PUBLIC WORKS STATE MENT

Feilding Star, Volume VIII, Issue 6, 26 June 1886, Page 2

PUBLIC WORKS STATE MENT

The Hon. Mr Richardson delirored * the Public Works Statement m th« " -*' 1 House last night. The following ari» its leading features : — •'.«

DISTRICT RAILWAYS

Hon. members may remember that .< I announced last session that arrange- . ments had been come to for the pur- ■ chase of all the District Railways •■ ■ -.) authorised to be purchased except tht> •>>■'■ , Waimea Plains line, but that m:<b*Aw*i I failed to arrange for that line. During; • <* the recess, however, negotiations w»r* '■• Sm again epened with the Waiinea Con\- :.bv/j pany, and after a considerable amotfci' M. of correspondence aa s jarrangeq^)ti#'ii has been come to forHb» purchAsf of; ■':!•;'! the railway, subject of c<mrs»^to<>|he" p ratification of Parliament. v ijV.; iK WIIANGAREI-KAMO KAILWAt. " ' > A survey has been mad* of propoMil -M* extension of this railway toD«epw»ttr t and the probable cost is estimated «^ .' about £40,000, but until tkert it : ' ' mouey forthcoming to extend 'r this :i railway to the kauri forest at Puhipuhi, the Government cannot reborn- ; mend the expenditure- Th» tafl**^ to Puhipuhi and extension Mo r <&h p '^ : water *re estimated together fo<NMafc> : ££ »»H)ut £100,000. ' '.. - .»o I EITKXIIOMOFTBUXK LIKE NOKTBWAiftb* iMl KROM ÜBLENBVILLS. '•« •••'•['. % The Government has not altered its -.^

opinion, us given in my statement !lass *^ year, with reference to the necessity * ; of this line, and therefore agaiupfo-r >;^ pose a rote shall be taken to ptpifilf/'i^ for its extension to the first point '-- which will be found remuneratit»~*-rs> ■> * district of about nine miles. Xfo/lra*.-^ can then becontiauednorthwajdtfc&^^T by section, as funds are provided. ;jbV*V was also shown last year there lire timbered lands and valleys containiiMt % considerable areas of rich agricultural J * * land, well fitted for s«Ul«n«nt, ' throughout the proposed route of thiif ■'* railway, and the cost per mUo #oUl<i : !j ' not be more than the average tiwk " : '& railways already constructed. It W IUV: estimated that the cost of extending"" ! the line to Oinapere, a distance of 110 - miles, will be about £715,000.' T'ata'- * :- also assured that if found desirable - :- the railway can be continued north- - wards to Victoria Valley at about th^*same average cost per mile. Th» :> authority which I propose to askthr "* House for on account of this- railway 7 " will provide for about twelve milos of ; J formation, but as no working surv*^ has as yet been made, a coutraeC><Ninv - •' net be let for some months tu-eoute, * ' and actual expenditure ddrin^'tbis : financial year will not therefore"' ♦*- /< ceed about £4000. l n .'/V ■■■.?. MORRISYiILfi TO BOTORUA BAII^PAT. '■'■«■ ■ The purchase of this rail Wajr f wa»- a completed on 21st December lastr, s £nd- '<'' its construction is being carried osv ' "

uiider the agreement sanctioned -by" ■*- the House last year. • On the portttru' -«• from Morrisvilte to Licbfield, the first " * length, from Morrisville .to Qffbrd. -i was opened on sth ftartfi. lasti-wad ''-" the remainder to Liehfield &"■&&■'■* 'l practically finished* ' :K*itw- ~-*j MAIN TRUNK RAII.WAT SOBtiT ISJJUNrtfe at As Imy colleague, th» Gohtttisi' 1 ' * Treasurer, has afready> f s4ittf, tiggr*^ is every prospect of to* Government * becouiing possessed of target : trafcle^f* * • land along the routed thfe 'railway,' irt au4 wo consider that the wfcrt 'pajghfi to be pushed on vig»ixm»ly>^ aiid jrf&t- -■<? pose asking authority of me Hwu*eti> expend or to enter into contracts for!*"* much larger amount this year tha^'*' 1 during last year. The works whfc& ' !:i were in hand during f he year <4tk< tWi"' ! railway are as folfcw^?— At tlfe"" northern end, commencing itom /lf l»^" v Awamutu the Puniu contract- (tenglK 7 * about 1 A miles) includiii^^permans4»i s<>^ way, has been steadily progritsliuW' and is expected to be ;lB ready for traffic abodfOttober neMti h The Te Kuiti sWfion of about 1 1 uifcaj*'" which was also to include the' pfcrtaa-*^ nent way., was adrertised for tehdei*'^* in August last but had to- W-- wfthi""<> drawn in consequence of'a redaction ''■"< made in the estimate^ last sessfctt:^ Beyond the end of this u*ctio»; ' IK»rWis the Witeti section a, length of *b<Mit •■*» ' nine aiiles, of which the' plans are complete and-ready ftfes«n*? tract. The Puro o Tamo s^>3n -a** length (including tuntfel) about" ;^ : i * miles, which is distant about 48 miles from Te Awamutu, was let t>j)t«ontr«*t -^ ~ in August last to be coAjftfe^&lia I '^-'- August 1817. To the southward t>T - the tunnel the working siuri»y is toW* '' " r pleted for a lengih of 4 J m3es. €co- „ tracts hare also been let for 6$&W '* sleepers, and 18,000 more haTe ; **c4 !i> '"' taken orer from the Working Ball^ lr ' ways Department. In addition O> :r; '^' theae works a large amount of work rhas also been done in the shape ; of ''"*"'■ : - :- approach roads to |pTe access to th» •* M " railway, and also a large amount exploration and preliminary '' to get the best line thr^ughoirt <6r tK# " portions of railway whkfh haW aktli '■' get been undertaken. For further; :< \ details concerning these latter itemljl *' would refer hon. members to the report of the Engineer in Chief, which will b» * attached to this statement. I triqpld alse wish to take this opportunity of staiiug distinctly that in caseawktrS) • : -" v contracts hare been let to Native* they- ! '^ have done a great deal of work Vfirf '■"■ '': '£ satisfactorily, and at moderate prices, and whenever they demanded exces- " sive prices the contract has been advertised and let by public tenders. At the southern end of the line the requisite station at Marton Junclion has been completed, including such * •■ buildings as will be necessary for the - probable present traffic. The Rwewa .- a .■■ contract, a length of about 12 miles, - including platelaying, commencing .«> from the Marton Junction, was let in April 1885, but has had to betaken out of the original contractors hands and re-let to another contractor. It is now;. m r i going on satisfactorily, and will pro- >.;1p bably he completed about Nov.em.ber > i; next. The re-letting of the, work involved no loss to the colony, except *« in the matter ef delaying completion. * ' Coinmeucing at the end of the Porewa contract is the Hunterville section, a length of about 6 miles, which wan advertised for tender eoine time back> b^<

had to be withdrawn on account funds provided, and beend of this section working aud plans, have been comfor; a further length af about 5 tA* this end of the line, also, a amount of work has been in the construction of approach and further survey works, which be found- detailed iv the report of Hw Engineaf^-iii;. Chief. The work f of improving the navigation the W.unganui River was corain A-ugust last, and au availdenth of about 2 feet of water already been obtained as far as forty-six miles above Wanand./ between Kaiwaka and similar work is iv progress. branch road will^feave the. to '^^Q' into the interior; The and 'surrey at both ends of this were much' delayed last year ■v OMuequeoce. of the. reductions made votes, , awl- although every effort majle to *ttop all :..,w,orks which. bo. stopped $tt sufficient time to expenditure j^nd liabilities within rote, jt was found, impossible to this in consequence of HjA« difficult of ,-withdrawjog ,, work, there :fcis consequently .bgen an ■«xoms of-about f|H r qoo. The^uthoI bow propose to ask for on acH«euat oftise railFMj, -will provide for H^empleteing all \tork at .present in hand, and ,alsQ. for additional works as HidlowKii^iJMu^Kuiti section, .11 H BiU«s, .aj»4: Cc the , Waitete section, 9. H aiilM, at^orth end, and Hunterville H «ec<ion t^ : miles,, at South! end;, also H iMther in. thenavigaH i&ML of the Wftnganui Eiver<rand conH atrttction.of lurther, approach. roads to ■ the railway .works, . . . >". ■ jnnr »wrMouTH.»wxi:H.THB ayw-TyvsK. I Dariiiff lie.T^wsa, althougb^no.fur- ■ tkw aotual suryev/i have b(yji made, I still a jfO«4vdeal of e^plorj*ti^ps have ■ taken plaw,' both by . oncers j t of , the I Jjfjkda and; that P)of the ■ Pfirfic^tfrks, lyad we now hajre every ■ r ■atjifr tot -belike that a fairly good, I ltsit got starting from . a point I «B t|>e mai* tine about, 60 miles south I •l!^%#''** iutu « following the course I •*^llftkwra, the Teao, and the TanI ganfl^i men, thence south westerly I «MM the range to one of the branches I mi the .Mimi Jiver and along, that I fiver tttwarfb:the coast and. southward I to Waitaittk This line would traverse * Urf«4ra^of first class arable land w the TaUejt; of the Okura and ititer•eet thei upper portion of the etten•ire c<M .fi«ldiiow well defined, and will mate tbat «Wll available for use mil «r«Cjthat portion of the island from the Waikato to where the navigation of .the Wanganui and Teao «ea*M v . . We have, .suiffciently reliable aurreya and information to. bo able to •ay that the line will not be exeeptiouallyljitxpensive, and that tho 1 -n^th of the QMHuecting. link betwe«ft ;Waita*» ai^feh* wain lius>frouJ4. be about .- 74! mi!e«t.itad , the .east^wiU wt exceed ab«ut itiMiQQQ p^r n<ile all, through, «ftd tha.jgn«terr portion off the very k*avy country on the line' reported ugoto f^em.gtmlford; •twp-.'jie.ars ago, Wj|Wi4ed. vWhenevwthe IJous* dai^ig; a f4*t»ile4 of Ea« c*^: be put ia haijd. , t . . , ; *A.raiß^i(V.opoTiK.« )sia'.awwiuni. . DMjlf/y**.!** tecemil iiwtructedi tib* Ej||gi|ieei^< m. Chief to send the, Itepect^ng Bflgiineer (Mr Kuorpp) y to tiatt the dittivct Hetween Npipier and traversing the : country Ahrottgh. Waii^% -add Gisborne and , from t&gpoe t«t th^ E«t«t Caj)# a« wdl ia« froi^^ijihitriifl to jQpotiki T JTe hns made # ifeptmn )i*»ncg aur^ey o; t: «t e»uut^' ffiih a view ;^<if amertaiuiug bow iVjjiP l»wt he ojieued by rail-v »y« or ruad^Cc^iit report contains r g -at deal MfciMrthrt • ml 'tnpalion and *hows that tftf. dwtrict,, Jlyjing to the north sad eai^r^wf _Gj»li<Mt|iM»; can be best aerred^jt^ i railw^' .cottiUwinjifiation wliil«! P Ahai Wtween. Gisbora^.- »yd: Napiaj^la«f(i bruken that a railway woul((,;bflhrabnoßti unpractipable, and could^thiw^fore.otily bo opened up by ro§d», M JW« report (with maps) will b#ypjHii l ed.and' laid on, the table of th%|E(f«^f.withiaa, few days, iVj .. jri . wood^ii-le. "-.. Tht^oojaftactovar |or .the «oKtensi«tn from !^ajb!oraite . .towards Woodville «ro mining fair progrow with the work. v ,^eoatmct-wiU shortly be let for coqplotin^.the line to .Woodville, iaoladtAgftNfl^ailway station there, to be finif ho4. afl4 cipened^ for trafiic^ in about l&mo.ujthfl. -

W4»DVI«,,E-PiX)«IWITOX. r A eo«trjßct J» now ready to be let f«r thu *.WBtru?tion o£4bia line through th« Gqrgfi- Tfo wotipa will take 2

y«an,|p qw#pAflte, owing to the ; heavy naturfiO^th.p w#j& t4 aiid while in progreM^e^p^s .ffiH; be prepared for • . * V«q^ <*»n»id©^bje iadditipus hure Ve«l Wllfitft/^e^totMjn aapcpoimodation, and to the workihumf -jOUt tWf live during the y«»r, ti»4#lu c UiWW^wiU bg required «• kej»p. : ,v|MUS)8 ll( ,wUii < *. ! the iacreasing traffic,^, --^A.i-.v -'•«'» r -1-

o@mk<>r*!&rQ #ware that the vji«ttMip#v*£ >; Ithw ViUn^.'jha^feeen very TMealij!i9pdnJßdi as jfar,a« Mauriceville. v^i f urdMM- ' of about- 4 miles "Witt be qpfned iv; Qcto^r, ,^Et. It is jpropmeA,;tfi let a cJtfptraet to extend line, a^tac as Eketajij^na, so soon Parliftme^l aft sanctfoaed the ex%enditut«;, ; : j ■ SThie large amount of ••ttlement?, takiug place atpng the route df;:th.i^ line between Maurice▼ill* attit/iPahiatua points to the 4e»irabilityi of contiauinff the conctruction .of* this line, and if funds are prori4edii^ji.s will be done. <

FOJTOW-IfKW PLYMOUTH. '

The branch line frprn New Plymouth to the (breakwater., has recently been «peaed<.'-'ftn4isome, slight; 'modification in the ra*eßiw Bft*a to^prbve of groat benefit to tlw diitrict..' _

A Sr^fc^K iddniinie, after relating to his scholars {he., story of , Ananias and 8*« pliira aafeed j/fijjpm " W J?7 God' 'did not strike eyeryjbotjy dead. "tliat told a lie P" After aton& '^lence, ©ne'little fellow £ot to his^et jM^xifetanied : B^cau^e sir, Wb*re watlna beatf jbod j lef h"— Exchange.