PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT

Hokitika Guardian, 26 October 1929, Page 3

PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT

(Byrthe Hoh. E. A. Hansom, Minister of Public Works). • (Per favour of Government.) WELLINGTON, October 25. The Public Works Statement was laid on the table of the House today. On assuming the portfolio of Pub~ ilc Works I realised frpm the outset that, it was necessary for me to Income fully and personally acquainted with ; thp special condition's concerning the various works already in hand, and to become familiar with the officers of (the Department, in order that I could more readily' grasp the multifarious operations in whjch they were involved. I therefore devoted practically all the period of the rpcess to travelling and to visits of inspection to, the larger works which the Department had in hand. I feel that the personal touch which I .have been able to establish with both the officers and the men has been for the good of all parties and for the 'increasing of that narmony which is so essential if the best progress; is, to be made. -. 'The. personal knowledge .gained ifrasi (been. ‘ofiibenefit to myself, and I trust will Le. .of Jjeriqftt,. to. ' country. ,as a, whole, for I : have net confined'my inspection's to. the,. pe.pgrtpiepY.S- opepgti ( qnp; only, hut I have' endeavoured 'to ascertain through my own observations and j through conferences, mth 'Those dire'ctly concerned just what were the | most pressing requirements . or the different "districts. ' The be. deblock districts in particular ' received my earnest attention, and it is my (■< nfirmed .opinion that considerably mere i must be done than has been done in. the past in regard to the provVion | of improved access to those areas. I hhve accordingly arranged that the | vote/ on the public-works estimates for this year for access to outlying districts is to be materially increased, in order that not only access to those districts already settled may be improved and extended, but that • those areas suitable for settlement may be. roaded as an inducement, to further settlement//In this' direction I may say the' Public Works Department and the Lands Will'operate conjointly, arid increased settlement of many of those areas of land at present unoccupied and reverting to second growth' may confidently b 6 expected. ; 5 , , ./■...; ''/ih connection with railway-con-struction, during, the year 106 miles 30 chaink of lines have been completed') and handed over to the Working Railways Department for ordinary operations. In addition to the lines handed over for incorporation ill the railway system, , traffic . has been carried on by/ my Department on. sixtynine miles of railway which are either' not. absolutely complete or the couVror OH Which by: ray' Department Isessential in tho n H)terert»po,t. ccamomy of construction Of other pofl/biis not yet completed, but which are so interconnected with the completed portions as to indicate, that- the contiol should still (be retained in the hands ; of tli© Publip Works Department. It has also been decided that the construction of the last link; in Pictori-Bluff'... Railway—'namely,; ,th® part between' Parnassus and Whafa’nui—should he resumed as soon as the: rout© had been decided upon and,, the necessary surveys completed. At the northern end there is a considerable distance on which only one route is available; sufficient of this has been pegged out, and a commencement with construction has been made. On the remaining length surveys are in hand and the route is being pegged. ’ Work on the railway designed to connect Westport and Nelson with the rest of the railways of the South Island by a junction with the present West Coast lines at Inangahua Junction is being vigorously pushed forward. Unfortunately, the disastrous earthquake which so badly damaged the northern end .of the South Island on the 17th June, 1929, interrupted this work, it being necessary to transfer almost the whole, of the men from the railway-works to open up road communications’in the adjoining districts. The dislocation of the ground throughout the whole length to be followed by this railway has resulted in a great number of enormous slips,, in addition to rendering unstable- the ground whicli has not yet slipped. The result of this will be a great :n-----erease jn the cost of this railway over and' above what it would have been estimated at prior to the earthquake. The line.has not yet been surveyed in detail throughout, but as soon as it ,is possible to open up a pack-track io allow engineering, surveyors to penetrate the country the survey will be resumed. . .. The total vote proposed for railwayconstruction, this year is £1,65(5,000, this being a very considerable increase on the £1,002,872' spent last year. The fate of progress on railway-con-struction, has been generally expedited in accordance with the Prime Minister’s policy of bringing the railways under construction’ to a paying-point as early as possible. The reason ipr this is obvious, particularly as This ;policy has enabled the employment of additional men on reproductive work rather than on relief works, which, although useful works and eventually necessary, were not so urgently Required by the country. The . Triwa Flat Deviation, which will cut out the heavy grades' and circuitous lines between Wellington and Taiwa Flat, is now being ener'ght'iCaliy pushed. , Every available “face in the tunnels is manned. The

very latest tunnelling machinery has been installed, with the aid of which ifc is hoped to considerably further increase the number of men engaged. Detailed investigations have been in hand in regard to what 'is known as the Gowan hydro-electric scheme in the Nelson District. The damage resulting from the recent earthquake has affected , the position, and it is - ' not possible, to give any definite indication in regard to this scheme pending further investigations which are now in hand.

The r’oadihg operations of the Department,.,'particularly, the provision of communication facilities for the people in the backblocks, as previously stated, has been one of my closest studies. The ultimate goal to which I aspire is that of providing every landowner with such access as will enable him to transport his produce from the farm to the seaboard with celerity. and economy at all times in the year, and which will furnish to liim and his household the conven'ience of easy access to their ordinary markets and to their fellowcitizeiis of the Dominion.

In preparing the public-works roads estimates for'this financial year I have amended to some extent the system of allocation of . the roads vote to the different districts which has ibeen .in''use. for some years past. A careful review of the operation of,‘his system indicated quite conclusively 'that it was hot applying as equitably as could be wished, and it was quite apparent tlijit while some districts were receiving unduly liberal treatment others;)were being penalised. The governing factor responsible for this posit ion) appeared to be that known as “paper roads.” A perusal of any standard county lithograph will show the great number of legalised but unformed roadf a great many of wjiihh there will be no ne- ' cessity to construct for very many years. Under the old system of ,’al-' location of funds there were all taken into consideration in allotting the roads vote, and the greater the mileage of unformed roads the greater the amount of money the district would receive, even though perhaps many of the roads would never he formed. This appeared to be hardly reasonable or fair, and the incidence of this factor to a great extent appeared to qpset the balance of the other factors. > I therefore amended the system yin this respect and took into consideration only those legal unformed roAds which a careful review indicated might be expected in the course 'of development to receive attention ill; the next few years, Other ariiendmerits to the automatic system of a ittore or less minor nature have also been made, and, although a certain Amount of criticism has .'been received as a result of tjie alterations from those, districts whose alllocations 'have been reduced it is felt that so far as the whole Dcminion is concerned the system will now operate F 'jn a much more equitable nianner -thith ' formerly, and those > districts .most iin need of development will get,/.the; assistance from the roads vote to which, when all factors are considered, ~they are justly entitled. The Main Highways Board has continued' the?; excellent work which it has done in the past, and I found that it enjoys, the confidence of : the local bodies with whom it in such close touch, and that the local .authorities and motorists generally are not stinting in their appreciation of the great improvement that has taken plaie in the roading fo New Zealand since the Highways Board was constituted. 1 During the year the main-highway system was extended to include/ 3,753 miles of secondary highway, while tl(e general maintenance subsidy for the whole system, which now comprises 10,403 miles of main highways, was 'increased from £1 10s for £1 to £2 for £l.

The position regarding unemployment has, since my' assumption of. office, given me causo for grave cnicer n, and much thought has been devoted to how the problem could best jbe (liandjed. On assuming offiee I found that 2,935 men Were engaged on relief works by my Department, at a wage of 9s per day for single men and 12s per day for married; men, the standard rate of wages being 14s per days. The Government considered the matter and decicled that the wages of relief workers vere to be raised to the standard rate of 14s, and this was immediately done. While endeavouring to arrive at a permanent solution of fT* 6 unemployment problem I have not lost sight of the fact that immediate relief was urgently necessary, and my Department has used every effort to absorb the maximum number of men possible on its various works. The placing of large numbers of men 011 public works is, however, not a permanent means of overcoming the difficulty. The Government, realising this fact, has given very full consideration to various schemes which would mean, the permanent removal ef considerable numbers from the ranks of the unemployed, and it is anticipated that during the present summer several 1 of these schemes will he finalised and put into operation, thus materially relieving the position so far as next winter is concerned. I As honourable members are aware, the Government has given an under- | taking that all unemployed capable of employment will be placed in work ; at a certain date. A sub-committee of Cabinet has the matter in hand, and proposals in this direction aie at the present time receiving that cbmmittee’s attention.' EXPENDITURE.

The total net expenditure under all votes and accounts appearing on the public-works estimates for the financial year ended 31st March, 192.1. Was £8,331,884. Of this sum £3,777,.006 was expended out of Genera!

Purposes, Account, and; she balance, £4,554,878, out of special accounts.

WAYS AND MEANS,

On the Ist April, 1928, the avail able ways and means for publicworks purposes were £10,262,397. The estimated expenditure the account for the current financial year is £5,001,339.

RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION. Vs

' 5 The expenditure has been ' much; heavier than that of the previous year, and constitutes a record. , The total length of all lines under construction over which. goods and messenger traffic has been run during the year is 69 miles, and ■ these services have been of great service and benefit to the settlers who could take advantage of the railway. This is in accordance with the Department's policy of making works earn revenue at the earliest possible moment, and giving the public the advantage of the facilities as soon as can safely be done.

Midland Railway. —The formation of this railway has now been completed to Cowan station-yard, a distance of approximately 4 miles, and the line has been lai.d and ballasted. All the station buildings' at Gowan have been erected. Settlements and movements due to the earthquake of the 17th June will necessitate further ballasting-work.

Formation is now in hand for 5 miles beyond Gowan. Ap additional 250 men Were .engaged oh this "railway during the last six months. .Westport to Inaiigaiiua Railway,— On the Cascade and Hawk’s -Craig section of this railway the formation is complete for a distance' of 5 miles and is in hand over further 3 miles. Two largo fillings and two tunnels on this portion are in hand.

South. 'lsland Main 'J‘ru^- ! Railway.—A start has been' lyd tb the formation at \Vharahui■; on -Hu north end, cleaning , up thW - portion that was formed thirtqerif; . ago: The erection of workers*'’"’accommodation is in hand. RAILWAYS, . ADDITIONS TO OPEN LINES. The not expenditure out of the Public Works Fund for the year ended 31st March, 1929, amounted to £213,465 2s 3d. This sum covered the provision of new rolling-stock, motor-vehicles for road service, improvements and additions, to statioh buildings, water . seryirifej' > cranes, |Wieighbridges, ,and 'other operating plant, train-control lines and instruments, additional dwellings, and purchase of land. RAILWAYS IMPROVEMENT AUTHORISATION ACT’, 1914. ,

The expenditure undej the Railways Improvement 'Authorisation Act, 1.914,-, amounted to £2,6(97,617,' include ing the sum of £97,791, proportion of the cost of Raisingi?tlie' Tba'ti. The works included in this expendit.ne were new stations and yards, goodssheds, and 'term'inaT' \ facilities ' at Auckland amid Wellington; duplication, Horotiu-Frankton; new lines, Hutt Valley and Auckland-Westfield; new locomotive-depots at Auckland and Greymouth; deviations between Ravensbourne and at Palmers,ton NorthUand)'.Tawat Flat; locomotive workHiops » arid equipment; bridge-strengthening; eilectrificatlon. of railway between Lyttelton and /Christchurch,, including electric h>c 0motivelY ;;s, mtriVloclring.;/.autoinatic .a n d power signalling, telegraph and telephones, safety appliances/and electric ’lighting. : ... * /. >

HYDRO-ELECTRIC DEVELOPMENT

The present policy of electric-sup-ply development may ibe considered as having been actively commenced when work was first 1 started at Coleridge in 1910 on the first- of the nain Government generaffing-stations. That station came into operation about the end of 1914, so that the year just completed is the fourteenth year .during which Government supply has been in operation. During the past year progress has been well maintained. The annual expenditure was £943,807, increasing the total capital spent on hydro-electric works from |£7,533,928 to £8,467,735. . A largo portion of this—about, £2,000,000--is represented' by works, mainly at Arapuni, which had not at the end of the year come into operation, hut whichwill gradually, .come in dining the present year. .

. ROA(D CONSTRUCTION. v During the last financial year the construction -and improvement of roads throughout the Dominion were actively .prosecuted, with the result that many settlers who have been handicapped in .the past for want of reasonable road access have now had that handicap removed, and vast improvement lias also been effected to the already partially completed roads by way of widening and surfacing. The expenditure on the construction of roads and main highways reached the very large sum of £l- - which is considerably in excess of any previous record. This figure appears very high, but I think that when consideration is given to the absolute necessity for good roads i;n the proper development of the country the expenditure will he found to be justified. A large portion of the expenditure mentioned was incurred on roads which were put in hand during the year for the purpose of easing the unemployment situation, a very large number of relief works having been engaged on roadworks. Although in ordinary circumstances some of the roads so treated would not have been constructed for several years, care has been exercised in selecting only those roads which will be of benefit to existing settlement ,or .those likely tc promote new .settlement at an early date. In short, every effort has Leer, made to utilise the services of relief workers as much as possible on reproductive works. ■ Good use was also made of the

•funds set aside in the “Access' .‘to outlying districts” vote, considerable <..ssi.stai.ee Having been given during the year to many of the far-back settlers who .have suffered from access difficulties for some time. The constitution of the special vote lor * ’Dackij.oek districts has ! bi*en so successful that I feel justified ju asking Parliament to increase it Tor ■ the present year. V-" UAi regard to the automatic! allocation of (funds under • the Roads vote, the factors upon which the allocation has been based were: Area, 5 per cent; population, 5 per cent; amount of general and special rates, 5 per cent; total mileage of roads m use apart from metalled or surfaced roads, 5 per cent; loans for roads, 5 per cent; estimated amount to complete all as metalled roads, 37)- per cent; and value of undeveloped Crown and Native lands, 37) per cent. The system in accordance with these factors has been in operation for several years, but as it was Jolt that it was not meeting requirements satisfactorily, in that It, was definitely known that some districts were 'receiving a larger quota of the funds than their requirements over a period of years indicated as neeessnn, and as a result others were receiving less than they* otherwise would,, the question was thoroughly gone into with a view to ascertaining whether an alteration in the factor-' would result in. a. fairer distribution of the vote.-}/ ■ '. /•"/ , T

4fter careful investigation it,; wqs decided to amend the system ' by. , j.|c- ', Ming “area” and “population'; 1 ” aisp adding the percentages from' tli/so; factors to those for “total mileage byroads in use apart from mritalled or' surfaced roads’’’ and “loans lor roads,” thereby increasing the allowance for those two factors;,to TO; per cent in each case/' In. addition, the third factor was altered to al|o«‘ for general rates only, in lieu vof general and special, . and Unformed’ legal roads (i.e., paper ’roads) were deleted from the computation in the sixth factor, allowance being made only for those roads upon which some formation work had been carried out or which wil soon he brought into

The factors in the new scheme are therefore—Amount of general ’rates. 5 per eenlt; total mileage of roads in use apart, drop metalled or surfaced roads, 10 per’ cent; loans for roads. 10 per cent;' estimated amount t< complete all roads (apart from loga unformed, roads) as metalled roads. 37), per cent; and value of undevel oped Grown and Native land, 37) . pel cent.

These alterations had the desired effect, and the amended system has been pul Into operation this year, ii being confidently anticipated that fhfc year’s experience will prove tut soundness of and justification for the aletration.

The expenditure on the renewal ol bridges was slightly more dining t.hyear .tha.nl it was in 1927-28, with The result that many more old worn-ou structures in various parts of the Dominion were replaced.

"The damaged caused to erally by floods was) considerably less; but, nevertheless, a fairly large sum was expended, clihefly on minor 10pairs. .•

POST AND TELEGRAPH BUILDINGS’

The need still/exists at .many places for new or additional accommodation for the conduct of post and telegraph business. During the year, however, satisfactory progress was made with the building programme. Notable works were the erection of a post-office building at Waverley, the making of extensive .additions to the post-offic buildings at Hawera and Waipukurau. and the erection of a large garage at Dunedin.

At Greymouth extensive alterations and additions are being made to the chief post-office building. The: maintenance, of post-office buildings and fittings involves considerable expenditure. Control of this expenditure was assumed bv the Post and Telegraph Department from the beginning of the financial year 1928-29. Previously such expenditure was controlled bv the Public'Works Department. , On 17th June last a severe earthnuake occurred in Nelson, Westport, and Greymouth districts, causing extensive damage to the Nelson, GreyMouth, and Westport post-offices. So extensive, was t|ie damage at Westport that the building lias had to be demolished, the Postal Department now carrying on its business at the Public Works office until a new building is erected. The net capital expenditure on | Postal and Telegraph offices last year was £62,086.

The expenditure on mental hospitals last year amounted to £96,782.

EDUCATION

For the year ended 31st March, 1929, the sum of £375,352 was spent on new school buildings, additions, sjtes, and teachers’ residences. Of this amount 6247,348 was expended in connection with primary schools.

The following table shows for the year ended 31st March, 1929, the amount expended by the Department on new buildings, sites, and teachers’ residences: —,/ £ Primary schools 217,418 Secondary schools ... 44,382 Techn’cal schools 23,281 Training colleges 2,223 Universities ... 1,564 Native schools 6,044 Special schools 12,277 Free kindergartens 967 Massov ,Agricultural College 32,546 Canterbury Agricultural College 4,650 Total £375,352

TOURIST “AND HEALTH RESORTS

The expenditure was £39,254, as against £36,073 for the previous year. The erection of a hostel at- Milford Sound to accommodate sixty guests was completed, and was in use during last season. It is provided with electric light and every modern convenience, v.ind'stourists will no\V spend longer, 'friiflts to. this- beautiful'scenic resort.

•Tlfti new engine for the steamer on hake fe Ariau was purchased and in■talled. and extensions to the Rotorua electrical system were completed. ' . -

The large additions to the hostel at Waitomo were also finished. This building., will now accommodate one liundred’ ? 'tourists. '•%.

TELEPHONE EXCHANGES. ||j

The steady expansion and growth of the local-exchange systems which lids characterized telephone development in New Zealand during recent years was continued during 1928, the number of new connections installed being 12,119, as compared with an average o'f 12,112 per year during the preceding •tve years. The total number of tele?, ohone connections with departmental exchanges at the 31st March was 147,936, the number of telephones'connected with toll stations and non-de-

partmental stations 4,605, making pi •-tal of 152,541, which represents over L en telephones per hundred) of the

>on 'lotion, a.telephone density exceed-

d only by Cafft, jt'cln. ... A- „featl|re j'.of jfjit ‘ini* larg/? ft|i4|hei>|bf ! ||i^er-igomm}i-. > tailed, 4fi |;oer cent, as compared with 4s; per cefijfc in the case of main stations, 'jlthis wag due,;to a-J#rge extent to the . . luuriberj of, jfqstiaHod! ip business houses. The lojtj}! |nteTßcbinmunicating system in modi; ipopftjar demand was the key-box intq£i '5 shape tjifpe, large numbers of which were installed in business establishments where the requirements in interummuni siting facilities did not exceed twenty positions. Next in order of demand were private branch exchanges of the full automatic type with capacities •arying from twenty extension stations upwards. The latest development in the auto-matic-telephone industry is the manufacture of a small type of automatic exchange suitable for rural cdmmuni; ties and capable of giving a twenty-four-hour service. One of such systems has been obtained by the Department, "nd will shortly be installed in a suit-

able rural locality with a view to testing out its suitability. in actual practice if of r the ‘exacting conditions that, prevail.-in rural exchange areas in New Zealand, and where a twenty-four-hour service: tinder ’manual conditions would be economically prohibitive. Should the trial prove successful and, the actual costs be reasonably low, the, question of installing twenty-four-houi;-service automatic exchanges in rural “>nrnniunities will be fully investigated. For economic reasons, however, tire development of such a policy would have to proceed gradually, as a laiige capital expenditure*would" be involved.

HARBOURS,

.At Westport during, the past year : ; the;;.‘T^^l4hefft r onrerned. over the peysisteot (Shoaling. which took place" on the bar during ( fie earlier,:portion, .of the year.. .*This ,hepn dealt with byadopting , an lei-eleyated, dredging, .programme, three,; dr-edges, being:,iip constant -operation}. >' frangejnentsp.fi re: • now. ia- hand, -how-, •ver, to extend the breakwaters, and t is anti ipated that this will lessen the amount of dredging required. The protective works at Organs Island have leen completed, and the harbour facilities generally have been '(well maintained. The recent earthquake 'lid a considerable amount of damage to the wharves but this is well under : repair.

At Karamea the construction,, of f he tra'ning-wall is being steadily pro•ceded with. All preliminary work was completed and a start- has beefi ■made with the depositing of stone. The recent earthquake, lias considerably lamaged the staging and so,n\e of fhe work already ; dqne. ' but,, efforts-.!,;are being niade, ta ; repair .this -and- push ahead as. speedily as possible,' At Waikokppu a contract was-(Jet for the construction of a stone break-water,-and the contractoy .is making good progress, two miles and a half of tramway having been built, .quarry opened tip, and a quantity of stone placed in position. A number -of wharves have been erected and small harbour improvements carried' out in various parts of .the Dominion, for which funds ha-ve been provided either in whole or part by. the Government.

LIGHTHOUSES. During the past year the various aids to navigation round the coast of New Zealand .have been added -o by the installation of additional lighthouses and by the provision of apparatus for bringing some ,of the oh! er installations up-to-date. ,A new automatic flashing light has been installed at the North Cape, and should be of great assistance to' shipmasters, as it provides a definite turii-infr-T>oint to vessels navigating these northern waters.

Y ' t Manukau Heads the older type of light has been replaced by an up-tp-date automatic flashing-apparatus The provision of a light between Oape Palliser and Castle Poin't to indicate the position of the Kaliu Rocks has been urged by the Merchant Service Guild for some time past, and a lighthouse complete with a modern incandescent Dalen light has been built- and is now in operation. This apparatus is operated automatically throughout, and only requires tending about twice a year.

The existing light at Cape (Egmont is not now suited for this locality, being a fixed light pure and simple, so that the necessary apparatus ,tb convert it into revolving light has been procured and wil} he installed very shortly. —, p At the entrance to Tory Channel, a new automatic flashing light is being erected on the West Head and the existing oil-burning leadling-beacons are being replaced by more, modern acetylene outfits. Among the principal works proposed for .the coming year .are the transfer from Pencarrow to Baring Head and the modernizing of the old high-level light as well as the existing fog-Signa),. the conversion to automatic flashing of"" Godley Head and ' Moeraki Lighthouses, and the installation of a fogsignal at Taiaroa Heads.

CONCLUSION. •, In conclusion I wish to acknowledge with thanks, the loyal support and assistance I have received from all menL hers of mv staff. The Department has been called upon to work at exceedingly high pressure. The large increase ik the number of men employed and‘the vigorous prosecution of all works ip hand represent increased , work for the permanent staff. The 'fact that practically no additions •' 'to the staff have been asked for, notwithstanding the heavy programme in hand, gives cause for congratulation, and is an indication that each officer' from the highest to the lowest is carrying his portion of the load. ' '' - iCY/.

As appendices to' tins' Statement hon 7 ourablh members, (will hrid full’details of the principal works; carried out by the Department in, the reports of the 1 Engineer-in.-Chief, Government Architect, Chief Electrical Engineer, and Main Highways Hoard respectively.