Untitled

Patea Mail, Volume III, Issue 245, 15 August 1877, Page 2

HAWERA LITERARY INSTITUTE. [from a correspondent.] The first meeting for “ mutual improvement” in connection with the Hawora Institute, took place on Wednesday last, the Bth instant. There was a large attendance of members. The room was made comfortable and cosy by the help of a large fire. Great dissatisfaction was felt at the refusal of the County Council to grant any assistance towards the library. History is repeating itself. The chief complaint against provincialism was that the bulk of the money was spent in the immediate vicinity of the seat of the Council. As yet, Carlyle has bad the most of the money spent in its neighborhood, whilst the request from this riding is met with a blank refusal. The feeling that greater power should be given to the Road Boards, and thus avoid the necessity for a County Council, is gaining ground. Taking the treatment of our request as an evidence of what we are to expect in the future, there is too much ground for the change hinted at. You must excuse this diversion. Well, to resume. Dr Cole, the president, took the chair, when excellent readings and recitations, scientific and comic, were given, followed by good, sound criticism, with a mixture of good humour. Members were, on the whole, pleased noth the meeting, and numbers of other gentlemen have signified their intention of joining. The [institute promises to be a grand success. Several settlers have liberally offered to form the nucleus of a good library, by each giving a few volumes of works, and no doubt others will follow suit, so soon as it is known. The committee intend to send for a first class shipment of standard works as soon as funds will enable them so to do. It therefore, behoves the settlers to join immediately, so that they may the sooner have a good library to choose books from. It is said the Hawera Town Board will give a grant towards the Institute, for the asking. I see that the little Raleigh Town Board has given a subsidy to their library. The public men of Hawera will surely not permit themselves to be outstripped by the Waitara village.

PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT. The Minister for Public Works (the Hon J. Ormond) delivered the annual statement to the House of Representatives, Wellington, on Friday evening last. After reminding the House that he had only taken office in January last, ho acknowledged the cordial assistance he had received from his predecessor, and proceeded to refer in detail to the railway and other Government works completed and in progress. The votes for the year had not been fully expended, as it was not until February that monetary arrangements were made to allow of works being carried on vigorously. Amongst other linos, he mentioned that the Waitara-Patea line would soon be completed to Inglewood; a section south of Inglewood was in progress, and it was proposed to continue the works a few miles further this year. A short section to carry the southern section of the Patea-Manawatu line from the Wanganui river into Wanganui, was under contract, and the whole line from Wanganui to Fox ton was expect ;d to be completed during the year. The valuation of the Canterbury and Otago railways in compliance with the “Financial Arrangements Act, 1876,” gave the following results—Canterbury, £731,759; Otago, £372,522. The total length of railways yet authorised was 1,227 miles, of which 412 miles were in the North and 815 miles m the South Island, and there wore open for traffic 212£ miles in the former and 647-|- miles m the latter, making a total of 860 miles. An additional length of 274 miles would be completed during the financial year, about 132 being in the North and 142 in the South Island. This would leave nearly 93 miles of authorised lines to be completed subsequent to the current financial year, something more than 67 miles being in the North and 25 miles in the South Island. The amount appropriated by the Immigration and Public Works Act of Last year was £1,300,600, the expenditure against which had been £967,425 13s 2d, including the distribution of the several railways concerned of £59,881 15s 6d, being the balance of the advances made in previous years to the General railways account. The total expenditure up to the 30th June, 1877, was £6,129,920 11s sd, and the outstanding liabilities £530,333 4s 4d. This amount includes the liabilities for all existing contracts, some of which extended into the year 187 8, and for plant and materials ordered from Home. It was intended to push on the exploration surveys during the present year, and to lay before Parliament next session full information as to the direction of the main trunk lines in both Islands, together with definite proposals for their completion. The House would he asked to give further aid in the direction of the special provision made last session for roads in certain districts in the North Island and Nelson South-West Gold Fields. Including revotes of balances from last year, the total asked for these road

works would be £79,172, thus divid'd Roads north of Auckland, £25,200, including £15,200 balance for last yea’ - to which amount there were liabilities ; roads in native districts, £12,000; roads in Westland, £19,164, including £9,G14 of balance; roads in Nelson southwest gold-fields, £17,852, including £,7,Q02 of balance: ; Hokttibr.Christchurch roads, £5,000. Information had not been obtained as yet to enable an accurate statement to be made respecting the condition and costs oi provincial roads and works in construction when the Abolition Act came into force. Votes would bo submitted as soon as the necessary information had been received. Provision lor carrying on important works in sparsely peopled districts such as were beyond the means ot present County Councils would be asked for. A Bill would be introduced to enable Government to make advances for opening up blocks of land for settlement, and it was proposed to spend during the year £Su,OUO in that object. The bill would provide that any such expenditure, should be recouped out of the proceeds of lands thou opened up. It was intended to ask for votes for 780,367, to complete the more important water races in progress. That amount would be thus divided—Thames, V 76,605 ; Waimea, 725,828 ; Nelson' Creek, 724,38-4; Four-mile, 711,009; Mikouui, 715,650; the latter being an unexpended balance from last year.

On public buildings, £43,309 bad been expended during the year, and the estimate was that £215,000 would be needed for the current year, which would include £50,000 for school buildings. With respect to coal exploration, the results of the year had included the completion of the survey ol the Buffer fields, which had been proved to contain over one hundred million tons of good coal, advantageously workable. Only one mine, that of the Wellington Company, had yet been opened at Greymouth. The Brunner Company bad, in three years, extended their workings from 22 acres to 38 acres, and their total output during that time had been 49,833 tons. The Coal Pit Heath Company had coal in the market, and the Greymouth Company had reached coal in their new shaft, and expected to be at work shortly. In the Waikato Basin it was believed to be probable that more coal existed than had yet been stated in the most sanguine estimates—new mines were sending coal to market, and one of them, the Bridgewater, had a seam 50 feet thick, only 18 feet being at present worked. Railway management had received careful consideration. Acting on too recommendations of a Commission of Inquiry, railway tariffs would be made as nearly uniform as possible, and larger discretionary powers would be vested in mating us. Government proposed taking power this session to lease the AucklandWaikato railway, with the view if practically testing the advantages of that mode of management. On the Canterbury railways the great increase ol traffic caused much inconvenience during the grain season. The trafifb returns fur March last showed a total of 51,000 tons as against 87,400 in the corres-> ponding month of 187 6 ; and in April the returns showed 49,000 tons against 33,800. Total receipts during the twelve months on lines under the Public Works Department management, and during the six months on the Canterbury and Otago linos, £311,187 7s lid; expenditure, £224,800 17s 9d; leaving a balance of £86,386 10s 2u. As to the future, the honorable gentleman said: “The traffic returns for the present year will, without doubt* be largely in excess of last, years. Not only have we to expect an increase on the lines now open, but it must be remembered that during the present year it is proposed to complete the works in progress in Otago, which will the northern and southern districts withr, Dunedin, and make ono continuous line iron: Ambcrlcy to Kingstown of 527 miles, exclusive of 222 miles of branch lines in the same districts. Then the railway from Auckland to Waikato, Wellington to Wairarapa, and Wanganui to Foxton, are also to be completed within the same period, each lino opening large and important districts, and although all these lines will not he completed "in time to get returns from them within the present year, yet the additional mileage that will be opened at on early date will materially add to the traffic receipts.” Taking the throe principal classes of work, the expenditure in each Island up to the 30th June had been as follows:—North Island railways,£2,199,465; roads, £471,160; watci races, £65,321; total, 2,736,497. South Island railways, £3,930,455; road*, £198,411 ; water races, £288,741 : total, £4,417,607. Aggregate for both Islands, £7,154,523. The, expenditure proposed for the current year for railways was £1,290,100, but that amount included liabilities, which, on the 30th June last, aggregated £539,333. In the following statement of railways and proposed, appropriation the liabilities were included in each case:—Kawakawa, £6,113; Kaipara Panui, £142,830; Waitara-Patea, £50,000; Patea-M a Hawaii!, £141,956 ; Napier-Manawalu, £75 633; Wellington-Masterton, £162, 877 ; Nelson-Foxhill, £11,083; PlctonBlenheim, £29,235 ; Greyrnonth-Brun-nor ton, £35,006 j Westport-Ngakawan, £38,234; Amberley-Waitala and northwards, £182.754; Waitaki-Blnff and branches, £365,488; Winton-Kingsion, £39,296; Western Railways, £39,587 ; Surveys, £IO,OOO : Land, £42,208.