THE PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1421, 4 July 1883, Page 2

THE PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

, . ■—• f The Hon. the Minister for Public r Works in making his statement last t said, " When I had the honor t of last submitting a statement to this ] House my brief oxperience as Minister [ of Public Works led me to consider \ favorably the suggestion of the Railway { 'Commissioner of 1880 that the ad- , ministration of' constructed railways ( should be handed over to a board of ( management, but the considerable ] outlay which it has been requisite to 1 make in further inproving the. opened ( lines and the large orders which I have , found it necessary to give for additional \ rolling stock necessitated by the growth s of traffic, in short, the large expendi- , ture out of loan (in addition to the ex- , penditure for maintenance which j J3 defrayed by revenue)' which , must be contined for some time before . the railways can be said to be really . completed and equipped, incline me to , the belief that only a minister directly , responsible to this house should be entrusted with the power of making this expenditure. The power to make alterations in fares and freights which I have used to some extent during the recess should also I think remain in the hands of a minister directly responsible to this House. The Government purpose during this session to ask the Legislature to sanction the appointment of another minister, and this will enable such an arrangement to be made as will permit of a Minister of Railways to devote his whole attention to this branch of the administration. The business of the railways has become quite large enough to necessitate its severance from Public Works. Parliamentary control will be much move perfect when a Minister of Railways brings down separate esti- , mates of what moneys are required from loan for further improvements to, and for further equipment of the opened lines and when the estimates submitted by the Minister for Public Works, will be estimates for construction ' solely, I trust this proposal will com- ' mend itself to theapprovalof the House. ! Referring to the past year's work he : said: About 40 miles of railway wero ! opened for traffic during the year. » These consisted of If miles on the > Whangarei-Kamo line, and 38| miles in the Hurimiii-Lluli' section in the j following localities:—Waipara to 1 Waikara, 9 miles ; Lincoln to Birdi ling's Plat, 17 miles; Ashburton Branch Extension, 8| miles; Edcndale to Wyndham, 4 miles, thus making a total length opened for traffic of 1373 i miles. The sections between Wavorley - and Manutahi 16 miles, from Oxford lto Malvern 11 \ miles, and from Allmry 3 to _ Fair-lie Creek 10J miles are on the - point of completion. On the WelliugI ton-Woodville line on extension of the , lino from Masterton to Opaki has been j let by contract to be finished in 1 December, and a contract has been let s for the railway Bridge near Woodville, ,- A portion of the gap described in last 3 year's statement as lying between - Manutahi and Hawcra has been made t tho subject of a contract, and it is proi posed to call for tenders at an early i date for the remainder, about 6 miles, e This will complete the main line from ■- Foxton to New Plymouth. Surveys—s In accordance with a promise made last !i year steps have been taken to exploro 3 the North Island for the purpose of determining the future routo of the main trunk line of railway. Fjur survey parties are now engaged in this work, viz,, one party on the line '_ recommended, and its completion will, ' 0 f have no doubt be a source of e satisfaction to honouiablc members, as being suitable from Hastings to ,_ Taupo. and thence to Te Awamutu, j One party on the inland line starting from near Marton or Feilding and proceeding northwards, and two on the line between Taranaki and Te Awa-

mutu. With respect to Public Works in the North Island at the end of tho current year, with tho Kamo and

Kawakawa lines finished j the Foxton New Plymouth line nearly finished ;- the unfinished portion of the Waikato Thames line in progress; and the gap separating Napier and Wellington lines sensibly reduced, the colony will recognise with satisfaction that the great efforts it has made during eleven years for railway construction in this Island achieved a large part of the results striven for, and that the necessary annual disbursements will have become much less. So far as regards the continualion of the main trunk line the Government is pressing forward the necessary steps to obtain as soon as possible the information necessary to enable Parliament to come to a decision as to which of the routes suggested should be adopted, In the meantime l am not in a position to submit to the House any recommendation on the subject, but of course provision for tho necessary surveys will be asked for. With respect to railway extension (he said) the Govt, awaits the determination by the legislature of what shall be tho conditions precedent to further

railway extensions, but the question of committing the colony to the East and West coast railway involving as it does an expenditure of about two millions and probably an annual loss in working,requires that the Government shall declare its views without delay. The Legislature has determined that the rate of expenditure out of loan shall not exceed LI,QOO,QOO per annum in addition to such expenditure under

the North Island Main Trunk Railway Act, as it may from time to time authorise, and in the, opinion of the Government an expenditure of this rale is as much as wo can prudently afford. The Public Works Fund is practically allocated to specified works

and cannot be diverted, and the expenditure upon these works will proceed at this rate, the Government

having due regard to the necessity of keeping faith with the public, The immediate commencement of the construction of the East and West Coast line is not of such urgency as would justify an attempt to raise a special loan for the purpose, but the Crown Lands within fifteen miles on either side of the Arthur's Pas 3 line, and the lines leading directly to Brunnerton will be reserved from sale, so that in the future the Legislature should determine to construct this railway, no part of the public estate to be benefited

would have been alienated, With regard to roads he said "It is not the intention of the Government to make further special grants in aid of County roads and bridges, believing that in the future all the assistance afforded to local bodies should be under the Roads and Bridges Construction Act The unexpended balances of the previous year's vote will be placed on the estimates, as the localities interested may reasonably consider that they are entitled to. them, but for the future the distribution of such funds as this Houso may. .set. aside for roads and bridges, will be made upon a sy3tem 'defined by law, and it will, I think be no slight public advantage' that with the disappearance of the usage of special votes for specified works which has heretofore prevailed, there will also disappear oven the pretext for those insinuations against ; the motives of honorable members, who support the Government of the day which unfortunately upon one or two occasions have recently discolored the current of debate in the House. Speaking of working railways, ' he said: In the North Island the net revenue was £71,378, or £2 Is Id per cent, on the capital cost.. In tho Middle Island the capital cost of, the opened lines was £7,004,316, the net revenue £289,148, or at the rate of £4 2s Gd per cent. Last year the net revenue from North Island railways was £68,126, from those in the Middle Island £300,800. The interest on the gross outlay on railways opened and unopened for 1881-82 was £3 7s 3d per cent, j for the year 1882-83 if;, is £3 3s 2d per cent. The Government has also considered the question whether rates shall be levied, upon land in districts through which State railways run to make up any deficiency in the earnings of those railways and the interest paid by the State upon,the money used in construction. It seems to mo that only one answer in possible to this question, and that one a decided negative. No rates should -W levied for such a purpose. The v W idea of a system of State railways in a new country must imply, I think, the construction of many lines which would not pay for some years much more than working expenses. Tho object of the State in making railways is not to obtain an immediate dividend upon the cost of construction, but to open up communication, and to encourage the settlement of the country, by making it possible over a large area to cultivate small holdings at a profit which it would have been impossible so to cultivate without a ready and cheap means communication with a market.