PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 195, 20 August 1888, Page 5

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

PUBLIC WORKS ESTIMATES.

VOTES FOE ROADS IN AUCKLAND

DIS.TRICT.

V (BY TELEGKAKir. —PARLIAMENTARY BE

CPOKTEB.)

- Wellington, tbls day. The Public Works estimates shews & reductioii' of the total appropriation to £1,093,132 as against £1,962,152 authorised last year. The loaves and fishes aVe. consequently small. The principal Auckland votes this year for roads to open up lands before sale are :—Mangakahia, ' £900 ; Herd's Point-Takahue £1,000; Taupo via Rotoairi and Waknaririo £670 ; Henui district, £410; Rotorua-Waiotapu, £500. The miscellaneous roads and bridges votes . include *tho g following :—Main road Warkworfch to Eawakawa, •■ £2,500; Opotiki-Whakotane, £1,000; Mangers Bridge, £1,800 ; main roads—Oxford-Roto-rua, £1,000; Tausranga'..to-Napier, via Taupo, £3,000, : . , ROADS ANDBRIDGES. ' Under tho heading of roads, tho follow-; ing are the estimated amounts required to be voted for actual expenditure this year:; —Roads, bridges and wharves north of Auckland; £500; main roads, £15,000 ; ; miscellaneous roads and bridges, £34,354; grants in aid, £22,000; roadstoopenuplands before sale, £50,000; village special settlement, £20,000 ; roadson^goldfields, #350,000; total, £166,754. The principal votes for main roads are : Oxfoitl-Rotorua., £1,000 ; Tauranga to Napier via Taupo, £300 ; West Coast bridge maintenance, £4,500. •/JO>:..;:MOTHER VOTES.', For roads on goldfields subsidies construction of. roads and tracks in mining districts, etc., upon subscription.. of one half being contributed, £11,940 are being asked. Under the heading of public buildings, £12,000 are required for actual expenditure this year on departmental buildings in Auckland, and £7,500 for completion of tho printing office at Wellington. A new vote of £10,000 appears for Dunedin Qaol, CourtJ house and public buildings, but authority to expend only £2,000 during the present year is asked. , On Auckland Lunatic Asylum £5;000 is to bo spent this year; £4,100.0h Sunnyside, and £3,500 on SeacliflFe. A sum of £3,500 is to be expended oil Cuvier Island Lighthouse. Woodville-Palmerston.—On the Wood-ville-Palmerston Railway, the total length to be constructed from Woodvillo to Terrace End, li miles from Palmerston Station, is 15 miles. Of this length, ■4J miles of formation in tho Manawabu Gorge is under contract, and expected to be finished in July next. Tho works, which include heavy cuttings, bridging and tunnelling, are making fair progress. Tenders have been invitod for the,erection of the Poh'arigina- Bridge, and if a satisfactory tender is received it is proposed to accept it forthwith. The vote which is asked for this railway is £50,000, leaving £77,201 for future appropriation. Wellington-Woodville. — The Welling-ton-Woodville railway is completed and open for traffic from Wellington to Mangamahoe, a distance of 82 miles, and a combined road and railway bridge has been constructed over the Manawatu River at Awapurua, near Woodvillei from Mangamahoe to Eketahuna, length 6 miles. Contract for formation and platelaying is in progress^ although somewhat retarded by adverse weather and other difficulties. The woiks have been carried on vigorously, find they are expected to be finished in October next. The completion of the railway to Eketahuna will leave a gap of only- 27 miles in the whole distance between Wellington and Woodville, 115 miles. A contract has jusfc" been enttft'ed into for protective work? at the Awapurua Bridge, the encroachment of 'the, river having made it necessary to protect the bank arid extend the approach on the southern side. The completion of the works thus in hand will practically exhausb the present loan allocation, so it is not contemplated to undertake any further works on thi3 line at present. The vote required in order to meet existing liabilities which will probably accrue this year is £24,000, and for next year about £4,000, leaving £4,844 for appropriation in- succeeding years.' , SIR WILLIAM POX AND THE :. ' TIPPLERS. The action of Sir William Fox when presiding at the Police . Court on Monday last, i 3 likely to be brought under the notice of Parliament. The veteran Blue Ribbonite somewhat astonished ''the drunks " by inflicting the maximum penalty, on all first offenders. Several hon. members dissent from this proceeding, and intend to ask a question on the subject. THE OTAGO CENTRAL. I hear that a determined effort is >to be made by the Opposition, aided by the Auckland mombers, to strike out tho proposed vote on the-. Public Works Estimates for the construction of the Otago Central Railway jto Middlemarch. They have; a double .; object in ; view —the punishing of the member for Dnnodin South (Mr Fish)for "ratting" and making tho Ministry unpopular in Otngo, now that ";Mr Pylce's Bill" has been shelved by their aid. The proposal to strike out, the en the vote is meeting with considerable support.'- # „ ' BANQUET .TO MR LARNAOH., - About thirty members of both Houses of the Legislature attended the complimentary banquet;: ;to Mr ■ Larnach -. at 'Bellamy's on Saturday night. Mr Seddou occupied the chair, and was supported on * either hand by the Minister of Mines and the guest of. the, evening. Telegrams of congratulation were received from the different mining centres, arid apologies for absence from Messrs Fergus and: Pyke.: The health of Mr Larnach was proposed 'by the. Chairman^ in a eulogistic :speech, in which he/ dilated;-upon the honourable gentleman's - valuable services to the colony,' and to tho'. mining industry;, in particular.; Mr" Larhnch responded: in an . excellent speech, after,, which .the Chairman; pre> serited. him with an illuminated address front, the minors of Kuniarn.' ; Regret was expressed by Col, FraseraijdMrßeevesaf the non«arrival of.similar testimonials from the' iriiners of .Thames' and.:,lriarigahua' which 1 were also to have; been presented b.rithis oc--casion; The remaining toasts'were : "The Legislature, /proposed by Mr: Tojhiirsb arid acknowledged by the Hon, Messrs Buckley and ■:; Richardson ;;'-. "The 'Mining 'In-' dustry,"' proposed", by Mr" Reeves and responded 'to by the ' Hon. Mi-; Richardson ; "Tho ■■ West '■ Coast Miners," proposed by•■:-- Mr Larnach and" 'responded to* by * Messrs Buckley and J, C... Brown ; .."The Commercial- Interests^"' 'proposed by Mr Kennedy Macdpnald, and responded' to .by .Mr Ward ; " The Army,' Navy, and Volunteers;" proposed by Mr Allen and acknowledged by the Hoii. Mr Bonar, and Messrs Ward andiFeldwick.! >. ■■ . ; '/-.-•DEATH OF DR; MENZIES.' ■ ' The' House ; will adjourn this afternoon without transacting .business till 7.30 p.m., but of respect; to the memory of the late Dr. Menzies.,