PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1823, 25 October 1884, Page 2

PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

Delivered by the Minister for Publio Works, the Hon. Edward Richardson, on October 24,1884: Mr Speaker, the information usually contained in the Public Works Statement lias been somewhat anticipated this year by the particulars laid on the table of the House daring the last short session, The time that has elapsed since the Government took office has not been sufficient to enable me to_ make myself thoroughly acquainted with the proceedings of the various branches of the Pubho Works Department, and I have had to depend in a great measure on the figures and reports

submitted to rne by the several official heads of the Department. I may state, however, that so far as time has permitted I have looked into the question of the staff of the Department aa provided for in the present estimates. Seductions were supposed to have been made in the year 1881*82, but I find that those reductions were more nominal than real, and that the bulk of the officers who at that time disappeared from the list of the permanent staff, wero placed on temporary charge and providod in or out of the votes for construction of works. Although I am not as yet prepared to state to what extent reductions oan be made, I amo f opjn j on B|aff . B much larger than is necessary for the due supervision of the works the colony now has in hand. The railways being the most important works carried on by the Department, I propose to allude to them first, under the several headings of ( liailways in course of construction," Additions to opened railways," and JffiS' r railffaya alrea(J y °P eno d lot traffic, Before going into the details of the several hues, however, it may be

well to stato that on the 81st March, 1884, the colony had 1404 miles of railway open for pullio Iraffio, on which there had been expended (lie sum of L 11,251,033, and that there were 234 miles in course of construction. It wan to this 234 miles of unfinished railway that my hon, colleague the Colonial Premier, principally alluded when he stated that it will bo our en« deavor lo push on to a speedy comMiion the various unfinished portions of lines bo aB to add this extra mileage to our revenue producing railways in course of construction. Referring to railway construction dun,,* the past' year, he said the Napier-VVoodville hoe has been extended and opened for traffic to Matamau, 4 miles beyond Makatoki, to the great convenience of the travelling public, as about 9 miles of coaohing is thus saved. A further portion extending to lahoraite, 1 miles, will, it i 8 be ready for public traffic by tho eriftof this month. This will bring the»ilwny to a point 81 miles from Napier®\Yel-lington-Woodville.Jthe extension of the railway beyond Masterton is progressing under two contracts for a distance of 17 miles. I shall now briefly refer to a few of the works which have-been exeouted to the lines of railway which were open for traffic previously to the 31st March 1883 outside ordinary repairs and renewals to which I shall presently allude, and here I would wish' to record my opinion that very large amount of the. works executed on these lines has been done much earlier than there waaany real necessity for, and also that the necessarily increased accommodation given in some instances, is causing very great pressure to be put upon tho Government for similar unnecessary expenditure in other places. By reason of these additions made to the open railways during the last few years ffehave now got 1404 miles of railway complete and equipoed, not of a description such as to proposed in 1870 wt.tfc. the soheme of public works was inauguiT ated by my colleague Sir Julius Voeel, but lines of a higher class and of Bitih a nature that much ligher speed can L&& and much greater traffio than wasthea anticipated cati be carried.