PUBLIC WORKS.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 October 1920, Page 5

PUBLIC WORKS.

RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION, LINES IN TARANAKI. PROGRESS OF THE SCHEMES. By Telesraph.—Press Association.

Wellington, Last Night. On the House of Representatives resuming at 7.30 to-night, the Minister of Public Works (the Hon. J. G. Coates) laid on the table the Public Works Statement and the Estimates for 1921-22. The total expenditure upon all works and services borne upon the public works estimates amounted to the sum of £2,269,170; or, if the special accounts having their own ways and means are excluded, the actual charges against the Public. Works Fund amounted to £2,020,714, as compared with the expenditure of £1,207,482 in the previous year. This leaves available for expenditure during the current financial year, ending on March 31, 1921, a sum of £3,689,502. The estimated expenditure for this period is £3,572,500,.1eaving an estimated credit balance Of £97,002'. Only one section (Culverden to Waian, 13 miles in length) was actually handed over to the New Zealand Railway Department for ordinary* traffioj during the financial year ended March 31, 1920, although several sections were in a sufficiently advanced stage of construction to admit of both goods and passenger traffic being handled by" the Department for the convenience of settlers and the public generally. Construction has proceeded, with all the labor available, on no less than thirty-nine sections. The total expenditure, including maintenance and improvement, for the year amounted to £841,043, the details being:—

Construction of new lines 588,325 Additions to open lines 160,324 Railway Improvement Authorisation Act, 1914, account 92,994 Total .-. £841,643 STRATFORD-MAIN TRUNK.

Matiere Section (10 miles 21 chains).— The formation work on this section is now practically complete, and the labor available is concentrated principally on the tunnels. Only seven chains of the Oknhu tunnel (76 chains in length) remain to be done. Of the other three, one is finished throughout, and the excavation of the other two is completed, and a commencement has been made with the lining of one of these. The bricks used in the tunnel have been made on the works. A steam stonecrushing plant is operating at Manunui. Metal thus obtained is being sold to the local bodies when not required for the railway works. All materials for the steel bridge over the Ongame river are on hand, and a contract has bepn let for the erection. As it is anticipated that the contract will take about twelve months to complete, and as there is a considerable length of formation ready for the rails, I propose to erect a temporary bridge to enable the plate-laying and ballasting to be carried on beyond the bridge, thus saving many months in the final completion of the line. Several bridges which occur on this length will consist of' concrete piers with steel superstructure. The concrete piers will be erected this summer. The steel for the bridges has already been ordered. Immediately it arrives the contract will be entered into. In view of the difficulties in obtaining cement, etc., I do not think that even with the aid of the temporary bridge previously referred to the rails can reach Matiere under twelve months.

Chura Section (10 miles 21 chains to 19 miles 70 chains, equalling 9 miles 4° chains).—Permanent stjrvcy plans have been completed, and the land-plan survey is in hand. About H miles of formation have been completed. Sixtytwo men are at woffc

THE TAHCRA SECTION. Tahora Section (42 miles 2G chains to 47 miles 40 chains, equalfing 5 miles 14 chains). —Work during the year was confined principally to the completion of the formation of this section and service roads for the section immediately beyond. Plate-laying Ims been extended into the Tahora yard, and ballasting lias been continued. The cattle and sheep yards at Tahora were completed and are in use. A bi-weekly passenger And goods service connecting with tile Railway Department's service at Kohuratahi has been maintained. A large number of huts and other buildings have been moved forward to the Raekohua section. Beyond Tahora there is little settlement; and it can be served by a terminus at Tahora. The work beyond is heavy, and I propose to discontinue extensive operations, and to complete the line to Tahora and hand it over to the Railway' Department. Later, when some of the other lines are completed, work can be recommenced beyond Tahora with greater vigor, and the time of ultimate connection will not thus be appreciably delayed. Raekohua Section (4* miles 40 chains to 50 chains).—Formation has been commenced, service roads are under construction, fencing is in course of erection, and bridges are being built. I propose discontinuing on this section as indicated above, and transferring the men to the Ohura end.

Heao Section (50 miles 60 chains onwards).—Five and a half miles of trial survey hae been made from near the Tangarakan river towards the Heao leaving one mile of trial line to reach' the Heao river. The permanent survey from 50 miles to 53 miles" has also been completed and a service road "laid off. Eighty men are engaged on this line.

OPUNAXE BRANCH. Kapuni Section (0 miles C chains to 7 miles, equalling 6 miles 74 chains).— All earth-work formation is completed, with the exception of a small gap at I mile 22 chains. The construction of the Waingongoro bridge proceeds satisfactorily when cement is available, but work on the Kapuni bridge had to be discontinued owing to the shortage of skilled men and cement. Auroa Section (7 miles to 12 miles, equalling 5 miles),—Formation is pushed on to the fullest extent of the labor offering. Manaia Branch Section (0 miles to 5 miles 49 chains).—.Satisfactory progress has been made with formation works on this section. A special contract is in hand for the formation of the Manaia station yard, which ig more than half completed. About forty double huts were erected on this line during the year for the better housing of workmen, who number fifty at present. Completion of the line to Manaia it the goal at present aimed at,

MOUNT EGMONT BRANCH. Work on this, line was discontinued during the war, but the increasing de* inand for road metal in Taraaaki suggests that the line should be brought to the producing point. Before work is resumed, however, I propose to have agreements with all the local bodies interested for them to take crushed metal regularly in definite quantities. Ef this is not done, and the demand is spasmodic, the works cannot be made to pay. ROAD WORKS. The total sum voted last session for roads, etc., roads on goldlields, and maintenance of roads (this latter from the Consolidated Fund) was £707,085, and of this £44i7.93>l was expended. In addition, funds have been provided by the Department of Lands and Survey for roading returned soldier settlement and other blocks. It is regretted, however, that very little labor was offering for road construction generally, especially in remote localities, and oven in the more settled districts men were hard to get. Furthermore, the construction of bridges has been materially hampered owing to the difficulty of obtaining steel and hardwood, consequent upon the state of the steel market and the scarcity o' shipping space. It is hoped, howr -r. vftth the co-operation and assistance of settlers, and the possibility of improved markets and shipping facilities, that better progress will be made this financial year. The increased use of machinery is contemplated. At the present time graders are used wherever possible, but steam shovels are now being utilised, and, in addition, a considerably increased number of graders, to be drawn by, mechanical traction, are on order. It is hoped in this way to make up for the shortage of efficient labor.

TJie statement proceeds: "Legislation is in course of preparation, and will be brought before the House, making provision for the Government taking over the control and maintenance of main roads. With *he aid of this legislation it is hoped to improve and maintain the main roads of the Dominion in accordance with the standard demanded by modern transport requirements. Should my proposals be carried out, I hope to be able to employ the most up-to-date methods In connection with road-making and maintenance. The work will be carried out on a large scale in accordance with a definite programme and under the control of a well-organized staff."

TELEGRAPH EXTENSION. Among the principal land lines completed or under construction during the year 1919-21) was the Hawera-Eltham-Stratford line. The increase in the number of telephone exchange connections for the year was S,3IS. The telephone exchange plant has been extended by the erection of 322 miles of poles and 11,547 miles of wire; and the telegraph and inter-urban telephone system now consists of SO,?.")! miles of wire, making a total length of -228,284 miles of wire in the whole telegraph and telephone system of the Dominion. Eighteen new coin-in-the-slot telephones were installed. The total in the Dominion now stands at 295.