PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9672, 21 December 1909, Page 5

PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

DELIVERED BY HON. R. M'KENZIE. In the House of Representatives [ last evening, the Hon. R. McKenzie, [ Minister of Public Works, delivered ' his Public Works Statement, in the course of which he said: — The length of new railways opened for traffic was greater than during any period for thirty years past, and the gross total expendi tare on public works was also greater than in any year tor more than a quarter of h century, while the amount spent on road construction constituted a record. The total expenditure on all works and services borne upon the Paulic Works Estimates amounted to £2,445,324, or if we exclude special accounts having their own ways and means and take into consideration only actual charges against the Public WorKa Fund the tvtal amounted to £2,169,278. RAILWAY CONSTKUCTION. The total expenditure on railway works last year amounted to £1,349,110, which was £69,301 in excess of the previous year's total. North Island Main Trunk. —The line" has been completed and handed j over to the working of the Railways Department, and regular through trains have been run since the 15th February last. The vota of £225.000 taken on last year's appropriations proved to be in excess of reqirements.

Midland Railway.—At the Nelson end of this railway the section between Tadmor and Kiwi has been completed and handed over to the Railways Department, and the section between Kiwi and Tui is now approaching completion, the rails being laid as far as the North end of the Tui station yard. A further section between Tui and Hope Junction, authorised last year, has been taken in hand and satisfactory progress made with it. lam in hopes that this section will be complete and ready for traffic about the end of the summer of 1911, at which date it,is probable that the ReeftonInangahua railway will lie completed to Inangahua Junction, toius reducing the coach journey between Nelson and the West Coast to about fifty-two miles, and enabling the through journey between Nelson and Greymouth to be accomplished in one day. The Wellington-Hutt duplicating has been completed, and brought into use between Kaiwarra and the Butt. The expenditure during the last financial year on the various works was £207,942. PUBLIC BUILDINGS. The total expenditure on public buildings during the last financial year amounted to £350,615. The principal works provided for In the current year's estimates are:—The new Government. House and the new Legislative Council, new Departmental Buildings at Hamilton, New Plymouth, Masterton, Westport, Greymouth, ChristcHurch and Invercargill.

POLICE STATIONS. The vote proposed for the current year provides for new stations at Kaikohe,Auckland (Eden Terrace), Parnfill. New Plymouth, Shannon, Pongaioa, Masterton, Motueka, Takaka, Blackball, Sydenham, Lincoln, Rakaia and Chatham Islands. SCHOOLS. The expenditure on school buildings for the year out of the Public Works ifund was £102,340. HOSPITALS. l Under the heading Hospitals and Charitable Institutions there was an expenditure of £11,152 for new buildings and improvements. I ROADS AND BRIDGES. The total expenditure during the last financial year amountd to £494,657. New dray roads constructed, 656 m ( iles; dray roads metalled, 352 miles; bridle roads converted to dray roads, 335 miles; new bridle roads constructed, 445 miles; bridges con- | structed (30ft in length or over), ' 188, total length 15,333 ft; engineering surveys made, 989 miles; dray roads maintained, 3,352 miles; bridle roads maintained, 2,017. The expenditure on road works during the quarter ending 3uth June last amounted to £186,128, or at the rate of nearly three-quarters of a million per annum. As it was impossible to con tinue at this rate steps were taken to lessen the outlay and disbursements have now been brought down to a more reasonable limit. The appropriation proposed for road works in the Estimates now submitted are as under—Koads, etc., £200,000; backblock roads, etc., £210,000; roads .under loans to local bodies account, .£50,000; roads uoder national endowment account, J£17,151; roads on goldfields, £50,600; maintenance of toads, (consolidated jfu&d), £25,000; (total, £552,151.

TELEGRAPH EXTENSION. During the year £168,'033 was expended in telegraph and telephone extensions. New Knee erected and in course of construction totalled 749 miles of poles and 3,311 miles of wire. One hundred and Mty-three telegraph and telephone offices were opened and 3,552 new suJjecribers were added to the telephone exchanges. The vote for this year is £120,000. The gross total appropriations in addition to the votes specifically referred to lr. the Estimates include

provision for the undernoted ser vices:— Departmental £43,500, Lands improvement £22,744, Contingent defence £IO,OOO, Immigration £IO,OOO, thus bringing the total amount of the proposed appropriations, includiDg special accounts, up to £2,478,368. against £2,895,897, voted, and £2,445,324 actually expended last year. DEPARTMENTAL. The gross total savings by re» ariangement and retrenchment, including an estimated saving in the travelling allowances, and expenses will amount to £3,000 per annum. While effecting this large economy in expenditure every care has been taken to see that the efficiency of Departmental administration and oversight of works are in no wise impared. It is intended, however, to take greater advantage of local authorities in carrying out of minor road works in future than has been . the case in the past, as it is clear that small votes for local be much more economically expended under the supervision of persons residing in the locality concerned than would be the case if the wo,rk was ' controlled by officers of the Govern- ' ment located in the principal centres. CONCLUSION. In conclusion, I have now brieflydetailed the work of the past year, and given an equally brief forecast of the operations in hand, and proposed for the current year. The gross total expenditure proposed during the current year is not quite equal to last year's appropriations, but still amounts to a very considerable mm, and the carrying out of various works provided lor will, I am sure, result in very great good to our settlers by greatly improving tbeir means of transit and communication, besides, increasing their convenience. With the large amount of settlement that J is going on throughout the Dominion, especially in the North Island, and more particularly in districts opened up by the North Island Main Trunk Railway, and with the developments 1 which a?e taking place in districts» that will be • affected by the North' Auckland-East Coast Main Trunk* Railways, a vigorous public works ! policy is called for, and I trust ibat' the proposals which I have outlined will be cons'dered by the House' and by the country to be of a sufficient and satisfactory character.