D.—l

Of the net expenditure of £19,395,530 previously mentioned, £16,602,856 may be regarded as having been expended from loan-moneys (£3,262,409 Public Works Account, £1,655,000 Electric Supply Account, £200,000 Main Highways Account, and £11,485,447 War Expenses Account), the balance —i.e., £2,792,674—being expended from loan recoveries, revenue, and taxation. The ratio which the various classes bear to the whole is shown below. It should be noted that the figures are gross —that is, before deducting recoveries, which, if deducted, would detract from the true portrayal of activities : — Roads, including construction and maintenance of main £ i>el'Centhighways .. ... .. •• •• 2,235,034 = 8-38 Hydro-electric (construction and working expenses) .. 2,531,989 = 9-50 Railway-construction .. .. .. • • • • 444,332 = 1-67 Housing construction .. .. .. •• •• 1,630,958 = 6-12 Public buildings, including schools .. ,■ ; • • 872, 745 = 3-27 Land improvement and soil conservation .. •• 98,091 = 0-37 Irrigation ... .. .. ■■ •• •• 464,782 = 1-74 Linen-flax development .. .. • • • • 754 , 441 = 2-83 Public buildings and roads, &c. (maintenance) .. .. 431, 657 =1• 62 Plant, materials, and services, other Departments .. .. 2,532,361 = 9-50 Miscellaneous .. .. •• •• •• 711,491= 2-67 Navy, Army, Air, and Civil Defence expenditure .. .. 11,485,447 = 43-09 Revenue receipts .. .. . • .... 2, 462,205 =9• 24 £26,655,533 = 100-00

Summary of Votes under the Control of the Minister of Works, and proposed Ways and Means of raising the Necessary Funds, Year ending 31st March, 1945

For the current financial year 1944—45 a sum of £660,000 will be provided from the Consolidated Fund for expenditure on the purchase of plant and on maintenance of public works and services. The expenditure on main highways (including permanent appropriations estimated at £256,500) is estimated to reach £2,056,500; of which a sum totalling £1,656,500 is expected to be raised by way of special revenue. It is estimated that revenue from the supply of electrical energy will reach a sum of £2,590,000, which will be utilized for the payment of sinking fund, interest, income-tax, &c., and operating-expenses. MAIN HIGHWAYS There has been a slight increase in the number of miles sealed and in the number of lineal feet of bridges erected compared with the corresponding figures for the previous year. In regard to the main highways maintenance it is felt that the most difficult period has now passed, and although the existing standard, generally, falls a good deal short of the standard to which highway maintenance was carried out in the years preceding the war, the easing of the position in respect to man-power and materials should allow a gradual improvement to be made. The reinstatement of the highways surfaces will naturally take time and can only be achieved provided sufficient finance and additional man-power can be made available to the Board and local authorities, together with an increased use of power-plant. The Main Highways Board has made preliminary arrangements for a large programme of bridge renewals, and these will be undertaken in the Dominion order of urgency. As staff becomes available surveys are being put in hand for the improvement of dangerous sections of highway.

VII

T Consolidated Special Tr.t.«l Vote. Loans. Fund . Revenue. lotal> j £ £ £ £ Departmental .. .. .. •• 130,000 .. •• If?'?™ Railway-construction .. .. . • 364,500 .. .. Housing Construction .. .. • ■ 3,500,000 .. . • 3, oOO, 000 Public Buildings 565,000 .. 5 ™'™n Lighthouses and Harbour-works .. .. 28,700 .. •• 28,700 Roads, &c 100,000 .. .. 100,000 Soil Conservation and Rivers Control .. 50,000 .. •• 50,000 Lands, Miscellaneous .. .. •• 51,600 .. •• Irrigation, Water-supply, and Drainage .. 500,000 .. •• 5W,000 Electric Supply .. 3,035,000 .. 1,215,000 4,250,000 Main Highways 300,000 .. 1,500,000 1,800,000 Maintenance of Public Works and Services .. .. 660,000 .. 660,000 Totals .. .. .. • • 8,624,800 660,000 2,715,000 11,999,800