The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1917. PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

Taihape Daily Times, 12 October 1917, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1917. PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

(With which is incorporated The Tai hapo Post and Waimarino News).

The Public Works Statement submitted to Parliament by the Hon. W. Fraser, Minister ,of Public Works, yesterday, is somewhat of the usual bulk, but its subject matter is so dwarfed in camparison as to render it of little importance, .virtually negligible, leaving nothing to comment upon but its meagreness > Last year's document was so unsatisfactory as to indicate that with the money available the country's progress would not in any sense keep s tep with its production. The Minister has experienced a labour shortage that seems phenomfor he says that owing to the impossibility of obtaining labour he was unable to secure the expenditure of much more than one-half of the sum authorised. This year he does not feel inclined to take any risk about not being able to secure expenditure, by refraining to ask Parliament to vote it. For roading and bridging the whole Dominion £420,000 unexpended authorities issued bededucted from this is £60,000 spent in repairing flood damage, and £195,00 unexpended authorities issued before 31st March. This leaves the sum of for all necessary road and bridge works during the year. The Minister states that this sum will .only be sufficient to provide for half the items on last year's estimates, not authorised, and will only permit a few of the most urgent works to be attempted War expenditure, of course, has impoverished the Public Works Minister, and with the information available of the country's finance his proposals for works during the coming year must not be subjected to the scrutiny usually given them under more ordinary circumstances. Railways have had much more attention than roads, total expenditure on the latter being about while railways have absorbed £846,544. The working expenses of our railways for the past year amounted to £2,926,864; this is additional to the amount for new lines-"

and improvements. The percentage of expenditure on railways to profits constitutes a record, it being less than ' 61 per cent of the revenue. And from I March 31st to the 22nd July this re- ', cord is further lowered, the expenditure being less than 59 per cent of income. This suggests the idea that railway users are to be made to pay, in advance the total cost of new and additional railways and for all improvements to the old lines Despite the fact that revenue is within nine per cent of being half the expenditure another £650,000 are asked for in the current year's estimates. Roads and bridges are essential in newlysettled country; they should come before railways; the latter can only be made payable by good roads to them. Road and bridge-building is a more profitable means of outlay than railways, only we do not quite realise it because, like taxation through the Customs, it is indirect, but again like the Customs, it is the means whereby the greatest sums of money become available. The profits on railways are direct; their working is just the working of a business, and it seems that methods adopted by profiteers are not entirely unknown to the Railway Commissioner. It is all done in the name of the war, therefore we must do nothing more than state what is taking place. The Estimates for 191718 should have some interest for the people of this huge territory that is progressive despite the noticeable neglect of the Minister of Public Works. To look through his proposals one would think that .Taihape was a heaven where everything in the way of roads and bridges obtained galore. We need no back-block roads because there is nothing in the Estimates to indicate any such want. There are a few small sums placed on *■ the Estimates to be spent in the Rangitikei County, which will, if expended, give us some comfort, be it ever so little. For the Hautapu bridge £ for £ is to be given up to £SOO. A similar vote appeared last year but it does not appear to have been of any use. Another £ for £ vote is £175 for the Mataroa-Mangaweka road; -.also on account of the £750 previously voted for the Taihape-Mataroa, road £250 is estimated. Last of all there is that old familiar £SOO for the Matawhero road being carried to the banks of the Rangitfkei River bobbing up again. As a,consideration of the Maoris of this district presenting to the Government some 75,000 acres for soldier settlement they were promised that the Rangitikei should be bridged so as to connect the Matawhero Road on this side with that on the Hawke's B'ay side, which is already made to the river-bank # Therefore, we hope to see the County Council expending this vote and completing the approach.so that no time may be lost when the erection of the bridge becomes necessary to get access to the land the Maoris have given. In all other respects the Estimates are generally and not specifically of interest to us. We are of opinion that our local bodies, Chamber of Commerce and that more highly vitalised body, the Tradesmen's Association, should agitate for and urge on the bridging of the Rangitikei River so that the 75,000 acres of land in the Ohauko block together with another 45,000 acres which the Prime Minister has agreed to purchase from the Maoris at one pound per acre less than was offered by private would-be purchasers, may be approachable readily from Taihape, much the nearest centre, as soon as the land is needed by the return of our soldiers. Taihape is the nearest and natural marketing centre for this 120,000 acres on which soldiers are to be settled, and there are pressing reasons why the road thereto should be no longer left uncompleted. War conditions have deprived the Public Works Estimates for the coming year of all other specific interest for this district. Unwittingly in all probability, the Minister seems to be using the funds at hi s disposal in diverting freightage from the railways in the centre of the Island to the seaboard where it may become a source of profit to ship-owners, and a corresponding loss to the public exchequer.