PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XVI, Issue 5162, 22 October 1895, Page 2

PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

I [by telegraph.] The Public Works statement was delivored in the House last night by | tho Hon. R. Seddon. The following is extracted from the Statement : During the four years since 1831, the present Government have opeued 152 miles of railway, and liavo spent in railway construction £617,004 They have constructed 1,711 miles of roads and completed the purchase of 1,159,681 acres of Native lands. Considerable expenditure has also taken place on other services, tho following' being a summary of tho whole:—Railways, £617,004; roads (except roads on goldfields), £235,812; public buildings (in addition to £118,573 for school buildings charged on consolidated fund), £164,124; telegraph extension, £92,374; roads and works on goldfields, £84,454; light-housos, harbour works, etc., £28,285; departmental, £26,472; purchase of Native lands, £17,841; miscellaneous, £10,744; total, £1,277,130. Of this amount £473,901 was provided from the consolidated revenue. THE PRESENT POSITION. Hon. members will observe that the funds available, will not, at the proposed rate of expenditure, carry us far beyond the end of the current year, and we shall have to depend to a larefo extent upon the usual surplus for the monevs necessary to go on with from the 31st March, 1896, and until Parliament next year has had an opportunity of considering! the position. There is a reasonable possibility that with the summer and the brighterprospects now looming ahead, employment generally will become plentiful. It this very desirable and much needed state of things comes to pass the numbers of unemployed upon the Public Works of tho Colony can bo reduced, thus insuring the moneys in- hand bcinq sufficient to cover the expenditure until further provision is made. Seeing how rapidly settlement is progressing, it is imperative that we should have the necessary surveys completed,andlhe roads constructed, ill fact,one of the greatest drawbacks to settlement arises from the fact that it is almost ruinous to the poorer class of settlers for them to be iu occupation of their holdings for months prior to the construction of roads giving access thereto. In other words the lands should bo roaded first,or wherever practicable, the raiding and clearing should proceed simultaneously. THE CO-OPIiIUTIVK SYSTEM. It is with pleasure that I have again to state that the construction of public works under the co-opera-tive system continues to prove satisfactory. When the system was first inaugurated it was asserted that use would be made of it for political purposes, it was alsofurtherprophesied that the works would bo excessive, and that the amounts received by the workmen would be greater than thosepaidforasiniilar class of workin the district and elsewhere in the colony. These prognostications have beeu proved to be entirely fallacious and a completo change of front has taken place. It is now asserted that the amounts paid are too low; and that the men have not been ablo to make the same wage as would have been paid under the contract system. It may therefore bo fairly assumed that as between the two a happy niodium has been struck, that the works have been constructed at a fair market value, and that the men employed have received a fair wage. The class of the work done has on the whole been very good and has been equal, if not superior to that previously performed under thecontract system,

TOTAL EXPENDITURE. To the end of 1894-95, the expenditure on nil works and Borvices throughout the Colony out of the Public Works Fund up to the 31st March last, including the valuo of the provincial and purchase price of the district railways was as follows: -Railways, £10,006,853 ; roads, £3,916 526;immigrati0n,£2,146,654; public buildings, £1,944,900; purchase of Native lands, £1,297,854; light-houses, harbour works and harbour defonco, £910,103; telegraph extension, £699,922; development of goldlields, £578,326; defence works (general), £429,719; departmental, £384,842; cost and discount in raising loans and other charges, £1,332,396; total, £29,647,175. EKETAHOH-WOODVIUE RAILWAY. A considerable amount of work was done on this line, during tho year. The formati on works are now almost complete; the Jlakakahi Bridge is finished, tho ironwork for the Mangatainoka Eridge is in an advanced stage, and platelaying to the site of that bridge, is in hand, and station buildings at Newman are to be erected. The section of tho railway between Eketahuna and Newman, will bo ready for opening for goods traffic in about a month's time, and if tho Mangatainoka Bridge is finished by tho contract date.the line should booponed to Pahiatua within a year, and completed to Woodville by June of tbefollowinp year, The expenditure on this railway last year amounted to £25,849. This year we ask for a vote of £25,000.

I VOTES. ' The following shows the amount ! voted and exponded last year, aud 1 liabilities oxistiug at the closo of the year on the several classes of roads, administered by the Minister of Lands:—Main roads, voted £43,200, Mpendod£22,73l,liabilities£23,s36; miscellaneous roads, £20,800, expended £9,873, liabilities £10,721; roads to give access to North Island maintrunkrailway£2o,Gos,£l7,B4l, £4,015; land improvement account, £165,945, £89,297, £131,379; Govvernmont loans to local bodies account, £50,030, £48,943, £21,841; Natiye land purchase account, £50,000; £10,870, £24,137. The length of roads constructed was 677 miles, of which 368 were roads for wheel traffic and 309 for horse traffic. The total length of roads constructed and in hand was 1,827 miles, distributed among the several provincial districts as follows:—Auckland 502 miles; Tarauaki 152; Hawke'sßay 115; Wellington 653; Marlborough 41; Nelson 5; Westlaud 28; Canterbury 160; Qtago 181; total j,827, miles,

THE ESTIMATES. Among the votes appearing on the Estimates of interest in theWolling. ton' diHtricfc arq the following: —Jilketahnua-WpqdviHo Railway, £25,000, against which are' liabilities amounting to £22,904; Midland : '.Railway, £10,000; trial shipment of i sleepers to England, £200; NapierPalmerston, Marton-Te Awamutu (south end), Foxton-Waitam Railways, £2619, against which are liabilities amounting to £1268; Wei-lingtou-Woodyillo Railway, £B6O, ' . ■ ' ' ■■'■ - l

outstanding liabilities £229; Paib-kariki-Waikanae road, £1200; Eketabuna County roads (flood damage), £200; Parliamentary Buildings, £2OO, outstanding liabilities £81; Government Printing Office completion, £2OOO. Courthouses - Hawora £1,000; Stratford £800; Hunterville, £500; Palmerston North, £7OO (outstand- - ing liabilities, £471); Otaki, £SOO | outstanding liabilities £143); Pahiaha, £l5O (outstanding liabilities £59); Featberston, £SOO (outstanding liabilities £302). Wellington Gaol, £2,000 (outstanding liability, £161). Polico Statiohs-Palmerston N,, £650; Tenui, £400; Wellington (electric lighting), £IOO. Post and Telegraph Hawera, £1,500; Pahiatua, £370 (outstanding liability, £307); Groytown (additions),£2oo; Caßtlepoint,£loo; Maryborough, £SOO. Lunatic Asylums - Wellington, £650 (outstanding liabilities, £343); Porirua, £2,250 (outstanding liabilities, £1,015). Agricultui'alofßco,Masterton,£lßo. Purchase of Martini-Henry rifles. £5,000. Jsy Telegraph—Own Correspnient. Wei,linotok, Tuesday, The Estimates contain the following :—Roads and Bridges—Tiraumea North, £4OO, liabilities £281; Tiraumea Valley Road, £3OO, liabilities £200; Mangatoro Valley, £2OOO, liabilities £1032; Mangatainoko (on Bridgo Road) ,£100; Te Aupapa Road, £200; Upper Makuri Valley, £4OO, liabilities £132 ; Makairofload, £3OO ;Towai Road, £400; Tiraumea river and Pah Valley wad £200; Makuri-Aohonga road £1500; Mangaone Valley £100; AlfredtohWeber £4,000; Rising Sun Block £3OO ; Mastertou Reform £3OO ; Kaikoura £300; Christchurcli Block £770 ; Bowen's Road (Hastwell), £SO; Eketahuua-Alfred-ton (metalling), £501 North Wairarapa flood damage, £200; Mauricevillo (storm damages), £200; Mount Baker, £150; Makuri - Pongaroa, £9OO, liabilities, £700; Mangaorongo, £150; Mount Marchant, £200; Mount Holdsworth, £115; Kaiwhata Valley, £l5O ; Village Settlements in Wellington District, £3OO, liabilities £159. The grants in aid of co-operative works, and improved farm settlements amounting to £35,000 are swallowed up by liabilities due on 31st March.