PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.
'A GO-SLOW WAR POUCy, By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Niglit. In the House of Representatives today the Minister for Public Works (Hon. W. Fraser) brought down the Public Works Statement. He said:— When I prepared my Public Works Statement last year I was under the impression that I would be able to expend within the financial year the most of the money I was asking Parliament to vote for roads and bridges. Acting on this belief I authorised for expenditure the whole of this sum to either the local bodies or to my district engineers on the basis of one-half the unauthorised items on the estimates for each county. Owing, however, to the impossibility of obtaining sufficient labor, I was unable to secure the expenditure of much more than one-half of the sum so authorised. The result is that from the sum I now propose asking Parliament to vote for roads and bridges, namely, £420,000, I have first to deduct £60,000 for the flood-damage vote, and then the unexpended authorities issued prior to the 31st March, 19117, amounting to £195,000. This will leave £165,000, which will be only sufficient to provide for about onehalf of those items on last year's estimates which were not authorised, and also enable a few of the most urgent new applications to be dealt with.
If the war continues for another twelve months it can hardly be expected of me that I shall be able to expend the whole of the money proposed to be appropriated for roads and bridges; still, I consider it advisable that I should be empowered to meet any emergency that may arise.
The extraordinary and continuous rainfall that has been experienced over tile greater part of the North Island during the last twelve months has caused an enormous amount of damage to roads and .bridges. The country beicame waterlogged, and wherever the (roads had not been metalled they were quite unable to bear any traffic, and soon became quagmires, causing very serious inconvenience. I have endeavored, as far as it lay in my power, to assist in repairing this damage, .but the loss accruing from this deluge of rain has been very serious.
The following table shows the brief particulars of the expenditure of the year:—
Railways— New construction 335,404 Additions to open lines .. 255.543 Roads 220 845 Public buildings 250,131 Immigration fi's33 Lighthouses, harbor-works, and harbor-defences 3,707 Tourist and health resorts 1^094 Development of mining 4.502 Defence-works (general) .. 9,742 Departmental 131/701 Irrigation and water-supply 16,049 Lands improvement . Cr. 2,731 Plant, material and stores 9,778 Cost and discount, raising loans, etc 35
1,278,483 Railways Improvement Authorisation Act, 1914, Account 225,597 Land for Settlements Account—Roads to open up Ctown lands 24,730 National Endowment Account—Roads to open up endowment 0 7.87 Aid to Water-power Works Account 49,032 Irrigation and Water-supply Account 4745 Waihou and Ohinemuri Rivers Improvement Account 10,407 Telegraph Extension Account 203,311 Total 1,803,092 WAYS AND MEANS. On Ist April, 191(1, the available ways and means for public works purposes were £1,293,102, and further funds were received as follows: Under the Aid to Public Works and Land Settlement Act, 1914, £500,000 ■ other receipts and recoveries, £6906, making a gross total of .£1,800,008. The ordinary expenditure of the year amounted to £1,278,448, pIUB the' expenses of raising loans £35, thus bringing the total disbursements up to £1,2/78,483. This leaves a balance to the credit of the Ways and Means Account at the end of the year of £521,525. For the current year it is proposed to provide additional funds as follows: Balance of authorised loan money still to be raised under the Aid to Public Works and Land for Settlements Act, 1914, £45,100; under the Finance Act, 1916, section 49, £700,000; under the Finance Act, 1917, £850,000; making the total ways and means for 1917-18 £2,1'16,625. The estimated expenditure for public works for the current year (excluding separate accounts having their own ways and means) amounts to £1,881,715, leaving an estimated balance of £234,910 to be carried forward to next year (191819). ■ RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION". No sections of railway were opened for regular traffic during the financial year. Several sections are, however, almost complete as far as construction is concerned, and on some of them the Public Works Department is running a goods and passenger Bervice. The total expenditure on railway construction and improvement work during the last financial year amounted to £846,544, as follows: Construction of jiew lines, £335,404; addition to open lines, £285,543; railways improvement accounts, £225,597. In the summary of the works which have been in progress during the year are the following Taranaki works:— Stratford-Main Trunk—At the western end a limited number of men have been employed throughout the year on the varied cesses of work necessary to carry the line from Whangamomona to Tahora. Heavy slips occurred, but have been removed. Two tunnels of about 24 chains each have been excavated and lined, and cuttings and banks up to Tahora station are approaching completion. Rails are laid and ballasting completed up to Kohuratahi, four miles and a half beyond the terminus, and a temporary tramway service to Tahora is still in operation. Another twelve months should see the line completed to Tahora, where the terminus will probably remain for some years. At the eastern end earthworks have been in progress over a length of 10£ miles. The reinforced concrete piers for the bridge over the Ongarue river have been completed. Progress on the Okahu tunnel contract has been very slow. The total length of tunnel , lined at the end of last March 18 chains, leaving 65% chains ret to
be done. The contract let last year for the tunnels at 7 miles 55 chains and 6 miles 35 chains was determined in August last, owing to the inabilityoorl r I the contractor to carry out the contract. The bottom headings and 2 chains of lining in brick were completed when the contract was determined*.
Opunake Branch. Formation-work during the year has been restricted to the seven-mile section from Te Eoti junction to Kapuni station, on which banks and cuttings are nearly completed. Concrete piers for the bridge which will carry the line over the Waingoro river are well in hand, but the construction of this and two other bridges on the first section will occupy the available staff for another year at least. The route of the branch line to serve Manaia has been cleared, several culverts put in, and road deviations formed and metalled. THIS YEAR'S VOTES. This year's railway votes are as follow: Mount Egmont branch, £100; Opunake branch £25,000 (last year £25.000); Stratford-Main Trunk", east end £30,000 (last year £50,000), west end £20,000 {last year £20,000). OTHER VOTES. Postal and Telegraph, re-voted: Mokau post office. £220; Patea, £3500; Stratford, £4000; Uruti, £150; Waitara (additions), £l5O. Marine.-'-Mokau river (grant for improvements), £750 (last year £SO).
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Taranaki Daily News, 12 October 1917, Page 6
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1,142PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT. Taranaki Daily News, 12 October 1917, Page 6
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