PARLIAMENT.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5435, 28 August 1878, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Tuesday, August 27. The Hon. tha Speaker took the chair at tho usual hour. PETITIONS, ETC. A petition from a Maori was presented by the Hon. Mr. MantEll, and one from residents of Akaroa by the Hon. Captain Fraser.— Some papers were laid on the table, and a report of the Joint Committee on Bills was read. The report was to the effect that the Gatlin’s Eiver Bill was a public Bill.-.-Several notices of motion were given by the Hons. Captain Fraser and Mr. Hart. NEW BILLS. The Hon. Colonel WHITMORE gave notice of the Bating -Act and a Bill to amend tho Counties Act. The Dangerous Goods Act Amendment Bill and a Bill to amend the Juries Act, 1868, were read a first time and their second reading fixed for Friday. The Boad Board Act, 1878, was also read a first time; second reading on Tuesday, September 2, The Martin Annuity Bill was brought down from the House of Representatives, read a first time, and second reading fixed for Tuesday next. THE OFFICERS OP THE COUNCIL. The Hon. Sir D. BELL rose to move tho motion standing in his name on this subject. He recited tho circumstances connected with the appointment of tho Usher of tho Black Rod, and read what he had said in tho Lower Chamber on a former occasion. The sub. stance of this was that the House of Commons did not interfere with tho arrangements of the House of Lords, and he (Sir Dillon) thought that that precedent should be followed. In concluding, the speaker said that in his own opinion the offices of Sergeant-at-Arms and Usher of tho Black Rod were not necessary to the dignity of Parliament. He should ask tho Council to express an opinion as to whether the Hon. tho Speaker had acted in accordance with the wishes of the Council, as expressed in the resolution of last session. Of this he thought there could be no doubt. Secondly, ns to whether it is expedient, as the committee think it is, for the Government to express an opinion on the matter. . Sir Dillon Bell concluded by moving,— That the Council concur in the opinion that the course taken by tho Hon. the Speaker in placing such provision on the Council’s estimates was in obedience with the commands of the Council. Tho Hon. Col. WHITMORE explained that the item had come up in tho other Chamber somewhat by surprise. He had been informed since that had any explanation been offered the Committee of Supply would most likely have passed tho item.

Sir D. BELL then moved further, —That the general question of the provision necessary for the Council’s establishment be remitted back to the Standing Orders Committee, with instructions to search for precedents, and to report to this Council upon the best means of ensuring an agreement between the two Houses. The Hon. Oapt. ERASER said the question was a personal one. Had Mr, Lee been appointed there would have been no opposition to the item in the Committee of Supply. He had been so told by the mover of the resolution. After some remarks from the Hons. Col. Kenny, Mr. Hall, Mr. Mantell, and Mr. Reynolds, The Hon. the SPEAKER said the remarks of some hon. members had rendered it necessary that he should say a few words. He pointed out that he had made the appointment in accordance with a resolution of the Council, and if hon. members had any predilection in favor of any particular man he ought to have been informed of his name.

The Hon. Colonel WHITMORE said the onus of the appointment should hot be thrown on the Hon. the Speaker. The onus was as much his owu as the Speaker’s, for that hon. gentleman had mentioned the matter to him, and he had suggested the person who had been appointed, who had been a civil servant, and whose services were dispensed with through no fault of his own. The discussion dropped after the Speaker had stated that had he thought the Hon. Mr. Lee would have accepted the office he would have been appointed. NELSON HARBOR BOARD. The Hon. Mr. WATERHOUSE moved, — That the Nelson Harbor Board Bill be referred to a select committee, to consist of the Hon. Mr. Holmes, the Hon. Mr. Edwards, the Hon. Mr. Reynolds, the Hon. Mr. Buckley, the Hon. Mr. J. Johnston, the Hon. Mr Gray, and the mover. —Agreed to. RABBIT NUISANCE BILL. The second reading was moved hy the Hon. Colonel Whitmore. The Hon. Mr. WATERHOUSE supported the motion for the second reading. While the measure was a great advance, it was still capable, however, of great improvement. There could be no doubt that -this nuisance largely affected the production of wool. He was afraid, however, that the machinery in the Bill was too complicated. Simple machinery was required. The trustees must be armed with a much more arbitrary power. There should be a compulsory payment of the rabbit rate, else the Bill would be of none effect in some districts. He did not know how they would be able to deal with the native laud. Next ;his own property were 80,000 acres of native laud, which was little better than a huge rabbit warren; it was feared by the lessees they would have to abandon it altogether. He trusted that after the Bill was read a second time it would be referred to a select committee. The Hons. G. R. Johnson, Bell, and Holmes having spoken shortly, Colonel Whitmore replied, and the motion was agreed to. The Bill was then referred to a select committee. IN COMMITTEE. The Fraudulent Debtors Bill passed through without amendment, was reported, and ordered to be read a third time next day. The Friendly Societies Act Amendment Bill also passed without amendment, was reported, read a third time, and passed. Discussion on the Oamaru Waterworks Bill was interrupted by the adjournment hour. The Council adjourned at 5.30 p.m. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Tuesday, August 27. The Speaker took the chair at 2.30 p.m. PETITIONS. A petition was presented by Mr. Richmond from Dr. Duller, accompanying which was a printed copy of some of the evidence previously given in the case before the Public Petitions Committee. • Hr. KELLY pointed out that a breach of privilege had evidently been committed in this case. A printed document had been sent to hon. members containing such portions of evidence as were favorable to the petitioner’s oa»e. That evidence had not been laid on the table of the House, and it was therefore a breach of privilege for any person whomsoever to publish it. He begged to move that the petition be not received. (Hear, hear.) After some discussion, Mr, Richmond withdrew the petition, in order that it might be presented in accordance with standing orders. Petitions were presented by Messrs. Atkinson, Thomson, Hursthouse, Beetham, Stout, Sheehan, and Williams. NOTICES OF MOTION. Notices of motion were given by Messrs. Wood, Carrington, Bastings, Wakefield, McLean, De Lautour, Maoandrew, Murray, and Tole. PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT. The Hon. Mr. MAOANDREW intimated that he would make his -Public Works Statement at 7.30 p.m. (Hear, hear.) FINANCIAL DEBATE. The Hon. Major ATKINSON asked the Colonial Treasurer when the Government proposed to proceed with the debate on the Financial Statement ? The Hon. Mr. BALLANCB replied that the Government proposed to move the second reading of the Land Tax Bill at 7.30 p.m. on Friday next, and the hon. member for New Plymouth would then have an opportunity of debating the financial policy of the Government. The Hon. Major ATKINSON: And the finances generally ? The Hon. Mr. BALLANCE : And the finances generally. REPORTS. The following reports were brought up and ordered to lie on the table :—Report from Public Petitions Committee, Kelly ; report from Petitions Glassification, by Mr. Barff ; report from Native Affairs Committee, by Mr. Bryce ; and report from tbe Goldfields Committee, by Mr. DeLautour. PAPERS. Papers and returns were laid on the table by the Hon. Sir George Grey, the Hon. Mr. Ballanoe, the Hon. Mr. Sheehan, and the Hon. Mr. Stout. THE JAPANESE COMMISSIONERS. The Hon. Mr. BALLANCE, replying to a question put on a former day by the hon. member for Wanganui, said the Government had sent a telegram to the Government of Victoria, and they had received a reply to the effect that the Japanese Commissioners had left that colony, and had chartered two ships for Japan. The telegram was read and laid on the table. THE JUDGES’ SALARIES. , Mr. BOWEN asked the Minister of Justice, Whether the Government would this session introduce a Bill dealing with the salaries of the Judges of the Supreme Court ? The Hon. Mr. SHEEHAN replied that the Government did not propose to take up this session the question of Judges’ salaries. FRIENDLY SOCIETIES OF DUNEDIN. Mr. DRIVER asked the Government, — What steps they intend to take to place the Friendly Societies of Dunedin in legal possession of certain lands at Sawyer’s Bay (Dunedin harbor), granted to them by the late Provincial Government of Otago ? The Hon. Mr. STOUT said he understood a petition had been presented from the Friendly Societies on this subject. The, matter would therefore be inquired into, and perhaps the hon. member would postpone his question until after the inquiry was made. . DUNEDIN SUBURBAN CORPORATIONS. Mr. DRIVER asked the Government, — If they will lay before this House all correspondence between the Government and the Corporation of the city of Dunedin respecting the reservation from sale of certain lands at the sources of the Silverstream and Water of Leith; and also if the Government will assure this House that no water rights will he granted to the city of Dunedin to the prejudice of the suburban Corporations ? The Hon. Mr. STOUT replied that the Government had withdrawn the laud from sale because they thought that at some future time the water supply for Dunedin and the suburbs would come from there. The Government hoped the suburbs would be able to make snob arrangements as would render any interference on the part of the Government unnecessary. PEES AND PINES. Hr. EOLLESTON asked the Government, Jf they will lay before this House a return showing the amsnnts received in fees and fines in the several Resident Magistrate's Couits in Canterbury during the year ending 30th June, 1878 ; also, the expenditure in the said Courts during that period ? , . , The Hon. Mr. SHEEHAN replied that the Government had no objection to lay this return on the table. Mr. WOOD expressed a hope that the return would extend to all provincial districts. The Hon. Mr. SHEEHAN said the Government had no objection to comply with this suggestion, ELECTORAL BILL. Mr. JOYCE gave notice that he would move next day that the discussion in committee on the Electoral Bill be not reported by the

Hansard staff beyond tbe usual way of reporting amendments and divisions. NEW BILL. On the motion of the Hon. Mr. Stout, leave was given to introduce a Bill to amend the Joint Stock Companies Act, 1860, which was read a first time. CIVIL SERVICE ACTS AMENDMENT BILL. The report of the committee was brought np. Mr. DE LAUTOUR moved that tbe order of tbe day he discharged, and that the Bill be re-committed, with a view to the insertion of the following clause :—“ All Resident Magistrates and clerks of District and Resident Magistrates’ Courts appointed prior to one thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, who are now in the Government service, who were and have been continuously employed therein, shall be deemed to have all the rights and privileges conferred by Part V. of the Civil Service Act, 1866, notwithstanding that the salaries of such officers may not have been continuously appropriated by the Colonial Legislature." After some discussion the House divided, with the following result :—Ayes, 22; noes, 44. Mr. De Lautour's motion was therefore negatived. The report was agreed to. On the question being put, that the Bill be read a third time, the House divided—Ayes, 48 ; noes, 15. The Bill was read a third time, and passed. SAVINGS BANK PROFITS DILL. The report from committee was agreed to. The House divided on the motion for third reading—Ayes, 30 ; noes, 27. The Bill was then read a third time and passed. ADMINISTRATION BILL. On the motion of the Hon. Mr. Stout, the House went into committee on this Bill. At 7.30 p.m. progress was reported. PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT. The Hon. Mr. MAOANDREW was greeted with applause on rising to make the Public Works Statement. It was to the following effect ;

Sir, —lu submitting the annual Public Works Statement I shall endeavor to do so in as tew words and as clearly as I can. The task is new to me, and I am sure the House will extend to me its indulgence. It will, I think, be more satisfactory, and will make the subject clearer, if, instead of embodying fully in my Statement the materials with which I have been furnished by the officers of the various departments, I append, as usual, the departmental reports themselves. With this view I shall confine my Statement to a bare outline of results for the year, and to an exposition of the Public Works proposals of the Government as respects the future. In this way, honorable members will be spared having to listen to a lengthy statement from me, and they will he enabled, at leisure, to acquire a perfect knowledge of what has been doing during the year. Before proceeding further, it may, perhaps, be expected that reference should be made to the recent changes which have been effected in the Public Works Department. It will be remembered that last session the working of our railway system was very fully inquired (into by a select committee of this House. One of the most important conclusions arrived at was, that the construction of railways is one thing, and the working of them is another, and that the two things ought to be placedunderdistinctmanagement. Accordingly the Government has given practical effect to this opinion, with, I am glad to say, so far as it has gone, good results, both as regards efficiency and economy. The new system baa involved of course, to some extent, a complete reorganisation of the Public Works Department, and it must necessarily take some time before the machinery can be got to work smoothly in its new groove, I am persuaded, however, that the change will be a step in the right direction. The management of working railways in each island has been placed under a commissioner who, in matter of detail, has been invested with large discretionary power, and who is directly responsible to the Government through the Minister of Public Works ; this change, when it gets fairly under way will, I believe, result in numerous improvements in tbe practical working and organisation of our railway system. The committee further suggested that the experiment of leasing the railways might be tried in the case of one of the Auckland lines. This is a matter, however, which involves very grave consideration ; and, so far as the Government has been able to arrive at any conclusion on the subject, we do not yet see our way to taking any action in this direction. No doubt much may be said both for and against leasing the State railways. It seems premature, however, to entertain the question until such time as the system is more completely developed, or, at all events, until it is seen how the recent change in the administration is likely to turn out. In the meantime the balance of consideration would seem to be much in favor of the State retaining the management of its railways in its own hands, although I am not prepared to say that the time may not arrive when it may be otherwise. Among other points to which the committee of last session directed its attention was that of affording greater facilities for the purchase of railway tickets than exist at present. I may say that with this view arrangements are now being made whereby, at the chief centres of population, tickets may be purchased otherwise than at railway stations. Although during the past financial year there are one or two small lines which have not paid working expenses, yet upon the whole the returns will no doubt be regarded as satisfactory. WORKING RAILWAYS, MIDDLE ISLAND. In the Middle Island considerable lengths of line have been opened during the past year. At the close of the preceding year there were 647 miles of railway open for public traffic, and on 30 th June last 741 miles were opened, being an increase of 94 miles. The gross revenue on Middle Island railways during the year amounted to £407,316, and the expenditure to £321,970 ; leaving a net balance available for the payment of interest of £145,346, as against £118,040 for the previous year. The working expenses of the whole of the Middle Island railways have averaged 68'89 of the receipts. The total expenditure on the construction of railways in the Middle Island, including the estimated provincial expenditure and the outlay on harbor works at Greymouth, is, in round numbers, about £5,469,000, so that the profits show 2’65 per cent, on the whole outlay. This may be regarded as a not unfavorable result, seeing that some of the lines included in the above outlay have only been opened recently, and others are still unfinished. The total number of passengers carried during the year was 1,159,147. The working expenses on the Dunedin section are considerably higher than during the previous year. This is mainly attributable to the heavy expenditure which has been found necessary in the renewal of rails and sleepers. It will be seen from the departmental reports that £36 per mile of railway has been expended during the past year in new rails and fastenings on the Dunedin section. _ _ The working expenses on tbe Christchurch section have been considerably reduced. The commissioner’s report shows a decrease of upwards of 6 per cent, on the gross revenue, being equal to a sum of £17,500, an amount which would have been considerably larger but for the introduction of a new tariff and mode of charge during the year. For example, the rate during the year 1876-77 between Christchurch and Lyttelton for coal was ss. 6d. per ton, and on timber Is. 4d. per 100 ft. These rates have been reduced to 3s. 6d. and lOd. respectively, leaving a difference in favor of the earnings of 1876-77, as against 1877-78, of 2s. a ton on coal andOd. per ‘iooft on timber, which on the quantity conveyed represents upwards of £6700. In comparing the result of the management for the two years, it is only fair to observe that, had the old rates been maintained, the sura uamed would have appeared at the credit of the past year.' „ . - ~, It is held by some that provision should ho made for wear and tear and renewing the lines, by means of a sinking fund. I am disposed to think, however, that the system at present adopted—viz., that of renewing the lines as required and charging the cost directly against working expenses—is the best; it is certainly the simplest as regards accounts. It is not as though the whole of the lines had to he renewed at one and the same time—the work of renewal really commences from the date of opening the line for traffic. It may bo interesting to observe that the earnings per mile per annum on the three main sections of railways opened for traffic in the Middle Island are—- £ s. d. Christchurch section 70*10 7 per mileperanuum. Dunedin section .. 1071 19 5 ~ „ Invercargill section. 331 3 1 ~ „ WORKING RAILWAYS, NORTH ISLAND,In the North Island there were 311 miles of railway open for public traffic on 30th June last, being 99 miles in excess of the number open on tho same date of the preyious year.

The gross revenue for the year amounted to £102,581 18s. 4d,, and the expenditure to £83,925 2s. 7d., leaving a net balance available for the payment of interest of £ 1 8,656 15s. 9U., as against £13,565 12s. Bd. for the preceding year. The working expenses of the whole of the North Island railways have averaged 81'81 per coot, of the receipts. The total expenditure on railways in the North Island up to date is, in round numbers, about £2,478,000, showing a profit on the whole outlay of 15s. per cent. A saving of some £BOOO a year has been effected in the working expenses of North Island railways since they have been placed under separate management. The total number of passengers carried during the year was 313,728. The reports of the Commissioners of Railways for each island so fully explain the position, and afford such ample information of affairs, that I shall net further weary the House on this part of the subject. RAILWAYS! UNDER CONSTRUCTION —NORTH ISLAND. So much for ’he working railways. I shall now turn to the other department of Public “Works, namely—that of railway construction. You will, no doubt, be glad to learn that a considerable saving will be effected in the head office staff of this department, although the full extent of such saving will not appear until the expiration of the twelve months’ notice of termination of engagement to which officers are entitled ; the Estimates will then show a reduction of some £3OOO a year on departmental salaries. I am not without hope that a still further reduction may be effected without impairing the efficiency of the public service. This will, of course, depend upon the extent to which wo may be enabled hereafter to carry on railway construction. The position of Engineer-in-Chief for the colony it has been found expedient to dispense with, chiefly on the ground that it is physically impossible for one man to exercise any very minute personal control over the public works in both islands. It has, therefore, been deemed conducive to the public interest to appoint an engineer in charge in each of the two islands, both of whomfare, as in the case of the Gomsioners of Railways, directly responsible to and under the control of the Government, through the Minister. By this means, the professional head of the department, primarily responsible, will be enabled to exercise a much closer personal supervision and control over public works than heretofore ; and so far as my experience of the change enables me to judge, I am of opinion that the new arrangement is likely to work well, and be beneficial to the service. The departmental expenditure has not been increased, but has been diminished by the change. It has been alleged that the changes by which the construction of public works, and the working of railways in each island, have been placed under distinct heads, is the forerunner of some deep and sinister design on the part of some person or persons, and that it is studiously intended to lead up to the political separation of the two islands. I need scarcely say that such surmise is absolutely without foundation; one of these changes, at least, has been the result of careful inquiry by a committee of this House, and, in so far as I am concerned, both have been made solely and simply with a visw to more efficient and economical administration, altogether irrespective of the political opinions which I have long held, and which I still bold, as to what would have been the best and most suitable form of Government for New Zealand. I would even go further, and say that, in my opinion, it would have been well for 'the colony to have had two Ministers for Public Works, one for each island—both being members of the Cabinet, with seats in and responsible to the House. I venture to think that, bad such been the case, there would have been much more to show for our money than there now is. I shall now allude to the expenditure which must be incurred in respect of the completion of the portions of railway already authorised in the North Island :

Of this amount, £321,625 are liabilities already incurred ; and the difference, £636,375, is the amount required to finish the lines, which, when completed, will give 425 J miles open for traffic in the North Island. RAILWAYS UNDER CONSTRUCTION —MIDDLE ISLAND. The expenditure necessary to complete the Middle Island railways already authorised is as follows;

Of this amount, £398,430 ia for liabilities already incurred, and the balance of £688,570 is the amount required to finish the lines, which, when completed, will give 874 miles open for traffic in the Middle Island. It will thus be seen that the sums required to complete and to place in proper working order the lines in both inlands, are, in the North Island, £958,000; and in the Middle Island, £1,087,000; making together£2,o4s,ooo, an amount which will go far to absorb the recent loan. It is proposed, however, to cxpendj only £1,176,500 during the ensuing year. THE FUTURE. I will now proceed to indicate our proposals for the future. NORTH ISLAND RAILWAYS. We propose to fill up the gaps in the North Island system as follows: Wellington to Foxfcon via Walkanae Cl miles. Waltotara Elver to Upper Patea Crossing 51 ~ Te Awamutn (Waikato) to Inglewood (Taranaki) 125 „ This will complete an nnbroken line from Wellington to Auckland of 476 miles. Mastorton to Woodvillo .. .. 50 miles. WoodvUle to Papatu ~ .. .. 40 ~ Thus establishing unbroken railway communication from Wellington to Napier by a line of 220 miles. Waikato to tho Thnmes .. .. 30 miles. £ Branch line to Hamilton • .. „ Helensville to Kaukapakapa River .. 2\ „ Except as regards the line from Waikato to the Thames, there are no actual survey results upon which to estimate the cost of these works; and the figures I am about to quote are based upon the ascertained mileage cost of the' railways that have been constructed in different parts of the colony. Upon this basis, the following estimates of cost are arrived at : Wellington to Foxton .. - £440,000 Waltotara Elver to Upper Patoa Crossing.. 357,000 To Awamutu to Inglewood .. .. 1,115,000 Masterton to Papata via Woodvlll'e .. 630,000 Waikato to the Thames 168,000 Branch line to Hamilton .. .. .. 10,000 Helensville to Kaukapakapa Elver .. 25,000 Wangarei to Kamo (7i miles) 80,000 Total £2,775,000 If we add to this the amount required to complete lines already authorised, namely, £958,000, wo shall have a total of £3,733,000 for North Island railways. The construction of the lino through the Waikato country, estimated, as I have said, to coat £1.115,000, will, it is hoped, be fully warranted by the acquisition of considerable areas of land suitable for settlement. I understand that the line will run through some of the finest land in New Zealand ; and, from what has passed between the Hon. the Premier, the Hon. the Native Minister, and the natives concerned, there is good reason to hope that the acquisition of the necessary land will bo successfully negotiated. If those natives have a just conception of the vast revenue which will accrue to them after parting with sufficient land whereby to construct this railway, they will not hesitate for a moment to enter heartily into a transaction which is bound t<? increase the value of the land which will be left to them very many fold. Moreover, they may earn a largo amount of money by devoting their labor to the construction of the line, and there is good reason to believe that largo numbers of them will gladly accept the useful employment which the construction of this lino will afford. The construction of the Wellingfcon-Poxton line will, to some extent, be contingent upon the acquisition of land from the native owners. In addition to an area of 300,000 acres of Maori land, 180,000 acres of which have been under negotiation for some time, the lino will render available for settlement 100,000 acres now in the bands of the Crown ; and there can be no doubt that, taken together, these lands will ultimately realise an amount which will go far towards covering the cost of the proposed railway. I know there may be considerable difference of opinion amongst lion, members with regard to this line ; but I think that, apart from any advantages it may of itself yield, by enabling the country between Wellington and Poxton to be beneficially occu*

pied, it is extremely desirable that it should be made, as part of the main trunk lino which is to connect Wellington with Auckland. If the two great centres, Wellington and Auck* land, are to bo efficiently connect by rail* way, this Wellington to Foxtou portion must be constructed at sometime. I believe it to be well that wo should accept the conclusion that that connection has to bo made ; and, if so, I think the Parliament and the people will agree with me that the sooner it is done the better it will be for the country. It will be seen from one of the appendices to this Statement, that during the recess the question of the best route from Wellington to Paxton ha< occupied the attention of the Public Works Department; and of this honorable gentlemen may rest assured, that, assuming the Government should be enabled to undertake the work, it will not be commenced until there has been a further, and a most thorough, investigation as to the best route to be adopted. It will thus be seen that our proposals embrace one main line of communication on the West Coast from Wellington to Auckland and the Thames, and another on the East Coast, Wellington to Napier. To make the system complete, it remains but to establish a connection between these two main lines by means of a short link of 12 miles between Bunuythorpe and Woodville. This would place Napier, and nearly all the East Coast country, in communication not merely with Wellington, but also with Manawatu, Wanganui, New Plymouth, and Auckland, The probable cost of this link would bo £119,000, and there can be little doubt that sooner or later this work will be undertaken. As regards the. North of Auckland it will be seen by these proposals that if the Kaukapakapa station can be advantageously selected, railway communication for a distance of forty miles will connect that city with the great Kaipora estuary, at a point accessible to vessels of ordinary tonnage. The short line from Wangarei to ICamo, opening up, as it will do, the important mineral and agricultural resources of that district, will come in as a portion of the main north line, which will, when completed, connect Auckland with the Bay of Islands. MIDDLE ISLAND RAILWAYS. Now,'as to the Middle Island. The works

Waireka branch to Livingston 16 105,000 Making a total length of proposed railways for the Middle Island of 676} miles, at a total cost of £3,565,000. Adding to this nu amount of £1,087,000, which is the estimated coat of completing and patting into working order the lines already authorised and opened for traffic in the Middle Island, we shall have a total of £4,652,000 for that island. As regards the Otago Central, honorable members will recollect that this House last session, both by resolution and by Act, affirmed that 100 miles of this line through StrathTaieri to Clyde should be proceeded with ; and the House also passed a resolution, in compliance with which 396,000 acres of Crown lands have been reserved from sale, with the view of devoting the proceeds, when they are sold, to the construction of this portion of line. It is now proposed to extend the lino from Clyde to Lake Wanaka, a for some 50 miles of which the country is as level as a bowling-green ; the whole of it being in the hands of the Crown 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 Central; and I venture to predict that many years will not pass without this lino being extended to Hokitika via the Haasb Pass. The length of that extension from Albert-town, the nowcontemplated termination of the line, is only 190 miles ; and the highest point of the range to be crossed is only 1700 feet, as against 3000 feet in the next line we propose to undertake, —that namely, from Amberley to Brunnerton, a distance of 110 miles.

Although it does not appear that this Am* berley-Bnumerton line, in proportion to its length and cost of construction, will open up a very large extent of country suitable for settlement, yet the area of such land that will 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 and the West Coasts will, by this line, be developed enormously. It is estimated that, even now, were the line at work, there would be at the least 1000 tons of coal alone brought across weekly; and if, as I believe, this coal, which is quite equal to the best Newcastle, can be put into ships’ holds at Lyttelton for somewhere about £1 a ton, it is difficult to place any other limit than that of the carrying capacity of the line, upon the traffic that would be developed. There is an almost unlimited quantity of timber, which would find its way to market by this railway. Honorable members will gather from the engineer’s report that much careful exploration will be required before the exact route can be determined. From Brunnerton to Greymouth, as members are aware, there is now a railway in operation, and we propose to continue it to Hokitika, a distance of 26 miles. In accordance with a resolution of this House last session, a reserve of land was made in the Aorere Valley in the Nelson District with a view of the proceeds being applied to railway construction. A flying survey of proposed line is now being completed. The Government is, however, of opinion that, before any expenditure in this direction is incurred, it is desirable that the river should be bridged, and the district rendered accessible by road, for which purpose £4700 has been placed on the Estimates. It will be recollected that last session the House, on the motion of the honorable member for Akaroa, Mr. Montgomery, directed that surveys should be made, and estimates prepared, for a number of branch railways, as feeders to the main line. Those plans have been made, and the estimates are ready ; but it has been suggested that the general interests of settlement would be better served, and the resources of Canterbury be developed to a much greater extent, if, instead of those branches, we obtained authoritv to construct an interior main line, of about 85 miles in length, by means of which a very large area of available country would be opened up and made productive. The engineer, in his report on this subject, says ; Of the eight branch railways named in the Canterbury Railways Land Reservation Bill, 1877, one Is provided for In the general Estimates, and two are taken up by companies, leaving five for which provision has not yet been made, viz. ,:—. Oxford to Malvern lino IX miles. White C iffs to Rakaia Gorge .. . 22 ~ Ashburton to Alford Forest 20 „ Albury to Fairlie Creek .. .. 10 ~ Orari to Hilton 13 ~ Total .. .. .. .. 76 miles. The estimated cost of the whole, in working order and fully equipped with rolling-stock. Is in round numbers, £330,000. The scheme of the Canterbury branch railways, as above laid down. Is open to several objections. Some of the lines run a short distance up a valley and there stop, it being impossible to extend them, while possibly another valley close by leads to good country beyond the immediate terminus. Again, some of them are branches, not only off branches, but off-subsidiary branches—a very objectionable feature in working. Every one of the " dead ends” beyond the last junction will require a separate plant, no matter bow light the traffic may be. Instead of having a number of branch railways on the Canterbury plains running at right angles to the main li"o, as the present system will inevitably lead to I would propose to construct a subsidiary main line, commencing at Oxford and skirting the foot of the range via Malvern Hills, Ashburton Forks, and Geraldine,to a junction with themaln lino at Orari,Winchester, or Terauka, together with on© connecting branch between South Ashburton and the Ashburton Forks. The subsidiary main lino above described would bo 85 miles long, and its cost about £380,000, Except at the river bods, it presents no engineering difficulties, and several of the road bridges now erected over the larger rivers could bo utilised. Its adoption would save the two lines at the Ashburton Forks and the Orarl-Hilton branch now proposed, and several more of the same kind that are sure to follow. , I agree with this view, and now submit proposals for the interior main line—Oxford to Temuka—accordingly. The South Ashburton to Ashburton Forks and the Albury extension linos will facilitate the beneficial occupation of upwards of 200,000 acres of land, which must add largely to the exports of Canterbury, and to the revenue of the main line ; of this land 30,000 acres are in the hands of the Crown. Some honorable members may be disposed ; to think that, having regard to the length of the railways which Canterbury already possesses, she is allowed an undue share in our proposals ; but slight reflection will show that such an objection cannot be fairly sustained. When we consider the largo amount which the coffers of the colony havo derived from tho land revenue of Canterbury, and tho amount which, it is hoped, will for some time to come continue to be derived from the same source, I

maintain that the district is entitled to even more than is now proposed. We are, in fact, only intending to confer upon the of Canterbury benefits derivable from applying to a colonial purpose their own money —only proposing to expend a portion of laud revenue for the benefit of those upon the land from which that revenue has been derived, by devoting it to purposes to which not only is it legitimately applicable, but for which it ought always to have been held sacred. The same remarks will apply to the other railways, which are to depend for their construction upon the proceeds of the sale of lands to be rendered valuable by them. A very important line in Canterbury, which is not included in the present proposals, is the Akaroa and Lake Ellesmere line. The Government hope that the trust—whoso powers will be prolonged and extended by the Bill which has recently passed this branch of the Legislature—may find means whereby this work may be proceeded with. If, however, it should be found that the trust is unable to do so, the Government will, at a future time, be disposed to deal with the matter specially, with a view to this most important undertaking being pushed forward. As regards the branch line, Waipahi to Heriot Burn, it will be that last session the House decided that this branch should be constructed as far as Tapanui. It voted no money for the work, but resolved that it should be paid for out of land to be set aside for the purpose. I am pleased to say that this branch is now under way, and that no money will be required until after completion ; the terms of the contract being that payment is to be made in cash, in three equal insalments, at two, four, and six months after the line is completed. The amount is £61,500, and the time for completion twenty-two months from date of contract, so that wo shall have two years and upwards in which to realise upon the 40,000 acres of laud reserved. The probability is that this land, owing to the construction of the railway, will realise from £2 to £3, and upwards, an acre, and will thus yield double the amount of the contract. I may add that there wero five tenders for the work on the above terms, and the one accepted, being the lowest, was £2OOO under the engineer's estimate. This fact is worth any number of arguments to show how we might, to a great extent, construct our railways without increasing the amount of our public debt, or adding to the annual burden in respect thereof. It is now proposed to extend the line 10 miles further; by so doing the growth of cereals will be very largely increased, and one of the most productive districts in the colony fully developed. I have heard it objected that now, when the land fund has been colonialised, it is unfair to the colony as a whole to alienate large portions of its landed estate for local purposes. To me such an objection seems—if I may be permitted bo to say—simply absurd. We are not alienating landed estate ; we are changing the form of parts of it, and thereby greatly increasing the value of the whole. If portions of land go, so far as the colony is concerned, the railways constructed out of the proceeds remain ; and if we manage our affairs wisely, we shall derive a much larger income from those railways than we ever did, or ever could, derive from those portions of land. We do not propose to deal exceptionally with the proceeds of land set apart for the construction of railways. Those proceeds will be dealt with as ordinary revenue ; while from the enhanced value of the lands to be affected by the lines so constructed, we may fairly assume it as a fact that the ordinary revenue will year by year be greatly increased. SUMMARY OP PROPOSALS—AIDS TO THE PUBLIO WORKS FUND, Summing up the proposals I have had the honor to submit, they will be found to involve an expenditure for railways in the North Island of £3,733,000, and in the Middle Island of £4,652,000 ; altogether, 8,385,000. As I have already observed, the estimates under which these figures have been arrived at are to a certain extent approximate. My belief is that they are more over the mark than under, and that, with judicious and careful administration—unless circumstances alter very much within the next few years—it will be found that a much less sum will suffice. We propose that the expenditure shall be extended over five years, which, in my opinion, is the shortest period within which we could carry out works to this extent, unless we are prepared for the importation of labor to a greater extent than can be readily absorbed in the permanent settlement of the country. Our object will be so to regulate the administration of the waste lands of the Crown, as to afford every inducement and facility to men who labor in the construction of railways to invest their earnings in land, by laying off allotments for sale along the various lines as they progress. It may, perhaps, be asked, is not £3,500,000 too large a sum to expect to be spared from revenue ? Is the revenue likely to be in a position to meet such a demand ? In order that hon. members may be enabled to form an opinion as to this, X shall enumerate the different areas of Crown lands, the value of which will be specially affected by the proposed railways, and the bale of which may be said to be contingent upon those lines being constructed. In the Middle Island, the Otago Central to Albert Town will pass almost entirely through Crown land, and open up the most valuable public estate in the colony : it will affect an area of 2,250,000 acres, all in the hands of the Grown. Amberley to Brunnerton will pass through nearly 300,000 acres of freehold, and render available 400,000 acres of Crown land.^j I am disposed to think that much may be done in this direction, and that a fair proportion of the money expended on public works may find its way back to the Treasury. Out of the loan authorised last session, there remained, on 30th June, available for public works, about £2,000,000. If we add to the Public Works Fund from ordinary revenue, during the next five years, say, £3,500,000, the amount just stated as available will be increased to £5,500,000 ; and there will remain about £3,000,000 to be raised by further loans, in order to meet the estimated cost of the whole of our proposals. Greymouth to Hokitika will affect 85,000 acres of forest land belonging to the Crown. Canterbury subsidiary main line will pass chiefly through freehold land, but as it cuts across all the valleys at the base of the bill country, its construction will be of considerable value to the settlement of those valleys, and render m*>re accessible an area of Crown land of 560,000 acres. South Ashburton to Ashburton Forks and Albury extension will enhance the value of 30.000 acres. Fortrose to Edendale.—A preliminary survey of this line has been made, in terms of a resolution of tho House last session, and land has been reserved for construction in accordance with the same resolution. It will promote tho profitable occupation of 120,000 acres of land, 40,000 of which are in the hands of the Crown. Otautau to Nightcaps, This is an extension of tho inland line from Riverton. It will render available a very valuable coal field, and promote the cultivation of over 50,000 acres of fine agricultural land, 10,000 of which is in the hands of the Crown. Clutha to Gatlin’s River is the commencement of a line which passes through-a district containing 60,000 acres of fine agricultural freehold land. It will lead to the occupation of a territory which contains 60,000 acres of Crown land, chiefly forest. Waimea to Switzers opens up 200,000 acres of fertile land, much of which is ready for the plough, and all in the hands of the Crown. Lumsden to Mararoa opens up 200,000 acres of Crown land of the finest quality, a great portion of which will, I believe, be occupied and cultivated very shortly after it is rendered accessible by rail. Shag Valley branch is a line which was intended to have been made by the Provincial Government of Otago. Surveys and working plans were prepared, and public tenders applied for and received, when abolition intervened. It commands a rich agricultural and pastoral district of 45,000 acres, of which 10.000 acres belong to the Crown, and will bo one of tho beat paying feeders to the main line between Dunedin and Oamaru. It will,; moreover, greatly facilitate access to tho important goldraining and rapidly-increasing agricultural districts of Macrae’s and Hyde. It will thus bo soon that an area of nearly 4,000,000 acres of Crown land in tho Middle Island will be affected by tho proposed lines. Much of this land, if accessible by rail, and in the market now, would realise £5 an acre and upwards. Probably we shall not go beyond tho mark in estimating that it will realise to tho State, at a moderate computation, little short of the whole estimated cost of tho railways—viz., £4,650,000 —now proposed to bo made in tho Middle Island. As regards Crown lands in tho North Island, I have first of all to direct tho attention of hon. members to the fact that about 120,000 acies of the beat land on the West Coast, portion of tho confiscated territory, is now being surveyed for sale. I do not wish to raise the expectations of hon. members unduly, but I boliovo that I am warranted in reckoning that from this quarter alone (irrespective of tho

large area of land already acquired and under negotiation in the same locality) we may expect to receive a net revenue of three-quarters of a million sterling. In addition to these are very large areas of laud in tile Thames and Piako Districts, which will at once acquire a greatly increased value from the prospect of railway communication being likely to be opened between Grahamatown and Waikato. Other large blocks of land in the Bay of Plenty, Poverty Bay, and Wellington District-* will shortly be available, and we shall have the gratification of beholding the North Island, for tbe first time for many years, yielding a substantial land revenue. For more particular information as to area, locality, and probable value of our North Island land estate, X would refer hon, members to the usual statement on native lands, which will be shortly made by my colleague the Native Minister.

In reference to such of those lands as arc situated upon the West Coast of this island, forming part of our confiscated territory, I have a proposal to make to the House, which, while it may appear to be a considerable modification, if not a reversal of the financial arrangements of last session, is really a means of giving a practical effect to those arrangements, These lands have been acquired at an expense of blood and treasure, which, in our opinion, justify exceptional treatment in appropriating the proceeds. In addition to the 25 per cent, payable to the New Plymouth Harbor Board, the county in which they are situate, in accordance with the legislation of last session, would receive 20 per cent, of the amount realised from the sale, while the colony, which had already paid so heavily for the land, would be called upon to provide the means of constructing the main line of railway. We propose, then, to apply 15 per cent, of the 20 per cent, otherwise payable to the county, to the construction of the railway through the district. As the (land will shortly be in the market, there will be a considerable sum at no distant date specially available for this work, which can be commenced immediately. The county will in this way receive the whole of the 20 per cent., while the colony will be assisted 'in a work which will contribute so materially to enhance the value of property in the district, and to increase the financial resources of the county. Assuming these proposals to be approved by the Legislature, it becomes an important question, what is to be our procedure with regard to the works not already sanctioned 1 The House will, of course, recognise the impossibility of coming to any conclusion on such a matter which can be satisfactory to all. Each district in the colony believes that its claim to be provided with railways, at the cost of the State, ranks at least as high as the claim of any other district ; and none, probably, will admit that any such claim ought to be met before its own. This, in truth, is a great difficulty, which the House, by its last legislation, has brought upon itself. The difficulty commenced from the moment when the Legislature repealed that cardinal condition of the Public Works policy, that in tbe event of the proceeds of any railway failing to meet interest and sinking fund on the cost of its construction, property in the district should be rated to make up the deficiency. The difficulty is one which, I confess, I cannot solve. As things stand, the Government are desirous to distribute to the best advantage whatever funds may be available for the construction of public works, and to do this as fairly as possible under the circumstances, we shall endeavor to carry on as nearly as may be simultaneously the various works that may be authorised, and to apportion the expenditure each year in such directions as shall seem most likely to promote the speedy settlement and beneficial occupation of tbs waste lands of the country. Much of the difficulty of the situation arises from the fact that here in New Zealand we are expected to do, in a few years, what it has hitherto taken centuries elsewhere to accomplish. A few hundred thousands of people are bent upon doing in a lifetime that which in the past has been the work of millions of men during generations. If New Zealand go onward as she is now doing until she reaches her first centenary, it is hard to decide which will then be the 4C Greater/' which the “ Lesser,” Britain. It is the remarkable progress wo have made Which renders us so impatient with regard to our future progress, and this impatience is for us an evil, against the possible effects of which we must jealously guard. I need scarcely say that there are lines of railway in each island, besides those embodied in my proposals, the importance of which are fully recognised by the Government, and which we should have been glad to have included. The present proposals involve an expenditure of £1,677,000 a-year, until the lines mentioned are completed ; and if we can come to an arrangement as between ourselves—an honorable understanding, which ought to be held as binding as the laws of the Medes and Persians—that upon the completion of those lines a similar amount shall continue to be expended on productive railways only, it is a mere question of time when all the land throughout the colony which it is required to occupy and render available by means of railway communication, shall be so rendered available. By the time that the railways now proposed are complete, we shall no doubt find that many branch lines will be undertaken by private enterprise. There are at present throughout the colony nearly 100 miles which are being taken in hand under the provisions of the District Railways Act of last session, and it is believed that by slightly amending that Act, advantage will bo taken of its provisions to a much larger extent, and the Government will thereby be relieved of constructing many lines which, sooner or later, must otherwise devolve upon it, I look upon this as one of the most 'gratifying features in the future railway policy of New Zealand. LOCAL WORKS. I must now solicit the earnest attention of hon. members to aquestion which may virtually affect the whole scope of the future policy of the colony, and which, in my belief, may largely influence the functions and the character of this House—l refer to the question of roads and bridges. Although the gradual extension of the railway system is diminishing the extent to which money must needs be expended in such works, as compared with what was unavoidable in the past, there are still many districts in which such works will continue to be for years to come essential, I need not remind you that one of the great advantages which was to be secured by the recent political changes was that the name of a road or a bridge was never more to be heard in this House as connected with any askings for money. Such, we were asked to believe, was to be one of the first results of the abolition of the provinces. As it is, however, unless the House is prepared to make a decided stand, it is to be feard that roads, bridges, and culverts will become subjects of the most anxious and excited discussions to be heard within these walls. What then is to be our policy with respect to these works ? My colleagues and myself are clearly of opinion that they ought to be wholly devolved upon local bodies, by whom the requisite funds must be found. One thing seems to mo to be beyond doubt or .question : The colony must undertake all such works, or must refuse to undertake any. Any other course must be brimful of injustice. Last session we passed various votes for roads and bridges, with the understanding, that the amounts were to be provided out of loan. Those votes will, I apprehend, have to be made good in any case.' Many of them are now in course of expenditure ; and we propose to renew all the unexpended portions by putting them upon this year’s Estimates. This will, in round numbers, mean the appropriation of about £102,000 for local works in the North Island, and about £166,000 for similar works in the Middle Island. Thereafter we propose to finally close the accounts, and to confine public works operations entirely to railway construction. I admit that If wo are sustained in this course it will be productive of hardship to those portions of the colony which wore not fortunate enough to participate in the scramble for roads and bridges last year. It seems to the, however, as I have said, that, in , fairness, we have no middle 'course open. If wo are to construct arterial roads and bridges, wo must take charge of all such works, and subsidies in aid of them, which are now paid to local bodies, must cease. It is manifestly unreasonable to expect that the colony can go .on paying, as it did last year, nearly threequarters of a million to local bodies, ~if it has to perform the functions which devolve upon such bodies besides. One way out of the difficulty, perhaps, would be to increase tho borrowing powers of local bodies. To this, however, many objections may ;bo urged. Some people are of opinion that tho colony should raise tho money, and leave the local bodies to expend it; but here, again; we should trample under foot a fundamental principle on which tho new order of things was so recently based—-namely, That no money ■ shall. bo raised by tho -colony the expenditure of which is, not to be placed directly under the control of this House. For my own part, I have never believed that that principle ought to bo rigidly and unreasoaingly observed ; but it was one of tho cardinal points of abolitionism, and I presume it will bs adhered to by the present Parliament,

Altogether, X confess that this is one of the most difficult problems which we are now called upon to solve, and there can, in my opinion, be only one way out of two fair solutions—either the colony should close its bowels of compassion in respect of every application for roads and bridges, however exceptional may be the claim (and they are all exceptional in the opinion of the claimant), or it should distribute its gifts to all upon some equitable basis. As it is, unless we go into the money market, there will be nothing to distribute over and above the subsidies already fixed. There remains, therefore, only the one solution, of every locality relying upon itself. I need* scarcely say that, under all the circumstances of the case, we have been reluctantly compelled to turn a deaf ear to numerous and pressing applications for local works throughout the colony. I omitted to observe that the two amounts above referred to are irrespective of a sum of £225,000 which is required to meet provincial liabilities, and £35,000 for roads in native districts. •'

It will be recollected that Jast session a Bill was introduced, intituled the Settlements Works Advances Bill, the object of which was to enable the Government to open up lands for settlement before they were put up for sale. In many localities Crown lands are comparatively inaccessible, and unless they are, to some extent, opened up by roads, they are likely to remain unoccupied or be sold below their value to speculators. This Bill, however, did not become law, as tho Government did not specify the precise localities in which the proposed expenditure was to bo applied. We intend to ask a vote of £58,590 for this object, full particulars of tho proposed expenditure of which will appear in the Public Works estimates. It is estimated that this amount will, at an average of 2s. lOd. per acre, enable upwards of 414,000 acres, in various districts throughout the colony, to be brought into the market, under conditions which will largely enhance its value. It will be seen from the Public Works estimates that a considerable sum of money is required for expenditure on various public buildings throughout the colony. Among those to which I may specially refer is the Lunatic Asylum at Dunedin, which is too small for the number of inmates, and which it is proposed to remove to a more suitable locality, being an extensive reserve ot 900 acres of Government land, the cultivation of which on the part of the patients will, it is hoped, render the institution self-supporting, thereby relieving the State of a largo annual burden which must otherwise continue to devolve upon it. It is proposed in the new establishment to make suitable provision for the cure of inebriates ; to enable which class of patients to be dealt with, some special legislation will be necessary.

It is also intended to erect upon the same reserve adequate separate buildings for the Reformatory and Industrial School for boys and girls. The cost of this latter will he more than recouped by selling the property upon which the school at present stands. While on this subject it may not bo deemed out of place to notice, that the hulk in Wellington Harbor belonging to the Public Works Department, being no longer required, we propose to have her fitted up as a Training School and Reformatory, into which boys convicted of criminal offences may be drafted from all parts of the colony, instead of their being associated with hardened criminals in the common gaols, nr mixed with those whose only crime is that they have been left destitute and neglected. CONCLUSION, Muchas the Public Works and Immigration policy has conduced to the prosperity of New Zealand, there can be no question that if it is followed up as now proposed, the future results will very largely exceed those of the past. We know the extent to which railways have helped us to increase our settled population, our agriculture, and our trade; and we know that for some of those railways we have paid very dearly, not alone in money. But our experience, whatever it has cost us, should at least have taught us in what directions, and in what manner, we can best opend the money hereafter available for such undertakings. Not only ought we resolutely to resolve that we will never again sanction the commencement of a railway as to which we have not at least reasonable evidence that it will pay, but we should equally resolve that, as one point of our experience, 10s. shall be made to represent as much work as 20s. have unfortunately ' in too many cases represented heretofore. We now see clearly many things after which we could only blindly grope when we began to construct our railways ; we hare many appliances that were then wholly wanting ; and we have in our. midst responsible and capable contractors, for whom, at the outset, we had to go far afield. In addition, the prices of materials are greatly reduced —indeed upon rails alone, the reduction is so great that, could we afford at once to purchase all we shall want far our contemplated lines, we should save probably £600,000, as compared with prices wo have as a rule had to pay. Advantage has been, to a limited extent, taken of the low state of the market by ordering 10,000 tons of steel rails at £5 145., delivered at Cardiff. In expressing these opinions I desire to disclaim casting any reflection upon those who have hitherto had the professional overcharge of our public works ; if there have been blunders they have been chiefly incidental to circumstances, and to the nature of things—in my belief they have been more political than professional. ■ I do not think that I need occupy the time of the House further. Appended to the Statement are tables showing ; 1. Summary of Liabilities and Expenditure to 30th Juno, 1878. 2. Statement showing tho Total Liabilities and Expenditure on Railways out of Immigration and Public Works Loan to 30th Juno, 1878. 3. Statement showing the Exdendituro on Railways to 30th June, 1878—Classified. 4. Statement showing tho Liabilities on Railways to 30th June, 1878-Classified. 5. Statement showing the Liabilities on Roads and Water-races to 30th June, 1878. 0. Statement showing Liabilities and Expenditure on Roads, North Island, to 30th June, 1878. 7, Statement showing Liabll'ties and Expenditure on Hoads, Middle Island, to 30th June, 1878. S. Statement showing Liabilities, and Expenditure out of Consolidated Fund, for Repairs and Maintenance of Roads in Native Districts to 30th ' June, 1878. 0. Summary of Liabilities and Expenditure on Roads In colony to 30th Juno. 1878. 10. Statement showing Liabilities and Expenditure for prospecting and developing coal mines. 11. Statement showing Amount of Subsidies Authorised, Paid, and Refunded, and Payments of In- ; torest on Sums Advanced for Water-races. 12/ Statement showing Liabilities and Expenditure . for Waterworks on Goldfields to Juno, 1878. 13. Return showing Amount Expended for Telegraph : Purposes for year coded 30th June, IS7B. 14. Return showing Liabilities and Expenditure for ; Tolocraph Purposes to 30th June, 1878. 15. Statement showing Liabilities and Expenditure on Public Buildings to 30th Juno, 1878. IC. Statement showing Liabilities and Expenditure on ‘ Lighthouses to 30th Juno, 1878. 17.' Statement showing Liabilities and Expenditure on Miscellaneous Public Works to 30th June, ;1878, IS. Statement of Rolling-stock and Plant. There are likewise reports from the Engineers in charge of Public Works, and the Commissioners of Railways, in both islands; annual report on public buildings ; report of Chief Inspector of Machinery; report on lighthouse works; report on coal exploration and inspection of mines; .reports on trial of native coal on locomotives —all of which embody much valuable information, and will no doubt be found both useful and instructive. I conclude, sir, by once more commending to the approval of hon. members the proposals I have had tho honor to submit. I have had pleasure, too, iu submitting them, for in my belief they are ‘calculated to meet the requirements of settlement over a great portion of each island. To give effect to them, will, I am convinced, bo to increase enormously the productive power of the colony, and .to do that the constantly growing tendency of which must bo to lighten the public burdens. Under these proposals, our industrial population ought to bo at least doubled during the next few years ; and the great proportion of tho incomers ought to be, and may be, so located that, while laboring lovingly to subdue the earth until that which is barren : yields its kindly .and natural fruits, they -may labor stubbornly, because they are creating homes for their children, and proudly, because their namos figure on no man’s rent-rolL It is in such a. spirit that most of ua have struggled to create a great, nation in this favored land. Such was the spirit in whioh we strove through the day of small things ; and now, when our vision is clearer as to what we may do and become, and when bur grasp is firmer upon all that we undertake, I confess that I am jealous to have some share with those of whom it shall hereafter bo said, that they had influence in promoting the prosperity and greatness of Now Zealand. The Hon. Mr. STOUT: With the permission of the House, I have, as Minister of Lauds, to make a short statement. In consequence of the various projected lines of railway through waste lands of the Crown, the Government have thought it necessary to advise his Excellency to withdraw from sale lands near those projected lines. . This will prevent speculators taking up such lands in the hope of reaping largo profits from the increased value that wifi bo given to them through tho proximity of railways. This withdrawal has been priaci*

pally made in the laud district of Canterbury. The Waste Lands Board of that district will have to consider whether advantage should not be taken of the provision of section 49 of the Laud Act, by which lands increased in value by railways may be set apart, and be disposed of as special value lands. On the motion of Sir George Gres’, the House, at ten minutes to 9, adjourned till next day.

Miles. £ Kawakawa 6 27,000 Kaipara-Punia .. 141} .. 247,000 Napier-Manawatu 70j .. 121,000 Wellington-Woodville.. 60 .. 271,000 Waitara-Patea .. 33} 75,000 Patea-Maoawatu 103 .. 217,000 Total 425} .. £953,000

Miles. £ Nelson-FoiMU .. 23 39,000 Picton-Blenheim 18} .. 27,000 Brnnner-Greymonth .. 8 .. 112,000 W estport-Ngakawau.. 10} .. 40,000 Amberley-Waitaki . 315} .. 303,000 Waitaki-Bluff .. 361 ,, 306,000 Winton-Kingston C3 25,000 ■Western railways 41} .. 103,000 Waipahi to Tapauni .. lot .. 72.000 Total .. 874 £1,037.000

we propose for the future are— Miles. £ Otago Central—Dunedin to Albert Town, Lake Wanaka .. 100 1.100.000 Amberloy to Brunnerton no 950,000 Groyniouth to Hokitika 20 320.000 Canterbury-Interior Main Line—Oxford to Temuka .. 85 380,000 South Ashburton to Ashburton Forks 20 55,000 Albury extension .. 20 110,000 Tapanui extension to Heriot Born .. 10 40,000 Fortrose to Edendalo 26 110.000 Otautau to Nightcaps 10 75,000 Clutha to Gatlin’s River 18 95,000 Waimea to Switzers 15 70,000 Lumsden to Mararoa 35 130.000 Shag Valley branch line 9 35,000 Tapanui to Heriot Burn 10J 40,000