The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, The Morning News and The Echo. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1879.

Auckland Star, Volume X, Issue 3010, 10 December 1879, Page 2

The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, The Morning News and The Echo.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1879.

For the canse that lacks assLstanco, For tha wrong tha needs resistance, Vox the future in the distance,

And the good that we can do.

The Public Works Statement, long-ex-pected and much speculated upon, is at last before the country. The general policy which it embodies may be explained in a'few words. The five millions loan is obtained under guarantee that the Government shall not go into the money market again for three years, Its expenditure, therefore, must extend overthat period. The Ministry propose to take up all the works authorised before their accession to office and go on with various sections. Meanwhile a Eoyal Commission is to be appointed for the purpose of determining which lines will pay. Provision is to bo made out the loau for completing the native land of purchases at a cost of £1,210,802. Canterbury and Otago aro .to get the £154,791 impounded laud fund promised but held back until the loan was

standing liabilities and works under contract, will absorb £3,800,868. Mr Olliver reckons that paym<nts by tho end of June next will have absorbed £2,559,082, and that the remainder of the liabilities, running into the following year, will leave a balance of only £1,872,046. That is the amount remaiuingto work upon, aud it i^atriflecompared with tho claims! brought against it. Without the detailed tables attached to the statement it is impossible to 'arrive at- any calculation of the manner in. which the various districts of the colony are treated relatively in the estimates for the current year. The details for Auckland railways are given among our telegrams. An appropriation is taken for the Knipara-Wni-kato line amounting to £209,0^0, but we have no information to shew on what sections of the line the money ia to be spent. The Thames Valley railway is to be pushed on from Hamilton, and an order will bo sent for the bridge at once. A vote is also taken for continuing the work from the Thames to Te Aroha. The Kawakawa and Kamo railways are to be completed to deep water. The North Auckland railway, so far as can be seen, remains without appropriation for the present, unless some vote is included in the lump sum put down for the KaiparaWaikato. But it was stated that the survey from Whangarei to Heleusville had been commenced, aud estimates of the cost would be ready by next session of parliament, which meets in May. Tho Statement indicates that a large vote is submitted for roads, but of the distribution we as yet know nothing Until the tables come to hand no reliable opinion can be formed of the Government proposals in their bearings upon the several districts of the colony.