PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XII, Issue 1745, 28 June 1886, Page 2

PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

[Continued.] ROADS NORTH* OF AUOKLAm "»i The total expenSllure for last year ;on these roads was £33,703. Jtfk BO^DS AND BRIDGES GENERALLY, INoWd. ING MAIN ROADS AND MISCELLANEOUS ROADS AND BRIDGES. The amounts authorised „ for works under this beading (which are exclusive of roads north of Auckland, roads to open up Crown lands, roads on goldfields, IS3 'roads under^Be Roads and "Bridges" Construction Act) have gradually- decreased for some years, and the amount' which I propose to ask the House to authorise Pfor them thJs^yeariSj'^ifi'ifSund* numbers, £77,000 less than the amount authorised for the year 1883-84. jSpeakingstiti m round numbers, the amounts authorised for the Oast few years have been ?a* follows :--I§B3*BC £178,000 ; iBB4-85*£154,000; atfd 1886-^6, JB119,0!Op; and the amount which I propose; to ask the House to authorise this year is £101,000.. „ .-\ : ROADS TO OPEN UP CROWN' LANDS BEi FORE SALE. - .• > ' ... On the numerous works under designation, the laying out and construction of which are entirely under the control ' of tlfe Minister of* Lands, a sum of £61^974 has been expended within the twelve- months ended the 31st March last, ajpd the: liabilities on works m progress ¥t that date-were £61,372; It is proposed to! continue the expenditure at the rate' of £61,500 during the current year m further extension of road forma- ! ■tiding through the blocks of Crown lands under purvey m the^seveVal land districts • of -ihe / Colony* ■ J • J . . ■"; ..•••• ' "ill ■ • ROADS UNDER THE ROADS AND BRIDGES CONSTRUCTION ACT. - Main Boads : One fourth of the cost of work to be^Drovided, : or repaid m ten years, by the Local Body, and. the . balance to be found by the Government. — Under this heading, the total amount of the. applications received on the 30th June, 1885, when reduced m accordance with the Act ot 1883, came to £255,476. Of theie applications, thos|ltßiat were for the completion of bridges; already; commenced, amounting to $8336, were granted m full, but all the rest -were re'xuled, xrwihg to thet repeal of *He Act last session. In addition.to these prdinary applications.i.theW were.; also ;app!i- --* catioWfor repairs *6f extraordinary damages by floods, amounting to £7591, and grants were made to the extent of? £5287, namely, £4753 for bridges, and £B&k' f&r road* I Thejtotal applied for; altogether on account ' of main ) roads was, therefore, £263,067, andfthe total granted £13,623, of which ifl3}oß9 was for bridges and £534 for roads. Bis trict Boads and River Works : Total aihount' granted to be paid m Fifteen Years.— On account of this class of works ? the total amount 'applfed for -during the year ended 3 1st March last was £12,399, but owing to the repeal of the Roads and Bridges Construction Act no grants were 'made, with the exception of £ipi v to* complete works m terms of Section: 4*Sof the Act. ..•'*».■■>■■ * . , ; . .SUMMARY. „;.- : It will thus be seen that the total amount applied for under the. Act for works on main and district roads has been £275,466, and the total amount granted £13.814; , X PURCHASE OF' NATIVE LANDS, NORTff^IS-* LAND. ~ During - the past ' financial year the Native Land .Purchase- Department, under the control -of my* colleague, the Native Minister,': has completed the purchase of some twenty blocks, of ;land, containing m the aggregate over 100,000 acres. Good progress lias also been made m the, acquisition of lands adjacent to the- Northern Trunk .Line of railway. The WainQ|arino Block, of 490,000 acres, 'has been passed through the Natiye Land . Court and awarded to about one thousand owners, the majority of whom' have already sold their interests to the Crow^i . Over 1,500,000 acres of land m iheTaupb 'District have also recently-^passed "the" Court, and the Government is negotiating the purchase of several blocks witbin this district which are contiguous to the railway and otherwise suitable for settlement. : ;-■ - IMMIGRATION. ■ ' : The number of immigrants introduced for the period between Ist June, 1885, and the 80th April, 1886. was 545. This shows a considerable falling oflLf rom the numbers given m last year's Statement, but the falling off can be accounted for by the fact that the engagements with, persons whose passages had been 'held over were, as stated last year, nearly all fulfilled, and, further, by the increasedrate of payment for passages required to be made on making the nomination m the Colony. . fresh regulations for nominated immigration were issued on ; the 28th September, 1885. these a ■payment of £10 was required toward! the passage of each adult, and £5 towards the passage of chfld Sover. Tvf elye years Of age. ' These sumsHt is estimated represent half the total cost to the Colony : of an immigrant from the time he leaves his home m Great Britain until he be-? comes a settler m New Zealand. Since the date of the regulations 658 nominations have been received and forwarded to theAsrent-General, and an average of from 50 to 60 nominations -are sent, monthly, on which cash payments; are made Jh the Colony .of sums . varying from £400 to £50i0. The total number of immigrants of all clasjsai introduced into the Colony since .the inauguration of the immigration scheme by the Colonial Government is 112,493. ' , ■ '