POLITICAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIII, Issue 29, 2 October 1915, Page 7

POLITICAL.

PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

The Public Works Statement was delivered in the House yesterday by the Hon. William Fraser, Minister for Public Works, In Iris opening remarks Mr Fraser said: When I delivered the Public Works Statement last year the general impression was that the war would not last much more than one year. At present who wilt venture to predict when the war will terminate ? It is a somewhat extraordinary fact that, notwithstanding the thousands of workers who have joined the Expeditionary Force some oUGU men still require to be engaged on public works to prevent the cry of unemployment being heard. This in some measure is explainable during

the winter months, but not so duv'ng summer und autumn, when shearing, harvesting, and the other operations incidental to the primary industries

will require :1 (.'()l|.‘s‘l(lCl‘ill)l(3 ainount; oi.’ )lal)01‘, 'l. hose primary industries lnust be considoied, or Lhc country; as ‘: whole will sull'er. 'l‘lla.t; this labor may lhave to he provided for by slackening. .oll' work on i'ail\\'a_ys, roads, and brid- ‘ ges during suininer and autumn is very ll prolraole. ’J'liero is no intention to ex: ploit’. labor on ‘helialf of those carrying on such ,iIl(l11.‘$b1'le:$, but employment on public \\‘ol‘l{s cannot be fouiid for those to whom work at lair rates is oiferetl ,elsewliei'e. It. is generally recogiiiseu tliat; it will not be wise during the continuance of the war to expend more “borrowed money than is absolutely i necessar_y. The expenditure during the financial year ended 31st March, 1914~—£2,9-l9,l)92——constituted -.L record, but the ‘similar expenditure for 1914-15 was actually, largel-——viz., ;£32,953,3(58~—1i1ade up of £2,835,692 under the Public Works Fund and allied special accounts, and £ll7 ,676 under the Coiisoliclated I‘-‘und. WAYS AND MEANS. , On the Ist April, 1914, the available ways and means for public works purposes were £1,178,584; and furthel ‘ funds were received as ullder :——Under

’t.he Aid to Public Works and Land} Settlement Act, 1913, £217,778; under the Aid to Public Works and Land Settlement Act, 1911, £1,525,000; under the New Zealund Loans Act, 1908, £26,114; premium on sale of’ 4-1391‘ cont. debentures, £8,750; transfer from revenue, £350,000; other receipts, £9~122; making :1. gross total of £3,315,648.

The ordinary expenditure of the year amounted to £2,557,295, charges and expenses in respect of raising

loans £35,495, redemption of deben-y tures £II,BOO, and other expenditure £15,296, thus bringing the total disbursements up to £2,619,886, and leaving a credit balance at the end of the year of £695,762. A For the current year it is proposed to provide additional funds as under: -Balance of authorised loan-moneys, £1,476,100; proposed new loan, £2oo}000. The above, with the balance brought forward, gives a grosss total of £4,171,862. The estimated’ expenditure for public works for the current year (excluding -separate accounts having their own ways and means) amounts to £2,803,550, leaving an estimated balance of £1,368,312 to be "carried forward to next year (1916-17). In addition to the above we have authority to raise, outside the Public Works Fund, the uiidermentioned sums :—Under the Aid to Water-power Werks Act, 1910, £2-15,000; under the Irrigation‘ and Water-supply Act, 1 1913, £29,900; under the Waihou and l Ohinemuri Rivers Improvement Act, ‘ 1910, £50,000. ‘ * S’I‘RA’I‘FORD—MAIN TRUNK. I

Since the opening of the line to Whangamomona construction 'work has been in progress over nine miles

and a half between the terminus and Tahora. The work comprises two tunnels, road and stream diversions, and several small bridges, besides usual earthworks and culverts. One tunnel twenty-three chains long is finished,

'the other is being widened out, most of the bridges are built, and the minor works aro well in hand over the whole length. Rails have been laid and the line partly ballasted as far as Kohuratahi, four miles and a hall from the terminus of the open line, | and a tramway has been laid from that point to the second tunnel to trams-j (port plant, material, and stores to the 1 (works, in preference to hauling over the longer and steeper route by road. Ballast material for this section of the line is brought by train from .Mount Egmont. At the eastern end the contractor lor the Okahu tunnel was unable to | carry on the work owing to financial difficulties; and in April last the contract, with the Department’s consent, was assigned to Messrs Dillon (Limited), a company in which most of the parties to the original contract retain an interest. The new contractors have * experienced much bad weather since they took over the work, but there is every prospect of better progress being made during the spring and summer. The contract covers two miles and aj half of formation, including the tun-! I iidl, 75 chains long. A contract has i just been let for the erection of the jsteel superstructure of a combined, 'road and railway bridge over the Ongame River where the railway leaves the Main Trunk line at Okahukura. The piers will bo built by the Department. Six small contracts for formation beyond the tunnel are approach-I ing completion, and the work is well 1 in band up to Ala tic re Township, ten miles from the junction point. A tramway three miles in length is being laid into Matiere to facilitate the transport of construction material and to keep heavy traffic off the Ohura Road. Settlers’ stores wUI he hauled over the tram-line. MOUNT EGMONT BRANCH. j

Owing to alterations in design of inclinic and in proposed methods of operating the quarry on the mountain, construction work on this line has been suspended (luring the greater [part of the past year. l l OPUNAKE BRANCH. - ’l'lle line has been located from Te Roti to Opunake, twenty-tliree miles clistmit, and construction work is in mind by contract and co-operative parties over the first seven miles to 'J\’.aplnli Statioii. Bridges of substantial design will be required to carry the line over the Waingongoro and,

Mangatoki rivers on the first section. Materials for concrete piers are being brought to the bridge-sites. . HOADS AND BRIDGES.

The total amount provided ou last financial year’s appropriations under ali votes and accounts (including the Consolidated Fund Vote for Maintenance, but excluding the Land for Settlement Account—loading) was £l,-' 070,300. The, amount authorised for expenditure under the same votes and accounts during the year, added to the unexpended balance of authorities at 31st March, 1914, totalled £1,197,401. The expenditure for the twelve months, amounted to £666,237, leaving an unexpended balance at 3ist March last of £531,164.

In regard to expenditure on road, etc., works under the Land for Settlements Account, the monev is, of course, provided by special loan raised on the security of each block of land, and is not shown on the appropriations. Under this head the amount placed at the disposal of this Department by the Minister of Lands for expenditure during the year (including the unspent balance at 31st March, 1911) amounted to £17,360, whilst the expenditure for twelve months amounted to £8,536.

I For the current year the provision nuide for roads and bridges has not ibeen limited on account of prevailing conditions, but it must of course he understood that the authorisation of expenditure will be ‘dependent upon the Government’s ability to raise the r.:er'essal'_y loan ior public-\xol".xg pur-;-C503. lvlore-over it is not intended that the ivays and means provi-led shall be expended by 31st Mzu'cll, 1915, but tlley are expected to sufiice till 31st December, 1916, or even, if necessary, to 31st lllarch; 1917, oo:v.oLUsloN. ' After dealing with many other mat- E ters the Mini-ster sa.ys:——-In concluwsion, the ability to give effect to the proposals set forth in the Statement ‘will depend on the response of the‘ public to the loan proposals of the i.\linister of l9‘in:lnce. The great im-i lprwtnncc of developin_«_r, the resources ‘of the Dominion by constructing 1-oucls, ln'i(.lg'es, and 1-ail\\'u,ys will cer-i tuinly not be lost siglit of, but it is‘ rle(:es.=;zll'_v to emphasise the fact tlmt; s;mm- reduction in the rate of expelldi-; tum on :2-.uL-11 \_'.'orl-:s must be expected! umlnr the very tl'yivlg ('nn(liti(m:-5, cunsequent on the war. J E~(f);\l’l£ Oli‘ THE VOTES. _‘

1 Among the rai|\\'u" vof€s.ax~e the following :—— _ I

i i . .2” 4‘ 25 2» 3*‘ V‘ '9 L, 47 Q1. 4-3 8 « us zr. 2 ' ..~’-: cg: .0 =2 /' ~-' 1" P‘! ‘ £. £. 1 Mt. I'J;:_nm:1t I I H1'.m(-ll 1.000 7,5(ll1 3,900! 3()puunko I m-mm]. 40000 -.40000 4,330, €St1'a.ti’o1'd é , Main '4l'r1m]-; 80,000 100.000 102,105 Raetihi Main ll Trunk 20,000 30,000 23,115 I Stone Quarry I line R:1n;;»;i- ; tikei I20sm- 3,000 7,500 206 ' Feabherstom Martinborough 5,000 15,000 _ 70