D.—l.

Summary of Votes under Control of Minister of Public Works and Proposed Ways and Means of Raising the Necessary Funds —Year ending 31st March, 1942.

For the current financial year 1941-42 a sum of £600,000 will be provided from the Consolidated Fund for expenditure on maintenance of Public Works and Services, including £100,000 for housing workmen engaged on farm production. The expenditure on main highways (including permanent appropriations estimated at £307,800) is estimated to reach £3,050,000, of which a sum totalling £2,100,000 is expected to be raised by way of special revenue. It is anticipated that the revenue from the supply of electrical energy will reach a sum of £2,288,000, which will be utilized for the payment of arrears of sinking-fund instalments, interest, operatingexpenses, and income-tax, &c. The proposed expenditure from loan-moneys and revenue for votes comprised in the Public Works Fund coming under the control of other Ministers of the Crown is set out hereunder : —

MAIN HIGHWAYS. Having regard to the necessity for curtailing expenditure as far as possible on works that, although they may be desirable under normal conditions, are not essential at the present time, it has been the policy during the last year to taper off all improvement or reconstruction works in hand, so that when they reach a stage where they can be left without endangering the safety of the travelling public, they can be closed down altogether. The programme for the elimination of dangerous railway crossings has been suspended for the present except that particular schemes, which were well advanced, are being carried through to completion.

X

Loans. Jjg* | I £ £ £ £ Departmental .. .. ,. .. 200,000 .. .. 200,000 Railway-construction .. .. .. 607,100 .. .'. 607,100 Public Buildings .. .. .. 900,000 .. .. 900,000 Lighthouses and Harbour-works .. .. 50,000 .. ., 50,000 Development of Tourist Resorts .. .. 20,000 .. .. 20,000 Roads 350,000 .. .. 350,000 Land Improvement .. .. •• 200,000 .. ... 200,000 Irrigation .. 552,000 .. .. 552,000 Electric Supply 1,987,000 .. 970,375 2,957,375 Main Highways 642,200 .. 2,100,000 2,742,200 Maintenance of Public Works and Services .. 600,000 .. 600,000 Totals .. .. .. 5,508,300 600,000 3,070,375 9,178,675

TT , . Consolidated Special m , , Vote - | Loans - Fund. Revenue. r ° taL £ £ £ £ Railway Improvements and Additions to Open 1,50,000 .. 1,800,000 1,950,000 Lines (Minister of Railways) Education Buildings (Minister of Education) . . 500,000 .. .. 500,000 Telegraph Extension (Postmaster-General) .. 275,000 .. .. 275,000 Small Farms Development (Minister of Lands) .. 388,200 .. 287,800 676,000 Native Land Settlement (Minister of Native Affairs) 250,000 270,000 425,000 945,000 Linen-flax development 1 (Minister of Industries and 600,000 .. 369,000 969,000 Commerce) Total.. .. .. .. •• 2,163,200 270,000 2,881,800 5,315,000