PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XII, Issue 1744, 26 June 1886, Page 2

PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

DELIVERED IN THE HOUSE LAST NIGHT.

Mr Speaker, although I am making the annual Statement of the proceedings of the Public Works Department at a period earlier m the year than has been the cufltotnin previous sessions, I have no ; doubt that a good deal of the interest which is. usually felt on such an occasion as the present, has been allaytd owing to my colleague, the Colonial Treasurer, having already given m his Financial Statement, an outline of the proposals of the^ Government regarding public works generally, for the year we have just entered upon; t It will not therefore be necessary for n»e to extend my remarki to such a length as I did last year. DISTBIOT RAILWAYS. Hon. members may remember that I announced last; session that arrangements had* been come to for the purchase of all the district railways authorised to be purchased, except the Waimea Plains Line ; but that we had failed to arrange for that line. During the recess, however, negotiations were again opened with the Waimea Company, and after a considerable amount of correspondence an arrangement has been come to for the purchase of that railway, subject of course to the ratification of Parliament. The correspondence on this subject will be laid upon. the table m a few days. . I also think it right to mention that when I brought this matter before the Cabinet three of my colleagues, the Premier, the Colonial Treasurer, and the Minister for Mines, requested thattbey should m no way be consulted, and Hhe ■ negotiations between the Company and the Govern* ment ha ye been carried on by the other members of the Cabinet and myself. Should Parliament .see- fit to ratify the . agreement now entered into, a veryjgreat ' source of trouble and expense will be got rid of m the working of the. Qoyern ment railways m that district; and ..at' the same time the public will be better served. and the ratepayers greatly reHeyed. s AN though Bteps were takto immediatei\\ after the end of last session to complete the purchases and make payments for the railways then arranged for, it is only quite recently that we have been ena r bled to complete these purchases, the necessary conveyances having been delayed) from a variety of causes, chiefly difficulties as regards title's to land. Consequently the lines have had to be worked all through last year under the same arrangements as existed previously. As the} land-owners around these railways have to pay rates to make ud any de. ficiency m the interest' on cost, as fixed by statute, separate accounts will have to be kept and. the question. of rates and; charges will have to be watched with great care, as the ratepayers' interests do not always coincide with the interests of those who haye .< these railways. The charges on all these lines require revision, and the matter is now beng carefully considered. RAILWAYS IN COURSES OP CONSTRUCTION AND PROPOSRD, INCLUDING ADDITION TO OPENED RAILWAYS. ".'.*''■ Wh^ngarei . Kaino Railway. — A survey has been made of the proposed extension of this 'railway to deep water, and the probable cost estimated at about £40,000. As an alternative to this project, enquiries have also been made as to whether the navigation can be m any way improved, and I am informed that a good effect m»y be produced by removing some of the rocks fr<>m v thc tunnel, If this can be done at moderate cost, the work will be put m hand; but until there is enough money forthcoming to extend this rail way to the kauri fomst at Puhipuhi, the Government cannot recommend the expenditure necessary to take the coal alongside deetti-going steamers. The railway to Pulwpnhi, and • extension to deep water, are estimated together to cost about £loo,ooo. Extension of the , Trunk Line, northwards from.- 'Helens..viile,; — The 0-bver'nment has not- altered its opinion as ' given m my Statement last year with reference to the merits of. this liae, and, therefore^ again .propose that a vote, shall betaken to. provide for its 'extension to tne' firsts' .pjoiijt. . which . will be found remunerative, viz., * dig. tance about 9 miles. The line, can then be continued northwardß,' section by "] "soot ion, as funds are provided. As was also shown last year, titere,are timbered : landß,r and valleys containing considerable.afeas of rich agricultural land, well fitted 'for settlement throughout the pro- - posed v> route of' this railway^ and the cost per mile would n»t be inora thau the average of our railways already '. constructed. 1 It is estimated that the cost of extending this line to Omapere, : n -distance of 110 miles, will! be about £715,000. I am also assured that if found desirable, the railway cm, be continued northwards/to Victoria Valley, at about the oame average cost per mile. The authority which I propose to ask the House for an account of this railway, will provide for about 12 miles of formation, but as no working survey has yet been made, a contract cannot\be let for some months to coiriei andfthp; usual expenditure during this financial year, will not, therefor*, exceed about/ £4000. Kaipara - Waikato —. Several further improvements m curves and "gradients of this rai|wa.y have been made duringthe year, with the view of reducing the cost of working the lint, between flelensville and Auckland. Plans have been prepared for a consider-., able deviation m the Vicinity of Kings- . land station; but the cost of tha work is • too much to permit of its being undertaken, at present. Between Mtrcer and Taupiri we have also cut. down two steep gradients that existed, and we shall thus be able to "do , all the work on that line with a lighter class of engine than has hitherto bf>en used: A- new aiding . has been laid m Newmarket Junction, which will be the means of making a considerable saving both m the time of - running the trains and the cost of work ing, and at tbe same time we hare pro* pared the ground at Newmarket for additions to the workshops. The' new passenger station at Auckland has been opened for some months, and although long delayed, Auckland has a station well suited to its requiremfeht*. ; It hitis' ajso been found necessary to make large additions to the accommodation^ at the Ruahiira Junction, m order to work the lines which aft do rapidly increasing m length m this diptrict, and still further expenditure will be necessary at this spot. The inadequacy of this railway fo carry the traffc between Auckland and Penrooe has long been felt, and tnn Government considers that: the tipiei; baa ■' come to lay a second lirie alongside t&e existing traok, or else to construct a.relieving line, either via Rerauera to Pen-: rose, or^rlft Freeinan^. B»y' .to i join the Kaiparaiine. The first of those plans would probably be cheaper, but as against that the grade along that route is considerably steeper than it would be : along either or the loop-linei. Tfie question of route baa not as yet been absolutely dotermined, but it is necessary tii at work should be commenced very, shortly. However, I have decided to asV the House to place a sum of 5£300,000 to complete so much of the work as may' be undertaken this year, but-of this auin riot iriore than about £5000>will be expended before the end of „ next. The survey of the branch railway to the oonl mine at, Hiintley baa been completed, including plant for a brjdge over tbo - Waikato River.,, read^ id call for tenders \ but at th» p\W»moteri have riot as yet been able to ice their way to noifpt the terms off«red'in." Tb» Railway* Antliorisation Act, :1884," nothing further bai lte«n done m the • matter.- Hamilton—Gra--I)«wilj6wn and Hamilton— T« Arolm, Thta line wt« opeoed for publio traffic nti the lit Marat) laat. (jrahamiitowo— To Arofu, Coniiderable pr.pgffM *ha| , bßßu.miKjo.wlth tb« tonttruciion of tbli lint dunng the yt»f. Some difflcglM«t Hivi mum* «w!«f ta ihinMlYi (w^

tivo Department hare agreed with the Natives, and no further trouble is anticipated. Authority which will be »sk«d for m the Estimates provides ior completing the two f^otions of this railway '• on which work has already been done, naraefy :--Kaner*nga -section^ 4£ miles,/ . and the Hikutaita section 8| miles. The former of these- requires stations, and fencing, etc., and the latter requires bridge*, pl&telayiug, and stations. Morrisville to Boto'rua railway. The purchase of this railway was completed on 21 si December laat,.and,its construction iti being carried on under the agreement sanctioned by the House last year. Morrisville to Lichfield.— Ou the portion from MLprrisville. to Lichfield the first length from Morrisville to Oxford was opened ou ßth March lastyindthe wraam d«r to Lichfiuld m now practically fiuisbed. Main Trunk Railway, North Island. As my colleague the Colonial Treasurer has already stated, there is every prospect of the Government becoming possessed of large . traots of land along the route of this railway and we consider that the work ought to be pushed on vigorously, and I propose asking the anthority of the House to expend, or to enter into contracts for, a much larger atnonnt this year than during last year. The works which were m hand during. -last year on this railway ure as follows: — At the northern end, commencing ■""? from Te Awamutu the Punui contract (length about 15 miles) including permanent way, has been steadily progressing and it is expected will be completed ready for traffic about October next. The Tetuki Section, about 11 miles, which was also to include permanent way, was advertised for tenders, m August "last, but had been withdrawn m consequence of a reduction made m ...the estimates last session, Beyond the end of this section, u there is Witeti Section, length about .9 miles, of which the working plans are complete and ready for contract. The Puro o Tarao Section, length (including tunnel) about H miles, which is distant about 58 miles from Te Awamutu, was let by contract m August last, to be completed August 1887. : To the southward of the tunnel, the working survey is completed for a ieftgtH of 4fcmiles. Contracts have also been let , for 66,000 sleepers, and 18,000 more have been taken rover from the working Railways Department. In addition to these works a large amount of work has also been done- in the shape of approach roads to get access to the; railway, and also a large amount of exploration and preliminary surveys to get the best line throughout the portions of railway which have not as yet been undertaken. For further details "concerning these latter items I would refer ' Hon members to the report of the Engi : neer-in-Chief , which will be attached to thisStateinent. I would also wish to take this opportunity of stating . distinctly, that m eases. where contracts- have been let to 'natives, they have done a great deal of work very satisfactorily and at moderate, prices, and wherever they have # demanded excessive grices the contracts ' have beeu advertised and let by public tender. At the southern end of the line the requisite railway station at Marton Junction has. been completed, including such buildings as will be necessary for the probable present traffic- The Porewa contract, length about 12 miles, including platelaying. commencing from Marton Junction, was let m April 1885, but has had to be taken out of the hands of the original contractor , and re-let to another contractor. It is now going on satisfactorily and, will probably be- completed about November next. The ire letting of the work involved no loss to the Colony except m the matter of delaying completion.; Commencing at the end of Porewa contract is the Hunterville Section, length about 6 miles, which was advertised for tender some time, back, but had to be withdrawn on account of , limited funds provided, and at the end of this section working surveys and plans have been completed: for a further length of about Smiles. At this, end of. the line also , a considerable amount of work has been done, including construction . of approach toads and further-survey works, which will be ioundjdetailed m report of the Engineer-in-Chief. The work required ;for im-' proving the, navigation, of tbff Wahgannh f river was . cominencqd m August last, and an available depth of about two. feet of water has already been obtained as far as Kaiwaka, forty-six miles above Wanganui, and between Kaiwaka and vPi pit iki similar work is m progress. At '.'Piplriki'" : A branch road will leave the river 'to go into the interior. Both ends of the work and survey at both ends of this railway were much delayed last year, m consequence of reductions made m votes, and although effort was made to stop works which could be stopped m sufficient time to keep expenditure and liabilities within the vote, it was found impossible to altogether attain this m consequence of the difficulty of communication, and there has consequently been an excess.of about £13,000. The authority which I now; propose to. ask for an account; of this railway will provide for completing all" the work at present m hand, also for additional works as follows: — The Tekuiti section, 11 miles, and the Waitete section 9 miles, at the abrth , enJ, r and tjhe Hunterville section, 5 miles, at the south end, and' also further Umprovements m the navigation of the Wanganui River, and the construction of further approach roads to give access to the railway works. Line connecting New Plymouth with , Main ,Trunk Line. During the recess although no further actual surveys., have been made still- a good deal of explorations have .taken place both by officers of the Lands Department and that of the Public Works, and we now have every reason to believe that a fairly good line can be got starting from a point on the main line, about 60 miles south of Te Awkmu.tu.foilowing the course or! the Ohura, the Te Ao and the Tangarakau rivers, then southwesterly across the. range to one of the branches of the Mimi river,' and along that river towards the coast sou ih ward to Waitara, This line would traverse a laree tract of first-class arable land m the valjey of the Ohura, and intersect the upper, portion of the extensive coal field, ..now .well defined, and will . make that coal : available for the use -. of all that portion of the Island from the Waikato to where the navigation of the Wanganui and Te Ao ceases. We have sufficiently reliable surveys and informations be able to say that the line will not beexcepcionallyexpensive.and that the length of > the connecting link between Waitara ■ and the main line would be about 75 uiiles. The cost will not exceed about £8000 per mile all through.and the greater portion of the very heavy country on the line reported from Stratford, two years ago, ■ will be avoided . "Whenever the House so .directs, a detailed survey of this line can be put m hand. Eeconnaissance survey of country between Napier and Opitiki via Gisborne. During ' the last recess I instructed the Engineer-in-Ghief to sen.l the Inspecting Engineer (Mr Knorpp) to Visit the district between Napier and Opitiki, traversing ihe country through Wairoa and Gisborne, and from thence to the-East Cape,as well as from Gisborne to. ODitiki. He has made; a rjeconnaisance survey of the country, with a view of ascertaining how it can best, be opened by railways or roads. His report contains a great deal of Useful information, and shows that the district lying to the north ■ andeaalof Gisborne oan be best Rerved by railway" communication, while' 'that between Gisborne and Napier, is so broken that a railway would almost be impracticable, and could therefore only be opened na by mads: This reoort (with mapsjL will be printed and 1 laid on the kble of the Hoaiewithin a few days . Welling, •ton and- Masterton.-— Very oonsiderabli additions have been made to the station aooommodation, . to the ''rolling stook and to the workshops on this line during the Tear, and'muoh more will bt .required to keep paoe with the inpreasiag trafflo. Napier- Wood vi lie— »The contrac tori/for the extension from T*Hon «lte tow«rdi VVoqdville ire w»kmf f*ir nrogriM with tha wprk, A ep^ H At Itol jwi W^edvilli, inglHtUpji

the railway station there, to be finished and .opened' for traffic m about twelve months. ! WoodvillePalraerston.— A #ntract is now ready to be let for Ihe, construction of, this line through the Gorge. This section will take about two years to complete,~owing to the Wavy nature of the road. The plans will be prepared for the completion on to Palmerston. Master-ton-Woodville.—Hon.. members are aware that the extension of this line has been very recently opened as far ,as Mauriceville. A further section of about 4 miles will" be opened m October next It is proposed to let the contract to l exterid this line 'M far as Eketahuna so soon as Parliament has sanctioned tlieW expenditure^ The Urge amount .of settlement taking place along the route of this section between Mauriceville and Pahiatua points to the desirableAess of continuing jhe .construction of this line, and if funds; are provided this will b&cjonie. F.oxtonNew Plymouth.— The branch line from New Plymouth to the break-; water has recently been opened and some slight modification' m the rates has been 'made. as is sure to prove of great benefit to the district. [The remainder of the Statement is \ held over.]