The Evening Star MONTHLY SUMMARY FOR EUROPE AND AMERICA.

Thames Star, Volume XIII, Issue 4224, 15 July 1882, Page 1 (Supplement)

The Evening Star MONTHLY SUMMARY FOR EUROPE AND AMERICA.

Pee s.s. "City op Sydney.'

The Colony is pursuing the even tenor of its way upon the high road of prosperity^ A valley of joy lies smiling before it: all is calm, peace, and happiness. The great event of the month has been the reading of the Public Works Statement. Looking, at this document from" a colonial point of view we must regard it as satisfactory. But we Thames people have a grievance: the schedule does not contain any provision for the continuance of the long-looked-fof • and much-desired Thames Valley railway. The length of railways in. various stages of progress during the year was .234 miles, and of this length. 46 miles were opened for traffic within :the year—23 in each island. The total length of railways opened for traffic on the 31st of March last was 1,333 miles, there being open in the North Island 458 miles, and in the; Middle Island 875 miles. The work of opened lines during the past year shows good results, the increase in revenue being £55,572 against an increase of expenditure of only £1142; whilst the tonnage carried shows an increase of 59,931 tons, and the number of passengers is 61,916 more than in the preceding year. Whilst during the three years the increase of revenue is about 17 per cent., the decrease in expenditure is about 10 per cent,, and this latter, notwithstanding that there has been an extra length of 147 miles to work. The total expenditure to the 21st March last upon railways, including the cost of the provincial railways taken over, is £10,974,000. Of this sum it is estimated that £1,531,000 was not in a position to contribute to the revenue daring the past year. The cost of the lines open for traffic was, therefore. £9,443,000, and the surplus ( of receipts over expenditure £268,000 gave a return of £3 18s 2d per cent. The: lines in the North Island cost £8,194,000, and yielded a net revenue of £68,000, or £2 2s 8d per cent.; those in the Middle Island cost £6,249,000 and gave a return of £301,000-£4 14s 3d per cent. The increases over the year being for the North Island £18,000, and £37,000 for the Middle Island; which upon the total cost gives an average increase of ten shillings per cent. It is proposed to borrow three millions, the expenditure to extend over three years.' Here are the intended appropriations given in the Public Works Statement: —

SOOTH ISLAND. Nelson-Boundell £40,000 Grreymouth-Beefton ... 100,000' Blenheim extension „. 90,000 Horsljr Down section ... 75.000 Main line northward ... 180,000 Upper Ashburton. ... 15,000 Little Lincoln ... ... 30,000 Burked Pass ... .. 35,000 Southward to Sheffied ... 12,000 Livingstone branch ... 22,000 Palmerston ... „. 18,000 Catlih Eiver ... ... 22,000 " Heriotßurn •'12,000 Edendale ... ... ... 13,000 Otago Central extension... 300,000' Lnmsden-Maroa branch... 35,000 £1,015,000 NOETIC ISLAND. Kawakawa ... ' ... £17,500 Whangarei-Kamo ... 70,500 Hamilton-Cambridge ... 50,000 Hamilton-Te Awamutu ... 92,000 Thames-Te Aroha ... 23,000 Main trunk line Te Awamutu southward ... 10,000 Napier -Wood villa ... 160,000 Wellington.Woodville ... 200,000 New Plymouth-Foxton ... 75,000 N £698,000 Grand total, £1,713,000.

The principal items which v go to complete the three,millions are : — Purchase of Native Lands ... £200,000 Pnblic Buildings ..'. ... 300,000 _ Immigration 200,000 Opening of Crown Lands ... 20,000 Roads, Whams, and Bridges north of Auckland * ... 100,000 Goldfields 100,000 Telegraph Extension 50,000 Harbors 100,000 Eoads and Bridges 100,000 In addition to this, the Government propose to take authority to borrow another million to carry the railway from. Te Awamutu, Waikato, southward, when arrangements can be made with the natives. Two-thirds of the session have gone, and yet only second and third-rate measures have, until this week, been before the House. A vote of want of confidence is spoken of, vfcu.t whether it will be moved is very doubtful. We are inclined to think that the Government at the present moment could secure a majority of four or five votes at least. . And we question if as practical a Ministry could be picked from the Opposition, the elements of which are : incoherent. There are practically two leaders of the Opposition— the titular one, Mr Montgomery, and Sir George Grey. Mr Montgomery is regarded as a figure-head, rather than the brain of his party. Sir George towers above all, but is considered impracticable^ The country is unquestionably indebted to him for its liberal measures, but it cannot be denied that his Ministry was a-lamentable failure. As a guide, a thinker, a free lance to ' stab corruption and jobbery, he is unparalled; as a premier, he was not a success. Still, it must be admitted that his young untried, team did much to rain him. He let them run too long without supervision, and matters got at sixes and sevens, and when he tried to evolve order from chaos, dissension arose, and ruin followed. He is apparently much better suited to'be heavy-

father to either Opposition or Ministry, than to handle the reins of the State coach.

The Colonial Treasnrer brought forward a scheme for compulsory national insurance on the following lines: — " That provision be made against sickness and pauperism by compulsory, national insurance to secure the following benefits: (1) Sick pay for single person, male or female, between the ages of 18 and 65, of not less than 15s per week during sickness; (2) rsick pay for every married man of, not less than 22s 6d, and for every married woman of 7s 6d during sickness; (3) superannuation allowance of 10s for every male or female from 65 years of age ; (4) an allowance of 15s for every widow with one child, increasing according to scale with size of family.,, to 20s, "until the children are 15 years ;of;:-age." It has been but lukewarmly received by both House and Press.