PUBLIC WORKS.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 July 1916, Page 7

PUBLIC WORKS.

THE ANNUAL STATEMENT. -NO MESH BORROWING. i ' * A ''GO-SLOW" POLICY. I3y Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. l'i'aser, Minister of Public Works, delivered the Public Works Statement as follows: When the Public Works Statement of 1915-16 was being discussed by the House, I made it quite clear that I had no intention of expending during the financial year the whole of the moneys I wa.s asking .Parliament to entrust to me. On the contrary, I expressed my determination to endeavor to distribute the expenditure of these moneys over a period of two years instead of over one year. That I have succeeded in this endeavor is proved by the fact that after expending (inclusive of the cost of raising loan) £2,344,344 out of the Public Works Fund, I have still to the. credit of that Fund on Slat March, 1916, the sum of .11,838,201, viz.. cash £1,293,101, and balance jf authorised loan money still to be raised £545,100. I feel confident that I am expressing the opinion of the whole community that this sum should suffice for the needs of the current year aa far as public works are concerned, and the estimates are framed on the basis to ensure this result. The estimates for roads and bridges for 1010-17 will consist only of the unexpended votes on the estimates for 1915-16. To prevent misapprehension let me here state that the public works loan of £1,000,000 authorised under the Finance Bill now before the House is not intended to provide any further money for roads, bridges, railways, etc., during the current year, but some portion of it will be available, if necessary, to continue expenditure on such works from 31st March, 1917, until Parliament meets again, by which time we all hope and trust that peace will have been proclaimed. The provision I am making for roads and bridges' is only about £4500 less than what I expended last year, but the provision for railway expenditure has had in consequence to lie reduced by £200.000. Owing to the foregoing reasons I have been unable to make any provision on Hie Estimates for applications for new grants for roails and bridges. I propose, however, to partially overcome this difficulty in the following manner:—l am taking power in the Appropriation Act to transfer the sums now allocated on this year's Estimates for such roads and bridges which a local body may deem to he of minor importance to other more urgently needed works, which do not appear on the said Estimates, but are situated in the same county, thus, in reality, providingmonev for new works. This will. I feel confident, help to meet the views of many local bodies. TOTAL EXPENDITURE. The expenditure for the financial year ended 31st March last was as follows: Railways— £ Additions to open lilies .... 402,252 New Construction ...... 802,919 Roads -124,494 Public Buildings ■ 335,774 Immigration 10,010 Purchase uf Xative Lauds nil Lighthouse, harbor works and harbor defences 13.673 Tourist and health resorts .. 5107 Telegraph Extension 249,554 Development of mining <IOO2 Defence works (general .... 37,019 Departmental v. 111.480 Lauds Improvement 5930 Plant, material and stores .. 74,418 Cost and discount, raising loans, etc 5037 Total out or Public Works Fund 2,314.944 EXPENDITURE. Wellington-Hutt railway and road 142 Railway improvement 139,754 Roads to open up Crown Lands - 47,974 Roads, endowment lauds .... 13,34 + Aid to water power works 55.410 Irrigation and water supply 29.5T4 Waihou and Ohinemuri rivers improvement 9225 Total expenditure all accounts 2,C-1u,61i3 WAYS AND MEANS. On the Ist April, 1915, the available ways and means for public works purposes were £095,702. and further funds were received as under:Aid to Public Works and Land Settlement Act 1914 929.!HH) Under Finance Act, 1915 ... 2,(100.000 Under the Finance to Cover Expenses of raising 5030 Other receipts and recoveries 735.'! Making a gross total of .... ",038,045 The ordinary expenditure of the year amounted to £2,339,907, plus the ex penscs of raising loan £5037, thus bringing tlie total disbursements up to £2.314.944. This leaves a balance to the credit of the Ways and Means account <bn end of the year of £1.293.101. CURRENT YEAR EXPENDITURE. For the current year it is proposed to provide additional funds as under: Balance of authorised loan money still to be raised £545.100, making the total ways and means for 1910-17 £1,838.201. The estimated expenditure for public works for the current year (excluding separate accounts having their oivn ways and means) amounts to £1,535.000, leaving an estimated balance of 201 to he carried forward to next year (1017-1.8). In addition to the amounts described above we have authority to raise outside the Public Works Fund the following sums:—Under the Aid to Water Power Act, 1910, £1(11,01)0; nder the Waihou and Ohinemuri River Improvement Act, 1010, £50,800. NEW RAILWAY'S. Two lengths of railway were opened for regular traffic during the financial year, namely, H-untly to Awaioa, and Ward to Wharawii. The total expenditure on railway construction and improvement work during the year was £1,204,921.—New lines

| £062,919; addition to open lines, £402,552; railways improvement accounts, £139,750. During the year construction work was completed on the Huntly-Avvaroa line. Work was suspended on Kaihu Valley extension at Kaikohe-Kirikopuni, Motu, Westport-lnangahua, Waimate extension and Waiau-Orawia sections. Works are still in progress at sixteen points. Important bridge works on several lines are delayed owing to the impossibility of obtaining steel material from England. ■PUBLIC BUILDINGS. Expenditure during the past financial year was £335,774. The appropriation proposed for the current year is £364,000. Principal items of expenditure were on new Parliament Buildings, police headquarters, and Government Printing Office, Wellington. DEVELOPMENT OF WATER POWER. The Lake Coleridge power scheme is now in operation, and kas attained results beyond anticipations. Three units of the generating power, capable of an output of 0000 horse-power, were originally installed. The demand for current warrants the installation of two fuvther units, which will bring the output to 10,000 horse-power. Arrangements are in train for utilising the current for tramway traction, the operation of machinery ill meat works, flour mills, tanneries, dairy factories, and other established industries in and around Christchurch. The total expenditure to 31st March was £329,719. Surveys and investigation for a comprehensive scheme to serve the North Island have been in progress. There are several schemes showing promise. Irrigation works to serve the Ida Valley, Central Otago, have been advanced considerably, and will be continued. Dredging work for the improvement of the Waihou and Ohinemuri rivers is being effectively carried out by the. Government dredge. Two new contracts for stopbank construction have been let, and much more of this class of work remains to be done before the improvement scheme is carried to completion. CONCLUDING REMARKS. In conclusion, the Minister expresses his great regret at the necessity that exists during the continuance of the war to curtail expenditure on roads, bridges and railways. Much has been done in the past in regard to roading, s but much more still requires to he done in order to enable the produce of the land to be brought to market, especially as settlement is progressing so rapidly New Zealand is incurring enormous rei sponsibilities in connection with the war, and the only way in which the consequent burden of taxation can be borne will be by increasing the quantity of our products from the land and the facilities for transport of same to ports of shipment. This will have to be the chief consideration after peace has been proclaimed. Meantime everything mu=t give way to the imperative necessity of assisting the Empire to emerge victorious from the present gigantic strngjrle to maintain our freedom, untrammelled by German domination. ESTIMATES. Last This year year £ £ Department*! i 11,422 114,000 | Railway construction 1,005,171 800,000 I Public Buildings 335,774 364,000 Lighthouses, Harbor Works and Defences 13,673 14,000 Tourist and Health Resorts 5167 5000 Immigration 10,010 15 000 Roads and Bridges 424,494 420.000 Development ot Mining (>OO2 0000 Telegraph Extension 249,554 31)0.000 Contingent Defence 37,619 30,000 Lauds Improvement 5930 10,000 Irrigation and water supply 40,000 Plant. Material and stores 7-4.-41S 20,000 Total votes for current year, £IS3S,000. Other proposed votes out of separate accounts are: £ Railways Improvement 200,000 Aid to Water Power works 55,000 Irrigation and water supply 4745 Waihou and Ohinemuri rivers , on (100 improvement Lands for Settlement, roads WnfM National Endowment, roads 30.000 THE RAILWAY VOTE. Details of vote for railways construction lor the current year are: ] Kaihu railway Extension ...... 1000 Kawakawa liokianga 10,000 North Auckland -Main Trunk 1000 Kaiwuka northwards 30.000 Wliangarei, North Auckland 50,000 Waipu branch 1000 Waiuku branch 15,000 liuntlv-Awaroa 2000 Wuiliu-'l'auranga 10-W" Taurauga-TY Mannga. 10,000 Maunganni-Taneatua 25.000 Motu < m) Kauier-t iisborne-Wairoa 20,1K)fl Wairoa-Cisbonie

Waiioa-.Xapier 10(1,1 Napier-Wairua Mount r.gmont branch _ UKI Omnia ke branch _.),000 Stratford Alain Trunk cast ei)d '>0,"00 ... . , 2(1,00(1 West end ltactilii Main Trunk Ij,ooo

Stone Quarry Line Rangi tikei River " Feather.-!on-Ma rtmborough .... 1« • South Island Main Trunk .... 10.000 Midland. Nelson end iooO "tira-Bealey °"° Broken River-Bealey Westport-lnangahua Giwmouth-Point Elizabeth .... w C'ulverdcn-Wairau Waimate Branch Extension -000 Uwrence-Roxburgh jj Otago Central CatiinsAVaimahaka - Balclutha-Tuapeka Mouth - Wiuton -I-laddon Bush no " Orepuki-Waiau Extension Land Claims Surveys of New Lines - Permanent Way Materials .. 10.-OO TARANAKI VOTES. (From our own Correspondent.) Wellington, Last Night. The following are the Taranaki votes apart from the bigger railway votes Police Station at Tnglewood, £ 000. £■>•>o for Post and Telegraph buildings t Mokau: £3500 for a similar atPatea: £4OOO at Stratford and £<-00 ■<i Waitara.