PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2306, 7 August 1880, Page 2

PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

The Public Works statement, as telegraphed, occupies four columns of the morning papers. The following portions arc of local interest : The great depression from which nearly all our industries have suffered lately has thrown many workmen out of employment, and the Government have been called upon to alleviate the consequent distress by finding work for them on the railways and roads, which arc in course of construction. We have thought it our duty to comply with these requests, and lam sorry to say that no less a number than 1674 of these men arc now being employed at low wages in various parts of the colon}'. Although it is to be deplored that in a now country, of such great natural resources as New Zealand, this state of things should exist, yet it is by no means a new experience in the history of the Colony. The sums voted by Parliament for additional railway works, in the last session, exclusive of preliminary surveys for lines not yet authorised, amounted to £2,308,700. On March 31, .£850,550 of this sum had been expended, and liabilities incurred amounting to .£010,506 making a total of -£1,707,050, leaving an unexpended balance on last year’s votes of .£511,044:. Referring to the report of the Railway Commissioners, the Minister says : Even the restricted programme is far beyond our means. The estimated cost, beyond the present liabilities, of completing the lines of railways authorised by Parliament is £0,000,200. That being the case, it becomes sufficiently apparent that we must greatly modify our scheme of railway construction, postponing some important parts of it until population and settlement have largely increased, and until the railways already constructed have become more nearly self-supporting. We have not the funds necessary to complete it at present, nor will our ordinary revenue bear the increased demand which every additional mile of railway makes on it for yearly loss in working. We have no alternative, therefore, but to confine our operations to the extension of some of the incomplete lines to such nearest points as well bring them into use, and as far as possible make the expenditure already incurred to some extent reproductive. Among the works proposed is the extension of the Opawa lino towards Kairlie Creek, which is to be carried out b} r the unemployed.