PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

Waikato Argus, Volume III, Issue 223, 16 December 1897, Page 4

PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

Mr Hall-J ones delivered the Public Works Statement on Tuesday. INTRODUCTION. Since last year a large number of applications have been receive I by the Government for public works which would involve an expenditure much greater than available means would allow. In regard to railway construction, the Minister pointed out that the Government had had to deal with works started many years back. Consideration was given as to whether these works should atop at a point where there would be little or no return for past expenditure, or whether they should be continued to a point where there would be a fair return from future expenditure, also for that in the past. The latter course being decided upon, it became a difficult matter to allocate the moneys at our disposal. Since January, IS9I, 224 miles of railway have beeu completed. PUBLIC WORKS FUND. On the 31st March, 1596, the available ways and meaus for public works purposes amounted to £134,418. Under the legisla'ion of last session, the following additional sums were made available, namely : Public works fund railways .. .. £250,000 Development of goldficlds .. .. 200,000 Development of thermal springs and natural scenery • 0 52'999 Land improvement account .. . - 200,000 Native lends purchase account 250,000 T< rt al £1,000,000 The sum of £160,000 was transferred from revenue during the year,_ while sundry credits to the amount of £18,656 (including released sinking fund) were also received, thus bringing up the total ways and means available to £203,074. The expenditure under the heads above mentioned was £663,915, thus leaving a balance at the end of the year of £603,159. It is expected that sundry credits will come to hand to the amount of probably £SOOO, thus bringing the gross total ways and means up to £1,194,159. The estimates of expenditure which I now have the honour to submit to the House provide for a total outlay of £1,021,570, of which £977,502 will be a charge against the public works fund and £43,978 against the Government loans to local bodies acconnt, so that a credit balance of £216,567 will probably remain in the public works fund at the close of the year. RAILWAYS UNDER CONSTRUCTION. Kamo-Kawakawa : The section between Hikurangi and Whakapara was completed on 2nd November, 1896. The extension from Whakapara is now being constructed. Grahamstown-Te Aroha : The principal works undertaken on this railway during last year were the raising of the formation, building the bridges, and the partial laying of the rails on the section between Paeroa and Puriri. The railway has now reached Omaha, at which point a branch line is being made into the extensive stone deposit which was acquired for a ballast pit several years ago. It was impossible to do any bal lasting on th's section until the rails have reached this point, but ballasting will now be commenced as soon as the pit has been connected with the main line, and proceeded with vigorously with the view of opening the line to Pariri at the earliest possible date, and extending it through to Grahamstown as quickly as possible thereafter. During the years 1579 to 1890 an amount of £63,000 was spent on formation, bridging, etc., on the section of this railway between Grahamstown and Paeroa, the work being left unfinished and consequently unproductive. Of this amount £57,492 had been expended prior to the Slat March, 1888, the annual amount then gradually diminishing to less than £IOOO in 1890-91. Some of the bridges built of kauri now require rebuilding, and the whole of the formation requires to be brought up to the proper level aga ; n. The work in hand at present is the section between Paeroa and Purni, and the necessary materials for the work between Puriri and Kopu have been ordered. An endeavour should be made to complete the line through to the Thames at as early a date as possible, The development of the mining industry will insure a greater rate of interest being earned than will have to be paid for the money required to complete the work. A vote of £12,000 is asked for, over £7OOO of which has been expended under the authority of last year's vote since the commencement of the current year. Paeroa-Waihi: An engineer has been instructed to make a survey for this line. Beyond completing the survey the Government considers that further expenditure in connecticn with this proposed railway should be held over for the present. North Island Main Trunk : The Mokau and Poro-o-tarao tunnel sections at the northern end of this railway, to gether making a length of 12 miles 43 chains, were completed and opened for traffic on the 21st December last, the traffic on the line being as yet practically confined to the carrying of plant and supplies for the construction works beyond. It has not been advisable to hand these sections over to the Railway Department, but by airangement with the Public Works Department a weekly train is run as far as the south side of Poro-o-tarao tunnel. Work_ has been begun on the Ohinemoa section leading down towards Kawakawa, where" the Stratford-Ongaruhe road connects with the railway. The works on this section are proceeding fairly well, and will be pushed on vigorously until the line reaches Kawakawa. At the southern end of the line a great deal of work has been done between the end of the opened line at Mangaonoho and Kaikoura, and the felling of the bush between Etaikoura and Taihape has recently been authorised. The Makohine viaduct, the non-erection of which has for so long barred further rail lying on this railway, is now well iu hand. An engine and workshop is about to be erected, sr> that the shaping, planing, drilling, etc , of the ironwork, preparatory to its being erected in position, may be taken in hand. The detailed survey of the portion of this line not already definitely located is still in hand. The Government consider it desirable that greater expedition should be exercised, and it is proposed to place an additional survey party in the field shortly. The early completion of this survey is verv desirable, a 3 until it is completed it, is impossible to accurately estimate what the total cost of the line will be. The expenditure on the North Island iMain Trunk Railway last year amounted to £28,272, and liabilities existed at the close of the year to the amount of £17,042. A vote for £32,000 is asked for this year. TOTAL Ari'KOI'KIATIONS FOR RAILWAYS. The total appropriations proposed for railway construction works, including surveys, permanent way, materials, etc., is £214,000, and £150,000 for additions to open lines. Last year the amount for construction works was £204,423 and £60,000 for additions to open lines. LIUHT RAILWAYS. The Minister gave some information with regard to the construction aud working of light railways in other countries. Several applications had been made for light railways that will have attention during the recess. roads, etc. Operations en roads under the coDtrol of the Minister of Lands during the past year have been of the same nature and of nearly equal extent to those of the previous year. Full details have been given in the Surveyor-General's report, but they may be summarised in the Statement that 489 miles of carriage roads and 442 miles of horse roads were constructed, and 1177 miles of carriage roads apd 617 miles of [horse roads were

maintained fit for ordinary traffic, the cost for the year being £208,691, including a small sum of £3Ol spent out of the immigration vote, which is £31,670 less than the year 1595 96. The liabilities on the 31st March, however, were £226,762, the total vote last year being £413,470, so that the expenditure and liabilities exceed the appropriation by £21,989. To .some extent the liabilities might be reduced. The works authorised being conducted under co-operative regulations could be stopped, but unless this is done (which is not desirable), most of these liabilities have to be met in the course of the current year. The expenditure for the first half of the present year reached £128,807, and if the liabilities at the end of the same period, which amount to £197,354, are added, the total co.nes to £326,161. Some of the works authorised will no doubt ex • tend into the next financial year, but the actual outlay will probably exceed that of 1896-97 if the progress of settlement fa to coutinuc, and is carried on at the same rate as during the past six years. If the pressing wants of new settlers, and the reasonable demands of old ones (whose success depends upon the products of the soil) are to be attended to, these new roads must be constructed, and roads already constructed must be maintained in a condition fit to carry the traffic. If we are to judge by the reports of county councils and road boards, their revenue is not even sufficient to maintain their district roads, and in general the main roads are rapidly becoming unfit to carry the public traffic, especially the large budges erected by the various provincial Govrrnments. It is, therefore, unwise to shut our eyes to this fact that local rates and local revenue alone cannot pay for the maintenance of the genetal traffic on the country road board's roads. The burden on the settlers in a forest district is greatly increased by the unreasonableness of timber carters, who with heavy loads destroy lightly-constructed roads, and refuse to contribute a fair share of the cost of maintenance. Instances are re ported where roads constructed out of money borrowed on the security of settlers' lands have been made impassable for ordinary traffic iu this_ way. For assisting local bodies to repair the extensive damage done by floods in the ear'y part of the year, a sum of £20,000 is provided. This amount will be paid in the form of a subsidy at the rate of not less than £1 for £1 contributed Ly local bodies. The sum which it is estimated is required to re-build lost bridges and other works is £64,037 (of which £24,437 is required for roads in charge of the Government and £39,600 for roads under the control of local bodies). Every country electorate in the colony is demanding new roads or better roads, but the Government can meet only the urgent demands of tome. The others must wait another year. The amounts required to be authorised this year are:—

PURCHASE OF NATIVE LANDS. The area of native lands acquired during the past financial year was, as men tioned in the Financial Statement, 335,000 acres, a large portion of which is situated within the territory known as the King Country, and adj icent to the North Island Main Trunk Railway. This land will be thrown open for settlement early in next year. The amount voted under the Native Land purchase account last year was £103,976, and out of this amount £129,000 was expended, including £88,757 for roads and surveys. This year we ask for a vote of £60,500, and in respect to the purchase of native lands from this time forward the land purchase officers will be instructed not to purchase land from any native unless he has more than sufficient land left to provide for maintenance. TELEGRAPH EXTENSION. The vote proposed for the current year i5.£30,835, which provides for additions to existing lines, completion of work in hand, additional wire 3 from Auckland to Whangurei, Clyde to Cromwell, and Wakapuaka to Belgrove, and telephone extensions, the more important of which are Onehunga to Mangere, etc., and a portion of the proposed line from New Plymouth to Auckland, via Mokau and Otorohanga. rOBLIC 11DILDINOS. The appropriations for the current year amount to £148,300, viz. : £98,300 under the public works fund, and £45,000 under the consolidated fund, £7OOO of the latter being for the Parliamentary Library. The principal works carried out last year, ov provided for this year, are as follows :—General : The chief work under this head is the completion of the Government Printing Office for which £SOOO was voted last year and £7252 expended. This very much needed and at the same time handsome addition to our Government buildings will have cost, when completed, about £16,000. It is already partly in use, and will be entirely finished nnd ready for complete occupation very shortly. Iu respect to the expenditure on this building.the saving effected will more than cover the interest on outlay. The other works under this class are of a small and unimportant nature, and do not require special mention. The vote proposed under the heading of general expenditure this year is £18,170, which include, £9OOO tor the completion of the printing office, and £3500 for the additions at present being made to the departmental buildings in Wellington. As announced by the Colonial-Treasurer in the Financial Statement, the Government propose to provide this year for the erection of a fire-proof building to accommodate the General Assembly library. As the buoyancy of the revenue left us a large surplus to commence the present year with, it is proposed to defray the cost of this building out of the surplus, and a vote for £7OCO, a charge against the consolidated fund, will therefore be provided for the work on the Supplementary Estimates. JUDICIAL. A considerable number of buildings under this head have been iu hand during the year. We ask this year for a vote under the head of "judicial" for £16,920. This provides for the completion of the Dunedin Gaol, the Marton Courthouse, and other buildings already in hand, and also for a now brick courthouse at Palmerston North, new courthouses at Lceston and Macrae's, and new police stations at Auckland, Karaugahake, To Kuiti, Opunakc, Mauaia and Invcrcargili, together with several other works of less magnitude. POST AND TELEGRAPH. This year we ask for a vote of £BI6O, which provides for a new building at Otahuhu, etc. LUNATIC ASYLUMS. Considerable expenditure was incurred in connection with our asylum buildings last year. At Auckland £9565 was expended in additions to the male ward, and in completing the restaration of the auxiliary building. The total expenditure under this class dating the year amounted to £16,-104. The new auxiliary asylum in Auckland, built, in buck affords accommodation for 121 patients, and supplies the place of a wooden build-

ing destroyed by fire which accommodated about 100 patients. The additions to the ma'e wing also built in brick afford accommodation for 31 patients, mostly aiugle rooms, a feature badly required at th s asylum. The vote proposal for the current year is £17,900. SCHOOLS. The amount voted for school buildings last year was £45,780, namely, £26,0u0 under the consolidated fund, and £22,780 under the public works fund, and £48,495 was expended, namely, £26,352 under the consolidated fund, and £22,143 under the public works fund. This year we ask for a total authorisation amounting to £59,350, namely, £25,000 under the eono'idated fund, and £34,350 under the public works fund. The latter amount includes the special provisions for ordinary school buildings and technical sjhools mentioned iu the Financial Statement. PROPOSED VOTES FOR AUCKLAND DISTRICT. Auckland Government House : Repairs, improvements, etc, £500; caietaker's quarters, £IOO (voted) ; renovations, strong-room, refurnishing, £ISOO ; strong-room and deeds registry office, £2OO. Judicial: Auckland Courthouse, £160; Thames Courthouse, £IOO (strong-room); Coromandel, £IOO (strong-room); Paeroa, £260 ; Kaol, Auckland, £3OO ; police stations, "Hikurangi, £550 ; Auckland, £IOOO ; Coromandel, £4OO ; Thames (voted) £6O ; Waihi, £l5O ; Karangahake, £200; Te Kuiti, £150: ©torohanga, £100; Moawhanga, £SOO. Postal and telegraph : Mangonui, £l2O ; Otahuhu, £IOO ; WniUkauri, £SOO ; Waihi, £BOO ; Ohaeawai, £l5O (voted). Auckland Lunatic Asylum, £II,OOO (voted). Railways (new works): Whangarei Katno extension, £BOOO ; Kr.ihu Valley, £3OOO (\oted); Heleusville northward, £6OOO ; Grahamstown -Te Aroha, £12,000 ; Marron-Te Awamutu,£32,ooo ; Whangarei, £1525. Roads, bridges, and works : Auckland, North Shore, Awanui, Mangonui, £984 ; Whangaroa, £496 ; Bay of Islands, £7OO ; Whangarei, £590 ; Otamatca, £4OO ; Rodney, £6OO ; Waitemata, £431 ; Eden and Manukau, £SOO ; Manukau, £SOO ; Waipa and Waikato, £6O ; Waikato, £4OO ; Piako and Rotorua, £3OO ; East Taupo, £670 ; Mangonui County roads, £4OO ; Oruru-Hikurangi, £95 ; Waitangi-Kaikohe (Bay of Islands),£2oo; Opua-Waimate, £240 ; ITokianga bridge, £4O ; Hokianga Heads, OhaeawaiKaweue, £213; Okaihau-Victoria Valley, £3SS ; Whangaroa County roads, £3OO ; Kaeo - Waimate, £2OO ; Whangarei footbridge, £IOO ; Parua Bay, £l5O ; Parua - Taheke, £266 ; Mauugakaramea, £175 ; Whangarei, Bridge, £125 ; Maungakaramea - Tangihua, £l5O ; Rnakaka, £2OO ; HukerunuiWaiotn, £200; Te Kopuru-Tikinui,£lso ; Arapohue, £100; Lavgaville - Aratapu, £SO ; Mititai-Tokatoka, £IOO ; Valley Road, Paparoa, £IOO ; Kaukapakapa Port Albert, £300; Upper Waiwera, £IOO ; Awahiti Road and Wharf, £455 ; Paumure Wharf, £IOO ; Aotea-Raglan, £250 ; Churchill Punt, Waikato, £IOO ; Waingaro-Te Mata, £2OO ; Whatawhata Swamp, £100; Mercer. Punt, £100; Puuiti Bridge, £100; Paraite Bridge, £IOO ; Tauranga County (flood damages), £2OO ; Tauranga-Cambridge, £IOO ; sundry roads—Bay of Plenty-Whakatane, £l5O. Roads and works on goldficlds, £15,000 ; for roads and tracks, road to open up mineral lands, £250 ; roads on Auckland goldficlds, £17,283.

Main roads ld,dS7 Miscellaneous roads 21,493 Flood damages 20,000 Development thermal springs .. 02,045 Lands improvement Government loans to local bodies ac* 237,741 count 43,978 Native land roads 59,871 Total £459,405

Provincially distributed they are— For Auckland £116,834 Hawke’s Hay .. 41,(148 Taranaki 58,004 Wellington .. 00,778 Nelson 12,822 Marlborough 10,100 Westland 14,023 Canterbury .. .. 11,244 40,112 Otago Southland .. 28,613 General .. 20,218 Total