the wo ks could not be made too much of as bedring on the interest that could accrue on money expended on goldfields.

Mr Db Lautour said forty-two acres of land had already been pegged off by persons waiting till the wo k was fini bed, and this was now bringing LIOO a year to the Government, Bis Honor said be would see the Hon. Mr Riclmrlson to-day, and be hoped theie would be no hitch about the LIO,OOO voted. How were they off for diggers up at Nas by? He recuved a telegram this morning from the Thirties aakiut if te could find employment for 300 able-bodied minei s. Mr De Lautodb said when the water wm in th*-re would bo a la ge fi-dd open for miners.