PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT

Auckland Star, Volume XXIV, Issue 224, 21 September 1893, Page 5

PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT

LARGE VOTE FOR ROADS, COMPLETION OF THE ROTORUA RAILWAY. EXTENSION OF THE HELENSVILLE LINE.

KAWAKAWA, VfHANGAREI, AND THAMES EXTENSIONS. MAIN TRUNK RAILWAY. VOTE FOR WORK AND SURVEY. (by telegraph.—parliamentary reported.) I Wellington, this day. ■ The Public Works Statement presented t° the House to-day ie a gratifying document both in its prospective and retrospective aspects. It shows the state of the Public Works Fund to be aa follows :—Balance on the 31st March. 1893, £330,628 ; credit from surplus revenue, £250,000 ; released sinking funds, £160,000 ;_ miscellaneous receipts, £7,000. Total ways and means available for the currenb financial year, £747,628. The proposed expenditure for 1893-94 ia £093,068, leaving an estimated balance of £54,560 at 31st March, 1G94. The expenditure on ull works and servicos throughout tho colony under the Pubjiu Works Fund up to the'3lst March last, including the purchase of provincial and district railways, has amounted to the total sum of £28,887,434, Tho principal items stand as follows :— Railways, £15,630,004 ; roads, £3,703,817 ; immigration, £2,146,209; public buildings, £1,846,079; purchase of native lands, £1,295,625; lighthouses, harbour works and harbour defences, £900,370; telegraph extension, £663,666 ; waterworks on Koldfields, £517,169 ; defence purposes gonerally, £429,719; Departmental expenditure, £367,755 and cost of and discount on raising loans, £1,026,828. RAILWAY EXPENDITURE. The funds voted for additions to open linos last year, namely, £12,612, were all expended within the year, and tho Commissioners have requested that tho amount of £24,978 may be provided to moot requirements under this head for tho currenb year. The Government has not been able to see its way to grant the wholo of this amount, but has decided to ask for a vote for £18,978.

Tho total appropriations proposed for railway works this year, including additions to open lines, surveys, permanent ways, sleepers and rolling stock, amounts to £316,278, which will ombrace allocations to tho following works :— Whangarei-Kamo extension, £15,000. Helensvillo north wards, £22,000. Waikato-Thame.a, £13,000. Thames Valley-Rotorua, £32,000. Marton-Ta Awamutu and Mokau to Poro-o-tarao, £27,500. Rangatira to Powha Karoa, £27,500. Wellington Woodville • EkeUhuna to Wood villa, £30,000. Wellington Station to To Aro, £4,500. : Te Aro Goods Station, £8,000. Picton and Awaiere-Blenheitn to Awstore, £2,500. Greymouth-Hokitika, £12,000. Otaso Central, £45,000. Catlina River Branch. £7,500. Seaward Bush, £15,000. The arnouub appropriated for expenditure on permanent way, materials and rolling stock on the sections of railway referred to is £40,000. In addition to the above appropriations provision is also made for tho following services under tho heading of Railways :— | Land claims, etc, £1,500; surveys, new ; lines, £200; surveys, £4,000; and additions to open lines, £1b,978.

KAMO-KAWAKAWA EXTENSION. The roport states that in doforenco to petitions praying for extension of the KamoKawaknv/a line to WUaUapara River, a careful survey of the proposed extension will be raado during the roceea with a view to placing the Government in a position to como to a decision during tho recess. CRAHAMSTOWN-TE AROHA LINE. With reference to tho GrahamstownTe Ai'oha line, it is stated that designs for a bridgo ovor tho Ohinemuri River aro being prepared. On arrival of rails from England, platelaying will bo put in hand without dolay, and the line completed to Paeroa as soon as practicable. | Tha vote proposed for thia year, £13,000, is exclusive of rails and slcepsrs, which are otherwise- provided for. ROTORUA RAILWAY. The Rotorua line is stated to be in an advanced stato, and a contract for necessary station buildings will be prepared shortly. The damage done to tho lino by recent storms will delay the opening of the line as far as Tauranga, till tho Ist of November. The wholo line to Rotorua will probably be completed by April, 1894. The expenditure on this line, during the last 3'oar amounted to £22,259, while liabilities eaisted at the close of the year to the amount of £12,456. In addition to tho vote asked for this year, £32,000 will virtually cover the Co3t of tho raiKvay to completion-. j HELENSVILLE NORTHWARD. Tho vote for Helensville-Northwards line is calculated to complete tho work to tho end of the Makarau section. NORTH ISLAND MAIN TRUNK RAILWAY. Tho expenditure on this line during las*s year was £43,188, while liabilities to tho amount of £^7,116 existed at the cloaeof the year.

For the curront year it is proposed to vote £55.000 for the construction of works, and £4,000 for surveys in accordance with the advico of tho Select Committee of the House appointed last session to inquire into the best method of connecting Auckland and Wellington by railway. The Government lias had further surveys and explorations of the country undertaken by experienced engineers. ' TRUNK LINE SURVEYS. Mr Ralph Donkin, original prospector of the Urenni - Waitara route has boon engaged to thoroughly' explore and make a careiul trial j survey of that route. Mr R. W, Holmes of tho Public Works Department j has been despatched with a party to endeavour to olfect improvement ion the central route, and Mr Leslie H. Reynolds has been temporarily engaged to 3urvey the necessary deviation on the opened .lino between Mart-on and Eltharn in order to reduce the gradients. Owing to the excessively wet weather chat has not- been co great as the Government could havo wished, and the information so far available ia meagre. With tho finer weather that has now setin, the work will doubtless proceed apace, and thus enable the survoyors to shortly report the result of their explorations.

THE OTAGO CENTRAL. The vote for Gfcago Central is to complete' tho Hyde section and to carry on work on the Elburn section. Tho vole for the Greymouth—Hnkitika line ia to complete it. ROADS, BRIDGES, ETC. It i? proposed to ask for the following j j nnms for roads, bridges, etc : — J.lain roads, £23,039. Miscellaneous roads and bridges, and roada to opsn up lands before sale, £110,487.

| Grants in aid, £11,663. j Village settlements, £3,380. I Roads to give access to the Marton—To 1 Awamutu raiir/ay, £40,890. PUBLIC BUILDINGS. The total appropriation proposed for ! public buildings this year is £140,330, viz., I £50,675 undor the consolidated fund and i £89,655 under the public works fund. ! The consolidated fund vote provides £31,000 for school buildings, and ordinary votes for maintenance and repair of buildings throughout the colony. The votes proposed under the Public Works fund provide £15,000 for school buildings, to supplement a vote of £31,000 aiready appearing on the Consolidated Fund Estimates, the rapidly increasing settlement that is progressing making it imperative that further school accommodation should bb provided. Provision is made for new court houses at Otahuhu and Rotorua, and a now police stations at Kawakawa, Aratapu and Pukekohe.

HARBOUR DEFENCES. £5,000 is to be asked to carry on the work of harbour defences. GOLDFIELDS VOTE. As the revenue from eomo of the water supplies controlled by the Government on goldfields has been decreasing it has been found necessary to extend races to pommand fresh supplies, so it is proposed to ask the House for a vote of £5,000 to cover liabilities and to carry out an extension. TELEGRAPH EXTENSION. An expenditure of £23,666 has been provided for on account of telegraph extension, and £6,716 of this is intended to cover liabilities at tho commencement of the year.