PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1911, 22 October 1906, Page 3

PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT

RAILWAYS,

Ia the Publia Warkg St3(emsut the Minister staled that in addition ti itetni previously mentioned a vote of £l3O 000 is proposed for permanent way materials, £30,000 for surveys of nsw lines, £IOOO for land olaims aod other old liabilities, and also b small sum of £25 to cover a liability for oloariog noxious weeds on an abandoned sootion of the Midland railway. Those items bring the total appropriatiooa proposed for railways coostruoiion purposes up to £884,025. This is somiwhat iu exoess of last ysar’s vote, hut ih3 Department has more work in hand than it had 12 months ago, and oeoseqoontly an increased vote is required. Tbo expenditure on additions to open lines last year amouotod to £351,044, j chiefly for additional stock, Toe Pnbiio Works Department has not imported any rolling stook for new railways for mtuy years past, and tbs linos as completed from timo to time are handod over to the Bailway Department, aod prao ioslly iha whole of our rolling 3tock is now built in tbo colony, For iho ourrent year a vote of £300,000 is proposed. On the Hutt railway works csnsiderable progress was mad). Ttie expenditure amounted to £44,739, and for the current year an appropriation of £-50,000 is asked for.

In tho duplication of lines between Auckland and Penrose, Addington and Rollesion, and Dunedin and Moegiol, a good deal of work has already been done on the former and a start made with She latter, and preparations are being made for putting in hand work between Adding, ton and RollestuD. Tuo exponditu re last year amounted to £8,566, and for the ourrent year a vote of £IOO,OOO is piovided,

WATER POWER,

After dealing at length with the subj >ct of utilisation of water power, the Minister stated : Toe expenditure last year under th i head of utid’iatino of water power amounted to £3902, but os it is hoped .a m.ko a start with noma of the w irks this year a vote of £53,000 is now asked for.

PUBLIC BUILDINGS. Toe total oxpanlf .are on publio build lugs out of tus vets under the c introi of tae Minister lot Pa 1 -; c Wn-ks aruou ted l-s: year to £lB7 091 n-m -v, £l6 880 under the consolidated fund and .£/ 00,214 under the Public Works fund. This is an excess of over <£44,000 on the previous year’s figures. For tho current year votes totalling to £39,437 under consolidated fund, and £2-18,500 under the Public Works Fund, are proposed, the increase in the consolidated fund vote being dua principally so sa.i ract as already announced in the F.n=,nch! Stak-mmJ, that larger itEini of expend tare under the head of maintenanoe and renovations of publio buildings hiiborto borno on the public works fund a*a now bo transferred to the consolidated fun i. In future, therefire, all items for miinteuanci and repairs wiil be obarged directly to revenue.

GAOLS. The vote proposed for the ourrent year provides for oarrying on work at Auckland ; for new gaols at Gisborne and Invercargill ; for substantial additions at Wellington, and for warders’ oottagea at Auoklaod, Napior, New Plymouth, Wellington, Wanganui, Lyttelton, and Invercargill. POST AND TELEGRPH. Tbe current year’s vota provides for new officis at Whaogarei, Waipu, Newmarket, Cambridge, Whakatane, Tuparoa, Tokomaru, Aramohc, laibspe, Kinbolton, Opiti, Rongoteo, Monakau, Waikanae, Makuri, Featherston, Johasonville, Karamia, Geraldine, Bruonerton, Waikouaili, and Rjslyn ; for additions at Auckland, Rotorua, Napier, RaDgiora, North Dunedin, Gore, laverx cargill, and Bluff; for aUera'ions at Gisborno, Wanganui, Feilding, and Blenheim ; for new quarters at To Awamutu, M&rtinborougk, Havelock, on! Arrowtown; for additional land end water supply at Wakapuakr, and fir a wharf at Auckland for tbs PaoiQo cabla steamer.