PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

Kumara Times, Issue 598, 28 August 1878, Page 2

PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

MIDDLE ISLAND RAILWAYS: the, Publid’:\tfo*ka/ Statement delivered by the Hon..Mf > Macandrew last evening, we * fextrkct the * follow. ■ Tn reference to the working railways of the Middle Island, ~ ; , v - Seven hundred and fortyronei, miles wow open, of which Sl were during the paat.year. The not balance of receipts over expenditure available for payment pf interest was against £ 118,000 for-the previous showing a percentage on the whole outlay for construction 0L2:65£-a favorable' result, seeing, some s 6f ‘ the lines included in t ( he outlay have only been opened recently, and others, are still, unfinished. The total nunißeh.of passengers was 1,159,147. The working expenditure on the Dunedihg section had been heavy, owing .to £36! per mile having to be spent on hew" rails and fastenings. The works proposed in the 1 Middle Island for the future are:—Otago Central—Dunedin to Albert Town, Lake Wauaka, 160 miles, <£1,100,000. Amberley to Brunrierton, 110. miles, £950,000 ; G> evrnouth to Hokitika, 26 miles, ;£220,0p0, Canterbury—lnterior main line,.Oxford toTemuka, 85 miles, £380,000 j South Ashburton to Ashburton Forks, 20 miles, £55,000 ; Albury extension to Heriot Barn; 3,0 miles, £40,000 j Fortrose to Edendale, 26 miles, £IIO,OOO ; Otantau to Nightcaps, 16 miles, £95,000; Waitned 'to Switzers, 15 miles, £70,000 ; Luinsden to MararOa, 3*s' mites, £1 ; 80,000 ; Valley blanch line, 9 milbS, Tapanui to Heriot Burn, miles, £40,000 ; Waireka. branch to Livingstone, 16 miles, £105,000. Making a total length of proposed railways the Middle Island of 5T6| miles, at a total cost of £3,565,000. Adding td this an amount of £1,817,000, which is the estimated cost of completing and putting into working’ order the lines already authorised and opened for traffic in the Middle, Island, we shall have a total of £4,662,900 for that island. As regards the Otago central, will recollect that this House last session, both by resolution and by act, affirmed that 100 miles of this line through Strath Taieri to Clyde should: be proceeded with, : Vaud 'the Souse also*^passed;a v r^lhtiW[-fa compliance with which acres Of Crown lands have; been reserved frOih sale, with the view of devoting the-^ro-

ceeds when they nro sold to ) lie con.si ruction of this portion of (he line. It is now proposed to..extend the line from Clyde.-to Lake Waimka. adistance of 60 miles, for some 50 miles of which the eountry is as level as a howling green, ■of which the whole pf it being Crown lands and;available for settlement. My belief is that no other of the lines now proposed Will promote, settlement and increase the productive power of the Colony to the same extent as the Otago cent rah and I venture to predict that many years will.-not-pass without this line being extended to Hokitika via the Haast Pass. The length of that •extension from Albert Town, the now contemplated'termination of the line, is only 190 miles, and the highest point of the range to be crossed is ’ only 1,700 feet as against 3,000 feet in the next line we propose to undertake, that, namely, from Atnberley to Brtmnerton, « distance of 110 niiles. Although it •does not appear that this AmberleyErunner line, in proportion to its length and construction, will open up a very large extent of country suitable for settlement, yet the a:rea of such land that w,ill-be Opened up is by no means inconsiderable, and the proceeds of its sale will go far towards defraying the cost of the work. There can be no room for doubt that the traffic between the East arid West, Coasts will by this line be developed enormously; it is estimated that even now were the line at work there would bo at lease 1,000 tons of coal brought across weekly, and if, as;l believe, this .coal, which is quite, equal to the heat Newcastle, can be put into ships’ holds at Lyttelton for aohiewhere about a £1 a ton, it is difficult. to place any other limit than that of;the carrying capacity of the line «ppn the traffic which would be developed. There is also an unlimited quantify of timber which would find its way to market hy this railway. Honorable meihherswill gather from the,Engineer’s report that much exploration will be required before the exact route he det£rmihed. From Brunnerton to Greymouth, as members are aware, there is now a railway in operation, and we ffroltose to continue it to Hokitika, a distance of 26 miles, Amberly to Brunnerton will pass through nearly 300,000, acres of freehold, and render available 400,000 acres of Crown land; Greymouth to Hokitika will affect 85,000 .actes of forest ..land belonging to the Crown.

Summing up the proposals I have had 1 the honor to submit, they will lie foirnd, to involve an expenditure for railways for the North Island of 4^J33,poj3 K and in,the Middle Island ofi £4,652,000, altogether £8,385,000.