PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 73, 26 November 1913, Page 8

PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

RAILWAYS, ROADS AMD BRIDGES. Tlio Hon. William Fraser, Minister for I’uhhc WMrks Pul,He Works Statement in the House last uight, trom winch the following \\v Speaker,—Owing to the financial position obtaining at the elo.w of last session, and in view of the hoavtfconunitmonts already entered in o , di(l not feel justiJi.nl in making ava.lble for immediate expend.tt t whole of the now items appearing on the public works estimates. A 1 a - thoritios issued and offers made in pursuance of pitMous > eais |-j lions were, however, duly honored. New votes urgently requiring a toutuni were also authorised on application. As soon as the success of t •■ \ Hon of the new loan was assured all restrictions regarding expenditure x. new votes were removed. Xotwiths landing these precautionary mens - the total expenditure of the past ye ir on public works was not o h , excess of that of the previous year, bit was actually the aigts ‘‘ | single vear for over thirty years, and amounted to the very large si i _ £2,711.068—viz., £2,593,365 out of the Public Works *und and allied special accounts', and £117,703 out of the Consolidated Fund. The following table shows the brief particulars of the expenditure o the year, and also the total under each class of work from the inaugura ion if the public-works policy up to the 31st March last:— TOTAL EXPENDITURE.

WAYS AND MEANS. At the S'lst March, 1912, the available ways and means tor pub-lie-works purposes were ••• And further funds were received as under tin l Aid to I'l.Mio Works mil Land Settlement Act, 911 MW I'nrlor tin- Aid to VuMio 1 Works iml Land Settlement Art, UU ' Voder the New Zealand Loans Act, 1908 ••• - 7 - 0 ' 0f)0 Transfer from Consolidated Fu: d ••• 909 Miscellaneous receipts ••• ••• , .. 2,829.-154 .Making a gross total oi ... ••• The ordinarv oxiionditnro of Hie wav amounted to £2,3,8,i>!9, Iml expenses in rospoet of nH, I'an, £72,950. and rodcmptron of benturos' LI,OOO, thus bringing the otal disbursements up to L_, p and 102i,m a, balance at the <nd of the year of L 370 (exclude of £219,770 proceeds of 1 per cent, stock loan to pay off debentuus uh U> '\'or'the current year it is proposed to provide additional tunds as UndPl ’ - ’ balance of loan of 1911 100 ’0W Balance of loan of 1912 894,//4 Transfer from Consolidated Fund ... O-0.000 Proposed new loan ... ••• 1,<o0,00() The above with the balance brought forward, gives a gross total of 03 7% 739 The estimated expenditure for public works for the. cm it -ear' /excluding separate accounts -having their own ways and means) .mounts to £2,995,575, leaving an estimated balance oi £801,164 to be c. - rlod forward to next year. In addition to the above wo have authority to raise, outside the Public Works Pund, the undermentioned sums; £ Under the Aid to Water-power Works Act, 1910 ••• 400,000 For irrigation-works, under the rrigation and Water-sup-plv Act, 1913 ... T -• ’ Under the Waihou and Oliinemun Rivers Improvement Act, 1910 (balance) ... ••• ° ’

Referring later to railway construction the Minister says: MOI.NT KAMO NT BRANCH. —Trial surveys Have hocn made to locate »e nu s So line t« the proposed quarry, and tests made to determine the extent of the rock at the suited site. Tlnme sma'l lmid g 1 >ui 1 + and some hush-clearing done adjacent to the lim . ■| 1,,,,,;, the last financial year amounted to £4,657, and for the current yea, t vote of £15,000 is proposed.

OITNAKK BRANCH.—Since April last surveys to determine the most ’a vorahle route for the recently authorised hranch line to Opunake have Ven in progress, and the line has been located for a distance, of about ton niles. The expenditure on this survey was debited to the '" ot ° slI !‘ vevs of new lines, hut for the current/year a special vote ot £h),U()U is proposed, to permit of construction-work heinj? commenced.

f’Til Vl’KOß'l) MATX TRUNK.—Tho section to Pohokura, 31J- miles Statforf, for t«mc it. tarf. 1912. «f» «■» f .].., in tunnel hevoncl Rohokura has been finished, heavy construction-works, vi'tl. seven small bridges between the tunnel and hangamomona eom--1>1(,t(Hl ,-ails laid into the station-yard, and ballasting almost fin,shed. Ihe section to Whanffunamnna. will shortly ho opened lor tralhe and the train service will save settlers the difficult road journey over the \Miangamo- "... Saddle Heyond Whangamomona earthworks are nearing completion ; W ; mM : five miles/ hut the tendency of the country to slip in the cuttings • n „ necessitated two small deviations. A 23-cham tunnel beyond lalmra i.Vs been pierced, and enlargement is now m progress, hour small bridges ,„V this section are also in course of construction, the whom ol the works coverin< r a length of over seven miles beyond \\ hangamomona Ihe broken ■i aln re 7if the country to he traversed between 1 ahora and tne Ohura \ alley involves examination of several possible routes, and careful trial surveys ,f different suggested lines have been made during the past two or throe . o .,rs The most favorable route appears to ho via the Ilaekohua Slumm, acr,iss the Tangarakan River, then through the Maraekowha, Block to tlie Uaeo Valley, and tko line will probhly be located along this route.

At the eastern end, where eonstr iction-works were commenecd in Nox ember 11)11 considerable progress has been made. As the country traversed for Ihe first few miles from the Main Trunk line was not roaded, , service road nearly eight miles in 1 '»gth had first to lie made across a broken range of hills. This has no v been completed and metalled he rail wav-formation is in progress for one mile and a half and a contract has | )0(M , let for the construction of the Okahu Tunnel. 7-1 chains in length, at ( ~,st of £1)7,0(10. which also covers the formation of about a mile and a half of line in addition to the tunnel. hour small contracts have been let for formation-works' which will carry the line into the Ohura A alley, six miles from the inaction, and it is pn posed to let further contracts oi sumhr nature and extent as the work p ogresses. The expenditure on this line during the past linancial year a, .muted to £72,843 at the western end and. £22,-113 at the eastern end. K« r the current year a total vote ol £85,000 is proposed.

ROADS AMD BRIDCtS.

The provision, made on last year s l appropriations tor road and budgi works under all votes and accounts (including the Consolidated Kuml vote for maintenance) amounted to id Id.ICO. The total amount authorised for expenditure during the linaneial year, including the unexpended balance ol authorities brought forward at the j 31 st March. 1912, amounted to £840.248. The total expenditure for the ! vear amounted, however, to only £4(18,- | 972, leaving an unexpended balance oi I authorities amounting to £370.270 at 31st March last. Between the Ist April and 30th September a further £337,378 was authorised, and expenditure to the extent ol ‘£231,00.) was hrought to charge. The large amount of money which has been standing as authorised for expenditure, compared with the actual disbursements, indicates that the temporary restriction placed upon the authorisation of new votes after the close of last session had but little effect on the expenditure. In my last Statement 1 expressed the opinion that it was almost impossible, under the existing conditions, to expend within any year the amount of money voted for that year for road and bridge works. The experience gained during the past twelve months has confirmed me in this opinion. bast year I referred to the disin- | clinatjon of local bodies to make satis- j factory provision for the maintenance | of main roads. In localities where the main road passes through unoccupied Crown lands, sparsely settled districts, or Native lands, whence little or no revenue in the way of rates can he collected, such a feeling is to J a great extent justified. All main roads, however, do not come under the above category, nor will it be an | easy matter to define what constitutes j a main road, I hope, however, during | the recess to find a satisfactory solu- i tion of this problem, as also to the j equally abstruse one of improving the i present method of distributing grants for roads and bridges. CROSS TOTAL APPROPRIATIONS. | In addition to the votes specially mentioned the estimates m'ake provision for the undermentioned services: £ .Departmental .... G 4.200 Immigration ... 36,,000 Contingent defence ... 00,000 Lands improvement 31.700 thus bringing the total amount of the proposed appropriations, including special accounts, up to £3,427,320. as against £3,143,111 voted, and £2,020.799 actually expended last year.

CONCLUSION. The rapid increase of settlement necessitates year by year a corresponding increase of road and bridge construction, and tbs end thereof is not yet in sight. There are still far too many settlers who have had for years past either no access or quite inadequate access to their properties, hut the number of these I am pleased to say is diminishing. Once these arrears have been overtaken it will he a much easier task to provide only for the needs of new settlers.

Expenditure. Expenditure Total Class of Work. for year ended 3st March, Expenditure to 31st March, , 1913. 1913. 0 21,915 802 Railways— £ ... 684,196 Ne\v construction S.853,-07 9.723,865 Additions to open Hit's ... ... ... 464,636 374,346 Roads ... ••• ••• Public buildings ••• ... 445,193 ... 14,691 5,487.225 2,254,606 immigration ••• 2,065,720 Purchase of Native lands j nOrf'ER fighthouses, harbor-works and harucr.dcfences ... Tourist and health resorts ... ... 1 9.,1 .i/n 229,539 2.277,125; Megraph-extonsion ... 10,614 23,790 57,425 877 802 Development of goldfields Defence-works (general) 944.209 784,095 Departmental 18,451 Development of water-power ... *•* 4,356 Irrigation and water-supply ... 150 000 Payment to Midland Railways bondholders oo -,50 104,713 Lands-improvement .. 312,607 Minor works and services Cost and discount, raising loans, etc.,.. ... 72,950 1,243,692 2.451.489 58.3( 5.431 Wellington-Hutt Railway, Improvement 991 1.738 29,254 228,381 98 822 New Hutt Road Railways Improvement Account 596,768 039 153 Opening up Crown lands for Settlement Account 4 (.954 9 0^() 19.838 National Endowment Account ... Waiiion and Ohinemnri Rivers Account 9,555 13,324 ' 35 009 Aid to Water-power Works Account Irrigation and Water-supply Account 3o,009 14,689 14,689 Totals ... •••: 2,593.365 60,014,415