PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 2046, 25 October 1919, Page 3

PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

The Public .Wm*ks Statement was made by the Minister of Public Works (Sir William Fraser) in the House on Thursday evening. Its salient features may be briefly summarised as follows; —

The number of men in the employ of the Department is still 1,500 below the pre-war mark. As a result of the very slight increase in the number of employees only £522,092 has been expended out of the £976,055 provided on’ the Estimates,

Lake Coleridge undertaking continues .increasingly remunerative, the net revenue for the year exceeding the cost of working by £20,186, After paying interest on the capital investment a sura,of £4,494 remains, which has been placed towards-the Deprecial ion Ac count. Mangahao. —At Mangahao, since the Ist of April last, the construction of the road to give access to the various sections of the work s has been pushed on. The formation has been completed beyond the central reservoir to the top of the hill overlooking the Mangahao, and a. start is now being made with the metalling. A complete steam-generating power plant of 260 horse-power capacity lias been ordered to supply power lo the machinery required in the construction of the tunnels and other works. Arrangements have been made to establish a small sawmill on the site Lo cut the requisite timber. Difficulty has been found in obtaining a supply of suitable labour. Temporary boardinghouses have been established for the men employed, and plans are ready for the erection of huts and dining and recreation rooms when timber is ava liable.

Preparatory work has been started in eonneetion with (lie Arapuni scheme, and arrangements are being made to further develop (lie Ilorahora works, the purchase of which from the Waihi Gold Mining Company was announced recently. A maximum of 3,325 horse-power has to bo supplied to the vendors, leaving -1,675 horse-power available for distribution throughout the surrounding districts. Provision is being made to complete the plans of the Waikaremoana works, and statutory provision is to be made this session for the full cost of establishing these works.

The expenditure on railways for the year ended 31st March last was £206,020 on new construction, and £01,003 on additions (o open lines. £226,073 was expended on roads and £235,816 on public buildings. Telegraph extension expenditure accounted for £108,611. Lighthouses, harbour .works and harbour defences, etc., accounted for £5,302; Tourist and Health resorts expenditure for £1,620; electric power supply and development £0,254, and irrigation and water supply £13,665. The Department expenditure was £1.15,419 and £20,638. The disbursements on all accounts from the Public Works Fund for the year amounted to £1,207,482. Included in the expenditure on buildings daring (he year were the additions and alterations to the Palmerston North Post Otlico. Works are in progress on 2!) sections of railway throughout the Dominion. Provision is being made for roncling and bridging to the amount of £1,000,000 during the current year, “To have attempted to comply with all requests would (the Minister says) have necessitated providing over £2,000,000, which would have been absurd for one year’s operations.”