The Daily News. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25. THE PUBLIC WORKS FUND.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 233, 25 September 1908, Page 2

The Daily News. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25. THE PUBLIC WORKS FUND.

There are no surprise packets in the <J Public \\ orks Statement for 1!)08 or tne «' Estimates for the year ending 3lst March next, and, on the whole, Hie o Statement and proposals will be deemed v generally satisfactory. In respect if t the amount unexpended ( £31!1,(i4(i) out n of the total authorisation of £2,2111,210 ii against the Public Works Fund proper, Ii the position is not unusual, cxccii in ( the fact that roads were the principal S sull'erers. the large vote oi CsK7t>3 e having ibeen unexpended bv no less than f £105,000. and the lolai expenditure a being £24,1100 smaller than the amount 1 actually spent during the previous year, a The Minister is evidently deeply" com- c scions of Hie fad, for he states by way I of explanation that while "the buik oi 1 authorities for expenditure was issie-.l ( somewhat earlier than usual, and abundance of work was ready for men. lle.v , could not be got." The shortage. ■7! labor should, however, not be so acute ' dining the ensuing summer, and in a'i probability large numbers of laborer-; , hitherto Uniting employment „n the Main Trunk Railway construction will be available for road works. The scarcity of labor was evidently not so acute in this province, however, for our of the vote of C17.7(i1i for road works, £28,300 was expended, approximately t 7.) per cent, of the total authorisation, ; and very considerably in excess of the ! proportional gross expenditure. Ju the allocation of public money for roads for the current year this provin c lias received a lair allocation, totalling, under all heads, Juo(i,Orji. tinder the ordinary vote £17,024 is allocated, while £35,225 is set aside as Taranaki's share I of this year's special hackblucks vote of i l £250,000. The Financial Statement, it will iuc I'eiuem.berod, outlined the backblocks special reading scheme, uwloi which a quarter of a million sterling was to be specially set apart annually for four years, if the Oovernnieut seri-

| ously intends that this money is to be i expended within four years, the oxpeuliiture of this special grant alone will mark a period of unprecedented and welcome activity in roiid-coiistruetion. The principal 'votes for backblocks roads in the province are:—Mold £ISiV), Tongapoi'utu to Mangaroa £181)11, TaIngahoe .1.1100, Mangaoapa £2OOO. Ohura (south of 'Paorae) £3OOO, Rawhitiroa £3OOO, Whangainoniona to Wanganui river '£3ooo, Carrington £750. 'l'he intention is evidently to hurry forward 'with all despatch those particularly which promise to develop into main loads. On the vital subjejl I of roads, therefore, while some portions of New Zealand .suffered last year' because of the gcarc-ity of labor and nonexpenditure of votes, Taranaki's grievance on that score is not a big one, nor is there likely to be much iault found with t'he amount proposed for expenditure during the coming year, g The Railway vote, as was to be e-c----3 peeled is a large one, totalling under the I Public Works Fund £1,250,000, of whhli jj £Uot),<li)o is proposed for railway eouB struction and £350,000 for addition t;> K open lines. Last year's vole was | £1,141,000, and £1,050,020 was expem;j| ed. Tho above sum, however, does not |j represent the total expenditure on raily way works, for under special accounts 8 having t'heir own .ways and means £70,000 is set aside for the lltitt railway and road improvement, and £105,000 under the Railway Improvements Authorisation Act account for the, "! costly duplication works at Auckland, | ChrisUehureh, and Dunedin. Under the J latter head £140,053 was expended oui I of a vote of £200,(100 last .year. It will

be seen that thv total amount proposal io lio expended on railway works this year (Iml. not wholly out of tin- Public Works Fund) uppruxiiuali's the luu;.' total of a- million and u-lwlf sterling. In the light of this great expenditure on leading works, the (lovernniont has had the courage to resist all demands for new railways in the interests if which deputations from all parts of the Dominion have been continually urging their claims upon the tiovernmeiit. S\|.vey s are nroniiscsd for a great many necessary railway lines, lint lor u ul it .-ingle new line of railwav. oilier thin those already toimiieneed. is authorisation asked. In view of this being el-e----tiun year, biassed critics would have kd us to believe that (.loveriuiient would have plaealed loeal feeling nil over the eolony by proposing small' votes for [lie initiatiim. of many new railways, but Hie businesslike Statement somewhat upsc s (hat line of argument. Amongst the •■■Wiiiilcu" railways for wliioh an""initial § vote was expected in many <|iiarters 'n Tarauaki was the inm-li-deb'ated tlpuiiake

iliuo, tin- engineers' report of the probable cost of which was presented to lie.-: „ House last week. Tile [Statement, however, contains no mention of it. , Tin- Stratford Main Trunk line lias received reasonable treatment, but no more than its ■.'resit importance warX rants. Of tile £20,000 voted tor this line last year, .Cl2,:i(i.) was expended. Willi the greatly iiu-reused activiiv shown during the. past three months, there is every likelihood that this vca'-> vote of £IO,OOO will l.p wholly sprat, if nut exceeded. The delay in dividing t'ie point of junction with the Main Trunk lin.' is to he regretted, and it is open t > niiieh doubt wliefher the commercial inK teresl, of Taranaki and Wellington will not sillier tto the aggrandisement of Auckland) if the junction is taken to a point very far north of Ongaruhe. From, . the torn- of the Hon. W. Hall-Jones' ' SUatemcni, wc surmise the new proposal is to junction about T'e Kuiti. There i.s 1 little doubt that with the Main Trunk out of the way the Stratford-Main Trunk will receive a much heavier allocation, and an early start made with a number of quite new lines of railway, 1 ami next year slioulil witness their authorisation. Meantime, of the total sum available lor railways this year, the Main Trunk absorbs no less than. 1:225,000, an amount that will probablycover all costs for which the Public Works Department is liable, and this ' .year's vote should lie the last chargeable to this great national work. Following .„•,. ( iet,,ils of the allocation of the railway votes, with last year's vote and the amount actually expended:— Kawukawa- Last year's vote .C 15,000, expended fDl'Jii, ihis year's vote .1-10,000. JMcnsville (north)-Last year's vote I ' C-10,000. expended £28,110, this year's vole CSO.OOO. (lisburuo expended £O2IB, this year's vi'e ! £00,0111).

New Plymouth - Sentry Hill Last year's vole 113,000, expended £11,71:;. Slrall'oril-Main Trunk—Last year's vol.. £20,000, expended £I2.:JOJ, this year's vote t.40,000. North Island Main Trunk—Ust year'* V(lt « ■«:«'. , expended £:!30,;!21, this year's vote £220,000.

Blenheim-Wuipara, —Last year's f 10,000, expended £20,501, this vear\ vote 030,000.

Midland - Last year's vote £OO 01)0 expended CUS.-W3, this year's vore .fIJIMIOO.

M'eslpiii-t-liiaiigaliua—Last year's vole f 10.000. evpended tSJOj, this ye-l r's vole fl.-,.0n0. ■

Hlael.l, i ill-.|„<-t yea,-, vote C 15.1100 expended .U7,:j11-1. this year's vo'e C 20.0011.

iAi>s,-Last. year s vote .C 20.000, e\pended C 1:1.5-10. this year's vo'e C 1.1,01)11. lio.vliurgli-l.ast year's vote £2(1000 expended .1.12,21;;, this year's vote UIO.OOiI.

Callin.-Waiinahaka Last vear, vote etll.OUl). expended .CliUll.WyCirs vote csn.ooo. •

Rivcrsdalc-Switzcrs—Last year', vnt--61Bloqo,'X|"8I0q0,'X|"' 1 " 1 "' 1 U,m ' Ulis V eal "9 ™te

Orepuki-Waiaii - l,,st j-cr'a vole C-20,000, expended U0,72i;. tin. vear s vote crin.ono.

Hie gross total ot tlic appropriations t«r t1... year under Hip Publi,. Works I'uiid ami speeia! ;l (vomil.s adininisler-d •b.v the Department amount to £•',;■> | - 4">(t, ae,ains|i voted ■,„ | C2.liiii,::(L. a<-in:,lly ex,,, ~i i ilM , y ,', Ilrt

Favored win, ~,„„| weather ~,„] ~ ,-, ripply (if liilmr. ;.,„„[ progress 5i,,,,, be mud., aitli railway, road', and lirid I work. (Ins year, but if from (lie scaivi of tin. liiimaneonmiodity itis found i, possible to expend „|| t|„. money 11VJ :<l>l". v.-c -honld advoeate a coiisiderab miTtti,!. in the expenditure on imini..r lion. It is essential thii! the rat.:", n-adn.s'of Hie ~,„„try „„ ls i „,.,,], fifed, and while (lie fund, ;,,,, availalil obstacle Ileal should lie alh.wd't'o'in pede proeje...

O.Y THE FOURTH t'AUE. C'oinniereial. The Courts. Land Ballot. Lionel Terry. JJisl riet News. Farm and Dairy. Arbitration (.'nurt. fJeneral Telegrams. Tiio Esplanade Extension,

The annual general meeting oi ths Filzroy Howling and Tennis Club called lor last nig'ht was adjourned, owing to the illness of the secretary and the waul of a quorum.

Owing to to-morrow being a holiday (Dominion Day), t'he Post Oilk-e will be open for one hour only. The Money Order and Swings Bank Department, will be closed all day.

An instance of unscrupulous heccrag of a country 'visitor to the city was revealed at the Auckland Police Court, the other day, when a one armed man named Munich, was charged w.th plying an express for hire without a license. A lady visitor arrived at Cray street jetty by the Northern ■Steamship Company'* iioal and -Munich charged 12s (id, for taking the luggage from the jetty to the railway station, a distance of a hundred yards. Mr. Dyer, S.M. scathingly commented ori accuseds action and lined him C 4 and costs. An application was made to have the money refunded to the lady, but Mr Dyer said lie had no power to order tins.

Hearing that the Rev. Mr. Hammond, of Melbourne, Australia's foremost leui- j pcrancc orator, was to pass .New Plymouth to Auckland by list night's express, the local workers in thcause of No-License determined to have this additional "star" at their pub!''meeting. Accordingly, when the mail train drew up here, the rev. gentleman was hurried along to the theatre, where he gave a most stirring, interesting, and at times amusing nildress oil the NoLicense question, opening with the utterance of bis thanks for the postponement of his mal-de-iuer agonies for ba'f-an-hour, arrangements having been made to delay the steamer for thai length of time so as to permit of his nl lending the meeting. In 1!)D7 the newspaper proprietors, of New Zealand resolved to bar all ad-

yertising of a certain type. It meant throwing away over £IO,OOO per annum of revenue in the interests of public morality and health. One of the. lii'st names placed on the list was that of the firm just prosecuted in Sydney, and which still advertises enormously in the Commonwealth itself. The New Zealand business thus jeopardised was extremely profitable, and to save it the linn sent over a lecturer, but tlrsmoye was effectually checkmated by the, "sordid" .press that, according to the Attor-iiev-Ceneral, is a readily purchasable

commodity, declining to publish notification of the lectures, even though such notifications contained nothing, whatever objectionable. Against that blow the principals saw tlrey could not figfht, so they withdrew' from the Dominion.—lPalmerston "Times." At the meeting of the liawera Hospital Board on Monday, Mr, Bridge made a complaint against the hospital doctor of reiusing to admit a lady patient to the public hospital .jo me ground that her father was in a position to pay for treatment at a private ■institution, says the Star. This, he

said, was not right, as it was generally understood UMt the hospital was open to anyone uliu wished to be adlei.'.ed. Mr. Taylor said the ea-e mentioned was playing into private prac-

The chairman pointed out that & riMilutidu passed by the. recent conference over-rode such action. Mv. Jlarx thought the doctor sliould he asked for mi explanation. The chairman thought they could not prevent a doctor recommending a patient for a private hospital, hut certainly a doctor should not stop a patient entering the public institution. .Mr. liridge moved that the doctor be asked lor ao aplnnntion. Tho resolution was seconded by Mr. Taylor and carried. It is understood that when the 'through" railway set vice lioui Wellington to Auckland is commenced in Juivemher, the journey will oceii]),y two days, And the part of" the lrae will still he under the control of the l'ublie Works Department. It is slated Unit a section of ten miles of lihe line, on this side of tile Makatote Viaduct, is still in a very bad conditio;;. Tnc line is unballasted, cutting unluiishod, and there have b&» aoinc, fairly bad slips during the recent rough weather. Three trains will be required for (ihe service, and or"'the 40 carriages specially ordered for this lino, eight were usvd for the special Parliamentary! train. It is expected that lire J.i.-t will be turned out of the I'etone Workshops about Christmas. Kiglit no-tun engines for Ihe line have been under conslruclion in ihe Addiiiglon linihvav Workshops, aaid the tenders for these are being made at I'etone. The Dominion understands (hat when the line is completed (lie fare from Wellington to Auckland (42tin>ilcs) will be Wis. Id. lirst-elass single anil 21s. 2.1.

s c.-i,n.l--.-la>, Miigle, 'l'll.- fares fron London to Edinburgh |.">!>2 mile), whicl were quoted for purpose of eoniparisni are 575. (Id. lirst.-chiss single and :l2r Sd. second-class sbgle.

Mi 8. Tinner, of Wilier, liik-v and Co., Ltd.. write-, to the llawcra'star: from cables just to hand Danish butter is 122, to 121k, Siberian 112s. old' New Zealand 1 l(i>. These prices are on tile market while the prices should be the lowest lime of tile year. The prospects are exceptionally" good, but the prospects for cheese are extraordinary. Cable advices from Canada show that there has been a scramble to get all the cheese that has been made at about oils to tils net at the factory, wliicll is just on li'/od net at the factory, one strong feature in favor of those factories who have consigned this vear is that besides three big [inns "having bought very heavily j,, Canada nl. tluve prices two of these firms 'iuve grabbed all the cheese thev could lay their hands oti in New Zealand, and the U'/ 2 d net at the factory for Canadian cheese will have to be sold at o%d to show a profit, and it is my opinion that New Zealand cheese will

command somewhere about this price. —ibetween IP/..1 ami fi%il net at the factory. Certainly a famine for cheese, is before us, judging by the tremendous falling-oil in Canadian. Owing to the famine prices for butter last year, Canadian duplicate 'plant factories, which are 00 per cent of Canadian factories, turned to making butter and neglected cheese so much" tliat the. famine will come.