PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3571, 26 July 1890, Page 2

PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

By the minister of Poblio Wokks, the Hon Mr Fergus,.

July 25th, .1800.. Mr Speaker.—The interest attached to the Public Works Statement is generally in proportion to tke'ainount of funds for new works at the disposal of tho Government. As the funds decrease, .however, greater care has to be exercised in disposing of them,' and the question assumes more than ordinary importance at the present juncture, when we are endeavoring to meet the ordinary demands of settlement without aid or borrowed money. In dealing with the subject 1 shall explain the present position of funds and works, and then submit our proposals for the future. ■•• '

Public Works Funds—Amount standing to credit on Slst March last was £959,492, with a further sum, L87,97-l due to part 1 for advances under Government Loans to Local Bodies Act. The debentures to local bodies are negotiable at any time," so tbe amount to the credit of the Public Worksfundis LI ,017,466, and against this there are tho outstanding liabilities', L 814,988, loaving a balance of L 782,588. The Public Works fund is divided into three parts; part 1, miscellaneous items, and expenditure chargeable to loan; part2, North Island Main Trunk Railway; part 8, railway works generally. The amount to the credit of each is as lollows : part 1, balance on Slst March, 1890, L233,C75, liabilities at tho same date. 1114,809, net balanco, L 119,866 ; part 2, balance on 81st Maroh, 1890, L 386.985, liabilities on same date, L 9091, debt balance, L 377.291.; Part 8, balance_ Slst March, 1890, L 426,806, liabilities on same date, 19,080, net balance, L 235.866; Totals, balance Slst March, 1890, L1,047,46G, liabilities on same date, 1314,033; ijet balance, .1782,588. The expenditure on publ'io'" works' duringl.the.past year "has been 'on part part 2, 148,882, part 8, L 194,885, making a total of 1410,780, The amounts voted for actual expenditure was 1685,721, consequently we aro within our votes to the extent of L 224.991.. The additional authorisation for further liabilities was 1280,816, so tho Government had L 916.587 at their disposal for expenditure and commitment. The expenditure' amounted to L725,6G2, so here,also- we are within our authorities to tho extant of £190,874, (Oho annual expenditure for the last seven years has decreased from £1,409,000 in 1888 to 1884 to £410,700 in 1889 to 1890. This diminution has not entailed anysorious results commerce and industries and our power of production increasing at an extraordinary rate, while unemployed, who in 1886 numbered.l 800, have ceased to exist, Including purchase of provincial and district the railways total expenditure to 31st March 1890 on Works and Services'charge able to Loan was L 27.774.980 Principal items: RailwaysLlS,o2B3sß Roads 18,542,999, water race's L 510.280, telegraphs L 590.856, buildings 1,757,005, lighthouses, harbors and harbor defences L 879.152; Immigration, £2,148,827; purchase of Native Land5,L1,177,554; cost of .raising loans, L 1,021,472; defence, L 429.719; departmental, 1841,905, Cost of ordinary roads, telegraphs, public buildings, and lighthouses hitherto charged to loan must in future bo charged to the consolinated fundi

Working Railways on 81st March: —lBlB .miles of railways were in operation, GBi miles in the North Island, and 1129 in the South, 43 miles being opened during the year. Among the. lines which pay less than three per cent,, the most notable are Foxton to; Now Plymouth, whiohpaid LI 11a'7d per oent. in 1889-90 against 17s 9d in 188889, and_ the Wellingtqn-Elietabuna line, which shows an increase from L2 2s Gd to L2 8s lOd. Among tho larger lines, the beßt paying is the Napier to Wootlville section, returning L 5 4s 3d per cent; then the Efurmuih Bluff (1069 miles) M !Qs9d per oent, Tbj Railway Commissioners have applied for L 54.000 for necessary works on open lines during the year as the balance on the loan allocation for this class of .works was only L 12.928. We have been un,ah]o. tj see our way to proyide a vote for more than'that sum. This amount is to .cover the liabilities already incurredj the rearrangement of the Palmerston North Station, and minor works over all the lines, Eailways under construction !- Woodvilleto Palmerston, and Wellington ta Wood* Tlte WellingtonWoodvjlle railway was opened ; . to Eketah'unaat the beginning, of the financial year. Sinoe then the only works in progress have been the river bank protective works at, Awapurua bridge,jrfhichare' now almost complete, Thefunds originally provided! for this railway are also insufficient to complete the works/ a further sum of 18,000 being required; It is also proposed to extend .'this line at the Wellington end, namelyfroni Thorndon to Te Aro, ond for this purpose a further sum of LIB,,QQO willbe needed. Woodville to Palmerston: The completion of the Woodville-Palnierston line has been delayed by the financial troubles, of the. contractors for tho Ashurstsection, The.original contractors having failed to oarry out the works satisfactorily, the contraot was assigned to .a fresh oontraotor, andhe also.found himßolf unable to oarry the work through. It was therefore uecesawytooftPfovfresMeutoapd

enter, into an-entirely new ' Tlio contraot is now howevof, pi'ogres- ; sing, favorably,; and it is confidently expected that "the whole line .will be finished about Novomber next.;. The works on tho Gorgo and otiior sections are well advanced. ; The only" works not in hand are the.station buildings, which are now advertised in anticipa-tion-of the opening of the through line from .Napier to Palinerston. The Palinerston station is being re-ar-ranged and extended. Owing'to the treacherous nature of the ground in tho Manawatu Gorge, which entailed work in the tunnels, and retaining walls, and the heavy land compensation, the balance on the last allocution of funds for this railway 'is- scarcely sufficient' to complete tho line. It is necessary to supplement the funds by about L7OQO. The completion of the Wobdville-Palmerston section will establish a thorough railway communication between Napier/and the West Coast and Wellington. Boads.—Special works: The principal road bridge works in progress during the year haye been tho LyellMalcihinui and Tiraumea bridges, and the alteration and repairs to the Eakaia Gorgo bridge, all of which are either completed or well advanced. Boads to open crown lands before the sale—Parliament last year voted L 47,502; L28.1G0. being spent, and liabilities wore incurred amounting to L 18.098, in addition. '. To cover these liabilities, and provide for the extension of works in hand, and others necessary, to facilitate the settlement of- Crown lands, we shall ask for~a total authorisation of L 42,870, of whioh we propose to spend L 85.000 during the year. The various works under this heading whioh have been in hind during the year extend over almost every "district'in the Colony where settlement is going on. ..Full details will be furnished in the annual reports of the Survey Departments. Village (settleinents.-'i'he sum voted last year under this head for actual expenditure was L 19,178, the total amount authorised to cover liabilities as well as expenditure being L 48.177. The expenditure only amounted to L 7845. It is estimated LBOB2 will be sufficient for tho current year, and.it is therefore proposed to ask for a vote for that sum, A further amount of L22j881 will probably be enough to cover the liabilities under the. arrangement made with seitlera for advances on their bushfelling and houses, notwithstanding that the liabilities are returned as nominally 144,601, thus making a , total required of L 80.918. It is . therefore proposed to transfer the ' remainder of the loan allocation for: ■ village settlements to the different j classes of road works. In conclusion I would again direct the attention of Hon, members to the necessity of .realising our position when borrowing' ceases, a point to whioh I alluded to at the , outset; Practically we aro. this session dealing with tho last of part 1 of the loan fund, and this is the ! source from which we nave hitherto 1 paid for a number of works and ' services that must in future be '. charged to the consolidated fund. ' Part 1 embrace's roads ot all classes, 1 public buildings, telegraph, telegraph ! extension, immigration, purchase oi ' Native lands, harbor defences, and ' somo other minor items. As already ' stated by myself and more fully gone \ into by -my; Hon. colleague the , Premior iu his Finauoial Statement,' the expenditure .on the purohase of [ Native lands and in making roads to . open up Crown Lands before the ' Bale are legitimate charges on iho | land fund, but tho problem of dealing , with tho otheV items on the list is'a ', very difficult one to solvo. Perhaps [ 'tho readiest way of showing its . bearing is to give the expenditure . under each head. For the last seven I years it has-been as follows \~

_ Showing an average annual expenditure on works of the classes named 0fL421,496. Add to this L 85,647, tbo average expenditure for works on open-lines for the same period, and wo have a total average annual expenditure of L 507,148. Although tho average expenditure for the seven years on the worlcs named in the table is L421.49G, it will be seen that the amount for last year is only LI2Jj,G6"6" as against £6os,o9o'.'jfi 1888-84, and L 552.188 in. 1886-87,.' Tlielworlcs on open liii 63 are directly due to the spread of settlement and trade, furtheracqommodation being required at stations for the increasing traffic iu country produce aud general merohandise, as woll as additions; to rolling stock. Urgent; demands for these works are constantly made on the Railway Commissioners by settlor* and the,public generally, and. -the demands are in some eases so reasonable that theycannot be refused, Ab there is no capital account in connection with our Railways- this ejpendj;

ture must in future come out of t Bevemio, in addition to the cost .° f now.works and extension, which w'U fall on the consolidated fund. Th 8 charges already on it for maintenance will be considerably -augmented, particularly as regards publio buildings, I hayo. had returns made showing the history and conditions of each of these buildings, from whichT find that maby of the older wooden structures are urgently in'need?of extensive repairs. Not only have they arrived at an age when decay proceeds rapidly, but apparently they have not been efficiently maintained, probably from mistaken, motives of eoonomy., The general and provincial govern-, raents have . from"'first to last expended- between 1 ' L 8,000,000 and - 14,000,000 on public buildings throughout thefColony exclusive "'■ of those ; on the railways, and they are now valued by tbeProporty' Tar Department-at 12,250,000. The amount expended. on these buildings has for the, last 7 years averaged L 22.500, but ior the reason just stated it will be necessary toinorease the expenditure. The"facts and'figures show that a cessation of borrowing will augment the charges on the consolidated fund to a considerate extent, but the experience of the-lagt few years proves that the resources of the country are sufficiently elastic to bear the inorease. The spread of settlement, which creates further demands, is at the same time providing, the means of meeting them, v At a critical stage in the history of New Zealand, when the colony waß left by the Mother Country with a Maori war on its hands, the.colom'sts adopted what was oalled a " Selfreliant Policy," and successfully fought their own battles. In the mora peaoeful operations of colonisation we may well follow their example and meet the demands of further settlement from onr own resources, Not only would this promote a true spirit of independence, but it would be the' surest guarantee of economy in the; administration"of our finances. The usual departmental table and, nports accompany this statement.

Class of "Works 1888-84 1884-85 1885-86 1686-87 1887-88 1888-89 1889-90 Total for 7 years At Brage per annum .Roads (other thaai roads to open «P ' Crown lands ... ...£244,011 267,729 274,110 231,466 158,031 84,486 55,966 -l-,305,793 186,542 Public buildings ... ...164,376 117,861 86.S59 89,598 00,529 34,592 35,473 618,788 88,398 Telegraph. Extensi on... ' ... 19,582 25,799 86,010 18,952 23,984 12,047 16,346 151,670 21667 Immigration ..; ... . -.107,041 57,148 11,675 12,454 15,598 8,791 867 "".'".'■' 218,574 30,511 Harbor Defences ... ... 7,213 9,601 127,167 139,429 78,459 50,089 7,293 ' 414,251 59„179 Ofclie r It ems ... ... ... 52,917 33,461 40,840 70,290 21,916 26,256 7,710 246,890 35,199 Totals ... % ...595,090 510.O99 57,661 552,183382,517 210,261 123,655 ■2)950,466 421,496