Public Works Statement

Feilding Star, Volume XV, Issue 72, 22 September 1893, Page 2

Public Works Statement

[By Telegraph.] Wellington, September 21. The following are the chief features of the Public Works Statement as delivered in the House by the Hon. R. J. Seddon last night : — Mr Speaker— The Public Works Statement of to-day, as compared with former Statements, has lost its attractiveness. The moneys available for expenditure now are much smallerthan the large amounts we were accustomed to deal with in the days of borrowing and excessiveexpenditureon works. For the last three years the colony has practised a policy of self reliance, and the cost of our public works is now being charged largely to revenue. It is now nearly six years since the placing of a loan on the London money market was authorised by Parliament. As stated by the present Colonial Treasurer, in the Financial Statement, it is proposed to further augment the ways and means of the Public Works Fund by a transfer of £250,000 from the consolidated revenue This sum, together with the other moneys available, will bring the total ways and means of the funds for the current financial year up to the sum of £747,628, as I will show in the tabulated form presently. The following table shows the state of the Public Works fund on the 31st March last, and an estimate of how it will probably stand on the 31st March next, if the proposals, which I have now the honour to submit to the House are approved of :— Total balances on 31st March, 1893, £177,685, £152,943, and £330,628 ; credit from surplus revenue, £250,000, nil, £250,000; released Sinking Funds, £160,000, nil, £160,000 ; miscellaneous receipts, £5000, £2000, £7000 ; totals, £592,685, £154,943, £747,628. Proposed expenditure for 1893-94 : — £591,468, £101,600, £693,068 ; estimated balances on 31st March, 1894 : — £1217, £53,343, £54,560. The total length of railway in the hands of the Railway Commissioners at the close of the financial year was 1885 miles. The total earnings during the year came to £1,181,521, and the net profit, after deducting working expenses, amounted to £149,380. The percentage return on the total capital invested in the railways amounted last year to £3 la per cent. For the current year the Commissioners estimate the total receipts at £1,176,000, and the working expenses at £732,000, showing a net revenue of £444,000. The funds voted for additions to open lines last year, namely £13,612, were all expended within the year, and the Commissioners have requested that an amount of £24,978 may be provided to meet the requirements under this head for the current year. The Government has not been able to see its way to grant the whole of this amount, but has decided to ask for a vote for £18,978, and provision for this has. been made in the Estimates accordingly. THE CO-OPBRATIVE SYSTEM. The co-operative system has been extended during the past year to such an extent that the greater part of the work now in hand under the department is being carried out under this system. Jn addition to ordinary formation works and the construction of small bridges and culverts, it has now been applied to the work of laying the permanent way and erecting station buildings. The whole of the platelaying and ballasting of the Greymouth-Hokitika railway has been done in this way, as well as the erection of the new railway station at Te Aro, Wellington. The work has continued to be very well done, the Te Aro station building being a specially creditable piece of work. The cost has been satisfactory to the department and has given fair wages to the co-operative workmen. The painting of the Supreme Court and police station in Wellington, also done under the co-operative system, was likewise most creditably executed and its cost was exceedingly moderate. It was indeed only Is 4d per square yard, inclusive of all materials, plant, etc., whereas the rate per yard asked for the work by the lowest tenderer when tenders for the same were publicly invited some time ago, was 2s 3d per yard. It has been stated in some quarters' that the workmen have been earning excessive wages, and fctafc tto rates allowed for the work have been raised to meet the demands of the men. The persons responsible for such statements forget that in the past it has always been alleged that the Government Engineers' estimates of the value of the works were too low. ladeed, complaints of this kind from the contractors have been general. Now the same engineers who prepared the estimates for work, when done by contractors, assess the value of the work for the co-operative workmen, and their estimates are all subject to the approval of the Engineer-in-Cliief. This should be conclusive evidence of the fairness of tho rates allowed. In one or two instances the workmen have made representations to engineers on their being transferred to other districts, but in future no such representations will be allowed. Reports have reached the Government that in some cases the co-operative workmen have expended their earnings, or a portion of them at any rate, in an injudicious manner. The Government has therefore under consideration the establishment of some form of provident and benefit society in the interests of workmen. The question of allowing the men to authorise their wives to draw a portion of the money due to them at the head office on orders signed by the men, and certified to by the oflicers in char»e is also under consideration, andin effort will shortly be made to brin* this system into operation. It would also perhaps be advisable to establish a scheme by which the men could put by a portion of their earnings with a view to take up land in the neighbourhood of the works, and of becoming permanent settlers on their completion. BAILWAYS UNDER CONKTBUCTIOW. Kamo-Kawakawa^The whole length of the Wlmngarei«Kauio railway extern sion to Hikurangi has been under con* struction during the year. Tho length of the section is eight miles. The whole of the formation works are now neari completed, and preparations are bein* made for the laying of rails and t£ ballasting. The expenditure on this line last year amounted to £23,184, whill

liabilities existed at the cU*c of the financial year to the amount ot £2.185 in addition. It is proposed to ask for a vote of £15,000 this year. Helensville northwards.— Rather slow progress has been made with the works on this line during the past year, and t'-e work is not likely to be completed for some time to come. The expenditure amounted to £5887 and liabilities existed at the close of the year to the amount of £8899. In addition a vote of £12,000 is asked for this year, which is estimated to complete the works to the end of the Makarau section. North Island Mam Trunk Railway — A considerable amount of work has been done at both ends of this line during tho past year. At the northern end the Mokau Section, 11 miles 9 chains in length, is in hand right up to the PoroOtnraro tunnel, but as the work is of a difficult nature it will still take nearly another year to complete it. At the southern end the Manganoho contract, 3 miles 70 chains in length, has boon completed and opened for traffic, and a cood deal of work has been done on the formation works on tho Makonine section. The expenditure on the line during last year was £43,188, whilo liabilities to the amount of £27,117 existed at the close of the year. For tho current year it is proposed to vote £'55,000 for construction works and £4000 for surveys. In accordance with the advice of the Select Committee of the House appointed last session to inquire into the best method of connecting Auckland and Wellington by railway, Government has had further surveys and explorations of the country undertaken by an experienced engineer Mr Ralf Donkin, the original projector of the Urenui-Waitara route, has been despatched with a party to endeavor to effect improvements in the central route, Mr Leslie Reynolds has been temporarily engaged to survey the necessary deviations on the opened line between Marton and EHUam, in order to reduce tho gradients. Owing to the excessively wet weather that has prevailed for some time past, the progress made with these surveys has not been so great as the Government could have wished, and the information so far available is meagre. "With the fine weather that has now set in, work will doubtless progress apace, and thus enable the surveyors to shortly report the result of their explorations. Eketuhuna Woodville. — Much more work was done on this lailwaj last year than the previous year, ihe work now in hand extending over a distance of twentythree miles — viz., from Eketahuna to tho bridge over the Manawatu river at Awapuma. The expenditure on the line during last year was L 5497, and in addition liabilities existed at the end of the year to the amount of L 9756. We ask for a yot« of L 30.000 for this line for this year as it is intended to proceed with it vigorously, to keep a large staff of men on the formation works at both the Woodville and Eketnhuna ends of the line and also to put in hand the Mnkahini nnrl the Mancatainoko bridges. Immediately upon the completion o( the Mnkahini bridge the work of laying the mils between Elfetnhuna nnd Newman will be put in hand so ns to open the line to that point as early as possible. The speedy completion of the whole line right through to Woodville is, the Oovernment feels, an nil important work, as owing to '.he frequent stoppage of traffic on the Manawatu Gorge line by heavy slips, it is absolutely needful to have an alternative line to maintain the connection between Wellington and the Hawke's Bay and Seventy Mile Bush districts. Wellinuton-Eketnhnna (Te Aro exten» sion)— This railway, so far as the running of passenger trains is concerned, wna completed and hnnded over to the Kailway Commissioner* in March last. The expenditure on this line »ast year was L 9.531 and a vote of Ld-,500 is asked for this year to cover all expenses up to completion. The work of constructing the goods station at Te Aro has not been yet entered upon, but survejs and plans for the necessary reclamation have been completed, nnd tenders for the work will be invited shortly. On the completion of the reclamation the necessary buildings will be proceeded with and ft vote of LBOOO for the work is included in the estimates. Otago Central. — The works on this line have been energetically proceeded with. The formation between Midulemarch and Hyde may bo regarded as practically finished and the necessary abutments for mo6t of the bridges have also been erected. The Government hopes to bo able to open the line for traffic to Hyde in the early part of the new year. It is proposed to at oace proceed with the construction of the section between Hyde and Eweburn, a distance of 21 miles 67 chains. The extension of this line to the Eweburn will promote settlement, and materially assist in opening lip Central Otago, the resources of which have remained almost entirely undeveloped. Up to the present the expenditure on the Otago Central railway last year amounted to £20,510, while liabilities existed at the close of the year to the further amount of £8,5U9. The appropriation proposed for the current year is £55,000, which will provide for the completion of the Middlemarch . Hyde section and for a substantial expenditure on the Hyde-Eweburn section. (To be vonti lined.)