THE PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVIII, Issue 298, 23 December 1897, Page 6

THE PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

(By Telegraph.)

WELLINGTON, December 14.

In the House of Representatives this evening, the Hon. W. Hall-Jones delivered the Public Works Statement, which was as follows: —

Mr Speaker,—Since laying before hon. members the Public Works Statement of last year, a large number of applications have been received by the Government for the execution of works which would have Involved an expenditure much greater than the means at our disposal would permit. Considering how necessary it is that facilities should' be provided to assist those who are developing the natural resources of the colony, I have keenly felt my inability, owing to want of means, to meet the numerous demands that have been made. In the matter of railway construction, I would draw attention to the fact that the Government have had to deal with works started many years ago, and for which the present Administration is not responsible. Due consideration was given to the question as to whether these works should stop at a point where there would be little or no return for past expenditure, or whether they should he continued to a point where not only would there be a fair return from the money to be spent, but also a greater return from the money already expended. The latter course being decided upon, it became a difficult matter to allocate the moneys at our disposal so as to admit of each line being proceeded with, and also to insure that a fair rate of progress should be made. Since the 24th January, 1891, 224 miles of railways have been completed, made up as follow :— Line. Length. Mis. Chns. Whangarei-Kamo : Extension section 'Kamo-W haka,para ..11 2n Kaihu Valley: Opunakc booms.. .>-> Helensville northwards : KanohiMakarau 3 6 Waikato - Thames : Te ArohaThames Valley: hotorua-Putarr.ru 31 56 North Island Main Trunk : Mokau-Poro-o-tai-ao 12 13 Eangatira-Mongaonohu .. •■ '■> '<' "Woodville-Palmerston. 13 21 Wellington - Napier : EkctahunaWoodville 2?' f, Te Aro extension •• } !•» Picton-Hurunui: Blenheim-Omaka ii 43 Westport - N'gakavrau extension : N'gakawan-Mokihinui ..7 12 Greymouth-Hokitika 24 3/ Otas.o Central: Hindon-Kokonga .. ol 2 Catfin's River : Gienoamaru-Owaka 11 43 Road rt 6 2 | Seaweed Bash : Mokotua Gorge Totals 221 51 And there are now in hand, exclusive of main trunk lines, several short sections totalling to about 50 miles, most of them near completion. Hon. members will, I think, admit that in nearly every case the work done will increase the earning power , of the lines completed up to January, 1891. j PUBLIC WORKS FUND. On the 31st March, 1896, the available ways and means for public works purposes amounted to £134,418. Under the legislation of last session, the following additional sums were made available, namely:— Public works fund railways .. .. £ZV),KiO \ Development of goklviekls .. .. 200,000] Development of thermal springs and __ j natural scenery 50.000 Land improvement account .. .. 250,000 Native lands purchase account.. .. 250,000 Total £1,000,000 The sum of £150,000 was transferred from j revenue during this year, while sundry I credits to the amount of £18,656 (including released sinking fund) were also received, thus bringing up tbe total ways and means available to £203,074. The expenditure under the heads above mentioned was £663,915, thus leaving a balance at the end of the year of £630,159. It is expected that sundry credits will come to hand to the amount of probably £5,000, thus bringing the gross total ways and means up to £1,194,159. The estimates of expenditure which 1 now have the honour to submit to the House provide for a total outlay of £1,021,570. of which £977,502 will be a charge against the public works fund and £43,978 against tin Government loans to local bodies account; so that a credit balance of £216,507 will probably remain in the public works fund at the close of the year. RAILWAYS UNDER CONSTRUCTION. I will now give a brief statement of the principal works undertaken on the several lines of railways—under construction— since my last Statement was delivered, and I what is proposed to be done during the current year. KAMO-KAWAKAWA. Thesection of thislinebetween Hiknrangi and Whakapara was completed and handed over to the Railway Department for regular traffic on the 2nd November, 1896. The extension from Whakapara is now in course of construction. The bridge over the | Whakapara river is finished, and the forma- I tion is also completed as far as the Airline i Road, at which point large sawmills have i been erected by Messrs Foote Bros., which are about to be connected with the railway. The line will then have commenced I to tap the Puhipuhi kauri forest, from ! which a very considerable timber traffic is expected. To fully command this forest, a further extension is necessary, and the formation for some distance beyond Whakapara is now well advanced. The sleepers are being obtained locally, ?,nd rail-laying will probably be commenced early in the new year. The terminus for this railway, when the extension was authorised by the Railways Authorisation Act, 1894, was fixed near the Waiotu river, as it was expected that a great deal of the timber from the Puhipuhi forest would be floated down this stream. A petition has recently been presented to the Government graying for the extension of the line to the tukerenui Village Settlement, and a survey of this proposed extension has been ordered. Several petitions have been presented to Parliament asking for the extension of the line from Kawakawa, but I regret that the money at our disposal will not permit of this work being put in hand at present. A survey was made several years ago of a proposed extension of this railway at the Whangarei end to deep water, and petitions have been presented to the House praying that this work be put in hand. Vessels drawing more than five feet cannot reach the present wharf at Opua on the Whangarei river at low water, and vessels drawing more than 13 feet cannot come up to it at any time. By crossing the river, however, and extending the line for two miles and a half down the shore of the Whangarei Harbour to Owhiwha point (Grahamstown) a depth of 22 feet of water can be reached. Vessels drawing up to 18 feet could reach this point even at low water, and larger vessels still could come up when the tide permitted. The cost of this extension, including the wharf and shipping facilities, would be about £40,000. Before asking for an appropriation for this extension, however, it is advisable to await the development of the timber and coal traffic on the line. At tlie same time it must be borne in mind that the extension of this railway to Hikurangi and Hukerenui was undertaken on tbe assumption that coal from the former place and tlie timber from the Puhipuhi forest would be carried over ! the line, and it must be admitted that larger vessels than those that are now able to reach the wharf at Opua will be required to profitably convey this timber and coal to market: The expenditure on this line last year amounted to £6,525, and this year wc ask for a vote of £S,OOO.

KAIHU VALLEY.

The short extension of this line from

Opanake station to the booms on thekaihu River was completed and handed over to the Railway Department for traffic on the 21st October, 1896, and an exceedingly heavy timber traffic has since been carried ! over'it. The expenditure on the line' during the year was £1,263, and it will not be necessary to ask for any further vote ; this year. i HELENSVILLE NORTHWARDS. The Makarau contract, which has been : in hand for the last seven years, was duly ; ! completed on May 13 last, and the section ; 1 was handed over to the Railway Depart- j I ment for traffic on June 13. The prmca- ! | pal cause of the great delay in completing ; | the contract was the treacherous nature of j the ground met with by the contractors in j Makarau tunnel. The difficulties were as length overcome, however, and the contract j duly finished, but the work has not proved j a profitable one to the contractors. The j Makarau contract having been completed so recently, the further section, which I stated last year would be put in hand, has not yet been commenced. It is, however, proposed | to start the work shortly. The expenditure j I on this line last year amounted to £3,452, hub I it would have amounted to much more than this if the Makarau contract had been comI pleted within the year as expected, in proof I of which I may say that the expenditure on the line since the close of the financial year has amounted to nearly £4,000. It was not deemed advisable to proceed with further works on this railway until the large claims for extras made by the contractors for the Makarau contract, amounting to over £5,000, were decided one way or the other I am now ad vised that the contractors have no legal claim, but they are petitioning Parliament for a consideration of their case on equitable grounds. I was, therefore, unable to see my way to put further work in hand, pending the meeting of Parliament. The importance of continuing the line to the Kaipara Flats has been urged upon the Government by settlers in the district. As funds permit this should be done, a vote for £6,000 will be submitted for your approval. GB AHA MSTO W_N'-TE A ROH A . The principal works undertaken on this railway during last year were the raising of the formation, building the bridges, and the partial laying of the rails on thesection between Paeroa and Puriri. The railwayhas now reached Omaha, at which point a branch line is being made into the extensive stone deposit which was acquired for a ballast pit several years ago. It was impossible to do any ballasting on this section until the rails have reached this point, but ballasting will now be commenced as soon as the pit has been connected with the main line, and proceeded with vigorously with the view of opening the line to Puriri at the earliest possible date, and extending it through to Grahamstown as quickly as possible thereafter. Many honourable members may not be aware of the fact that during the years 1879 to 1890 an j amount of £63,000 was spent on formation, bridging, etc., on tbe section of this railway between Grahamstown and Paeroa, the work being left unfinished and consequently unproductive. Of this amount £57,492 had been expended prior to the 31st March, 1888, the annual amount then gradually diminishing to less than £1,000 in 1890-91. Some of the bridges i built of kauri now require rebuilding, and I the whole of the formation requires to be brought up to the proper level again. The work in hand at present is the section between Paeroa and Puriri, and the necessary materials for the work between Puriri and Kopu have been ordered. An endeavour should be made to complete the line through to the Thames at as early a date as possible. The development of the rnin- j ing industry will insure a greater rate of interest being earned than will have to be paid for the money required to complete the work. A vote" of £12,000 is asked for, over £7,000 of which has been expended under the authority of last year's vote since the commencement of the current year. CO ROM A N DEL- KUAOTUN V. As promised last session a reconnaisance survey has been marie for a light, narrow-gange railway between Coromandel and Kuaotunu. The construction of a large part of this line would be easy, but the great difficulty is the presence of an unbroken range of mountains immediately at the back of Coromandel, the lowest saddles over which arc about I,looft above sea-level. The engineer at first tried a route running southwards and climbing up the west slope ot the range to cross over the top somewhere about the Castle Rock, and to then run i down the ridges sloping to Whangapona on the other side, but was ultimately compelled to abandon it. He then examined a line in a northerly direction, but this also proved unsatisfactory, and he finally selected a route tip the valley along which the road is constructed, running almost due east from Coromandel. This is the most practicable and probably the best route, but it necessitates a tunnel i over a mile long through the range, and a i i grade of 1 in 40 on either side to approach it. On tho Hats many of the banks would j have to be kept up to a fair height and | would require to be protected with stone j , pitching, as they would be exposed to the wash of the tides. The line would be from 19 to 20 miles in length, and would probably cost £100,000, inclusive of roiling stock, which would have to be specially constructed for the narrow gauge. The Government consider that the time is not ripe for the construction of this railway. PAEROA-WATIII. Instructions have been given for a survey to be made for the above line, and the engineer has been at work upon the ground for some time. He has been in- j structed to make alternative surveys for a j 3-feet 6 inch gauge railway, with gradients not steeper than one in 50, and curves of not less radius than six chains, and for a two-feet gauge line with gradients notsteeper than one in 40, and curves not sharper than 100 feet, in each case the ruling gradients to be reduced on curves, so as to compensate for the resistance to traction due to curvature. The instructions state that the line is to be so laid out j as to keep the cost as low as possible, due | care being taken that the increased work- i ing expenses due to steep gradients and I sharp curves will not exceed the interest on | saving in the cost of construction thus at- j tamed. The survey for the 3 feet G inches ; gauge line is to be made first, and modified ; where possible to fulfil the conditions for j the 2 feet gauge line, and where not possible j to combine the two surveys an independent one is afterwards to be made for the narrowgauge line. Before finally locating the terminus ot the linenear Waihi the engineer has been directed to make a reconnaisance ] survey of the country between Waihi and | Katikati harbour, so as to determine the I best route for a possible extension of the [ line to Tauranga, so that if the line is ex- j tended at any time no work will have to W abandoned. As far as the work has pro-1 grossed no great difficulties have been en- j countered, except near the township of; Karangahake, where there is a very abrupt j angle in the gorge. It will probably be j necessary to provide for a considerable j tunnel on a 1 in 50 grade on the 3ft Gin j gauge lino here. With this exception, j although the ground is very broken, a good j line will probably be got, with curves not j sharper than six chains radius, and with ' comparatively easy grading, varying from i lin 110 to 1 in 600. Beyond completing the survey the Government considers that ; : further expenditure in connection with this j proposed railway should be held over for the present. ' j

NORTH ISLAND MAIN TRUNK. The Mokau and Poro-o-Tarao tunnel sections at the northern end of this railway, together making a length of 12 miles

'43 chains, were completed and opened for j traffic on the 21st December last, the traffic j on the line being at present practically ' confined to the carrying of plant and sup--1 plies for the construction works beyond. 'It has not been advisable to hand these I sections over to the Railway Department, ! but by arrangement with the Public Works 1 Department a weekly train is run as far as j the south side of the Poro-o-tarao tunnel, j , Work has been begun on the Ohinemoaj : section leading down towards Kawakawa, j i where the Stratford-Ongaruhe road con- j ! neets with the railway. The works on ■ | this section are proceeding fairly well, j | and will be pushed on vigorously until! Ithe line reaches Kawakawa. At the i I southern end of the line a great deal jof work has been done between the ; end of the opened line at Mangao- ! noho and Kaikoura, and the felling of the I bush between Etaikoura and Taihape has | recently been authorised. The Makohine j viaduct, the non-erection of which has for so long barred further rail laying on this railway, is now well in hand. The extensive excavations for foundations of the main pier on the eastern side of the Makohine Creek, have been completed, and the ' two large concrete blocks which comprise the base are being built, the work being well advanced. The excavations for the other main pier on the western or Marton side of the creek would also have been completed before this if it had not been for very wet weather causing the ground to slip, and reducing it to so soft a condition that it became unsafe for men to work there. With the improvement which took ; place in the weather as spring advanced, the excavations were resumed, and now are proceeding actively. Nearly the whole of the cement required to complete the structure has already been delivered on the site, and the balance is under order, and a large part of the iron and steel has already arrived from England, An engine and workshop is about to be erected, so that the shaping, planing, drilling, etc., of the ironworks, preparatory to its being erected in position, may be taken in hand, and I hope to be able to announce in my next years statement that substantial progress with the work has been made The detailed survey of the portion of this line not already definitely located is still in hand. The Government consider it desirable that greater expedition should he , exercised with this work, and it is, therefore, proposed to place an additional survey , party in the held shortly. The early completion of this survey is very desirable, as until it is completed it is impossible to accurately estimate what the total cost of the line will be. The expenditure on the : North Island Main Trunk Railway last year amounted to £28,272, and liabilities existed at the close of the year to the amount of £17,042. A vote for £32,000 is asked for this year. EKETAHCXA-WOODVILLE. The section of this line from Newman to Pahiatua, about 15| miles in length, was ' completed (with the exception of some of the station buildings), and handed over to the Railway Department for regular traffic on the 3rd of May last, and a further section from Pahiatua to Mangatainoko, three and a quarter miles in length, on the Ist August following. The station buildings have since been completed. The works on the remaining section between Mangatainoka and Woodville, six miles in length, are almost completed, and the section was opened for traffic and through communication established between Wellington and Napier via Rimutaka on the 11th inst. A large amount of work lias been necessary in the improvement and repair of the important bridge over the Manawatn river at Ngawapurua, in order to bring it up to the present day standards. The work is now nearing completion, however, and has been carried out without the bridge having been closed for road traffic for a single day, a fact which reflects credit upon the officers in charge. This bridge was erected in 1883, and has since been in constant use for road traffic, which has been of a very heavy character. The expenditure on this railway during the late financial year amounted to £19,865, and from the Ist April to the 30th November an additional amount of £18,638 has been expended, while the liabilities at the. latter date amounted to £12,599. A vote for £30,000 will be necessary this year, which will practically provide for the entire completion of the railway. WELLI.VGTON'-MASTERTON. The completion of the Eketahuna-Wood-ville railway, and the consequent diversion of tbe Wellington-Napier traffic to the Wairarapa line, will bring into great prominence the many inconveniences attending upon the present journey over the Rimutaka Range. With our present dayexperiences the action of the authorities of the day in adopting the existing incline line over the Rimutaka Mountains seems to have been obtained by adhering more closely to the old coach road, and putting lin a tunnel of a mile and a-half in length to avoid the major part of the ascent and descent to and from the summit. Even I now it would, I think, be worth while to j consider whether it would not be desirable jto construct this line and abandon the in- i dine. The Government is not at present in possession of .sufficient information to I enable a confident opinion to be expressed on this point, but if the saving in distance would be several miles, and if the height to which it would be necessary to raise trains would be 200 feet less, and if gradients not steeper than one in 40, and varying from that to one in 60, could be obtained, as I am imformed would be the case, the lessened cost of working the railway would probably be sufficient to meet the interest on the cost of constructing the new line, and ' the saving of time and inconvenience to the j public would be very considerable. 1 pro--1 pose, therefore, to have a survey made for the new line between Kaitokeand Featherston as soon as an experienced officer can be spared for the purpose. OTAGO CENTRAL. The work on the section of this railway between Hyde and Kokonga was vigorously proceeded with during las year, and the line handed over to the Railway Department on the Ist October last, and opened I for regular traffic on the 18th of that j month. The works between Kokonga and I Taieri Bridge have also been actively pro- ! cecded with, and the formation completed, | and the rail-laying nearly so. I regret to | state that the works in connection with the I Taieri Bridge contract have not been proi ceeded with satisfactorily, and the completion of the lines to Waipiata and Ranfurly (Eweburn) is likely to be delayed thereby. It is anticipated, however, t that the bridge will be finished early in the new year, "and by that time the formation works from the j bridge to Kanfurly will be also completed, |so that the rail-laying to that point : can then proceed uninterruptedly. I iam in hopes that the section to Wai- | piata will be ready for traffic by the Ist jof March next, and that the whole line ito Ranfurly will be ready for opening by ' July or August following. Several petij tions have been presented to Parliament •■ for the extension of this railway to the | Clutha Valley. The work is one which | the Government consider should un- j | doubtedly be undertaken, and when the I j line is completed through to Ranfurly, the j i formation works on the section between j ! Ranfurly and Wetherburn, as the first link j iin this connection, can then be put in i I hand. It is proposed to make the works , :on this railway of a lighter form of con- j j struction in future, but to retain the preI sent three feet six inches gauge. The ex- • j penditure on the Otago Central Railway I during last financial year amounted to I £25,238, exclusive of the value of the permanent ways, materials, etc., Avhile j I liabilities existed at the close of the year j Ito the amount of £13,499. fbis year we j

ask for a vote of £30,000 to complete the works now in hand.

MIDLAND RAILWAY,

Construction works on this railway have been carried on throughout the year at the Jackson's and Belgrove ends of the line. At the Jackson's end a considerable quantity of work has been done. The operations now extend over a length of about 12 miles, and consist of bushfelliug, earthworks, masonry, culverts, etc. The formation of the line is well advanced, a considerable portion of the easier parts being finished. A good deal of the work lies partly in the beds of the Teremakau and Otira Rivers, and it will be necessary to protect these portions of the line with heavy rockwork. Arrangements have now been made to lay the rails on the finished pieces of the line, and to send a locomotive up to the work so that the depositing of the heavy stonework may be proceeded with more expeditiously. At the Belgrove end of the line the rails have been laid from Belgrove to the small station at Spooner's Range, and the formation completed from this point to near the foot of Norris gully. The erection of the first bridge over the Norris gully creek has been commenced, and the timber for the lower crossing of the same creek is being procured. Therails for iayingthissection of the line are already on the ground, and an effort is being made to obtain the sleepers locally. The formation is also in hand between the foot of Norris gully and Motupiko, locally known as " Bromell's." It is proposed to have careful surveys made of the route up the Tadmor Valley, so as to ascertain definitely whether this route, as I have every reason to believe, possesses advantages over the Motupiko-Hope saddle route for the extension of the line to the Buller Valley. If the results of the surveys bear out my views as to the advantages of the Tadmor Valley route, legislation will be proposed next session to authorise the deviation of the line. There are now about 200 men employed on construction work on this railway, and the cost of such works carried out by the Government up to the 31st of Auguat last amounted to £46,506. In addition to this sum, rails and fastening have been procured for the line to tlie value of £3,660, making a total expenditure of £50,166. Of this sum the Company has repaid 124,26.3, and has been given credit for £8,630, representing the profits on the working of the opened sections of the line, and. an amount of £13,613 is now due by tlie Company, the account for which was rendered on the 22nd October last. The account for the £3,660 worth of permanent way material has not yet been sent in. W c ask this year for a vote of £25,000, after allowing £15,000 for recoveries. Some further

correspondence has taken place with the company in reference to a new contract for the construction of this railway since the last papers on the subject were published. A letter as to the position of the company's debenture-holders was addressed by the receiver to the Premier during the hitter's recent visit to England. Copies of the correspondence will be laid on the table immediately. Formal notice has also been received from three debenture-holders that failing the purchase of the line within three months by the Government, the}*' will apply under section 14 of the Fa.it and West Coast (Middle Island) and Nelson Railway and Railways Construction Act, 1884, to a Judge of tbe Supreme Court for relief under the said Act, and particularly I for an order that such part of the company's property as is liable under the provisions of the said Act for payment of the principal money secured by the debentures shall be absolutely sold, and for the appointment of a receiver of the rents, income and profits of such property. Strong representations have been made to tbe Government in favour of a commencement being made with construction works at the Springfield and Reefton ends of the line. The Government feel that the time has arrived for more vigorous steps being taken towards the construction or' this railway, but no detailed survey has yet been made of the line beyond Recfton, and the plans which have been handed to the ( Government ot the line beyond Springfield show the works to be of so heavy a character that I do not feel justified in assuming, without further inquiry, that the location of the line cannot be improved upon. We, therefore, propose to have survey work undertaken immediately to definitely settle this question. TOTAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR RAILWAYS. The total appropriations proposed for railway construction works, including surveys, permanent way, materials, etc., is £214,000, and £150,000 for additions to open lines. Last year the amount for construction works was £204,423 and £60,000 for additions to open lines. LIGHT RAILWAYS. In last year's Public Works Statement I promised 'that 1 would this session lay before honorable members some further information on the subject of light railways. This has since been obtained from different parts of tho world, and particularly from Tasmania, where a two-feet gauge line is already being constructed from Zeehan to Mount Dundas. This railway when finished will be about 17^ miles long. The first five miles arc over undulating country, presenting no special engineering difficulties, but for the remainder of its length the line skirts high and precipitous hills, presenting a very | forbidding appearance from a railway j engineer's point of view. The line starts j at a height of 630 feet above sea level. At , the end of the fifth mile, where the difficult country begins, the elevation is 829 feet. From this point to the summit, five and a-half miles further on, the line rises 771 feet. From there it descends to tbe Ring River, five miles further on again, the fail being 774 feet, and from there it rises 284 feet to the terminus in a distance of two miles. The total length of the line in difficult country is 12.J miles, but the end of the line at 17J miles is really only oh miles as the crow flies from the five-miles' peg, that is to say it takes 12.^ miles of railway to accomplish a direct distance of 5| miles. This is principally due to the height and depth to which the line has to rise and fall, and the consequent necessity of long gradient contours. To overcome these diiii- j cultics the gradients adopted are in some cases very severe, and in order to reduce earthworks and bridging to a minimum very sharp curves have been used. To such a large extent have curves been adopted that a straight run of 100 yards is sel- j dom obtainable. There are 300 curves on [ the line, and over half tbe total length is j on curves, the total of decrees turned! being about 17,000. The ruling gradient, j. allowing for curvature, is 1 in 22, and the j sharpest curves are only \\ chains radius, j The sharpest curves on any of our New j Zealand railways are five chains radius, j and the steepest gradients (exclusive of! the three rail incline on the Wairarapa' side of the Rimutaka Range) are 1 in 35,1 or, allowing for curvature, 1 in 31. Even these grades and curves only occur on j exceptional lines, such as on the Welling-! ton side of the Rimutaka Range, and on ; the Lawrence branch line. It will readily j be seen, therefore, how very steep and ! tortuous this Tasmanian light railway j really is. Perhaps the most interesting feature of the line to us just now is its cost, which was very low for a railway i traversing such very rough country. The! general manager of the Tasmanian Go- \ vernment railways reports that tbe cost, \ including surveys and equipment, was j only £1,725 per mile, but states that a' little more expenditure in rolling stock j and traffic requirements will be j necessary, thus bringing up the cost j to say £2,000 per mile. Even this j rate, however, would be too low a standard to take for the construction of [

similar lines in New Zealand, as nothing is allowed in this amount for compensation to landowners for the land occupied by the railway, as the whole is constructed on j Crown reserves. The rails also only cost j £3 3s per ton, second-hand, rails being used, : whereas new rails of say 401b to the yard '' would cost almost double this amount landed at our principal ports, and the cost | of transporting them to where they would | require to be used might cost another £1 !or £2 per ton. The Tasmanian line, moreI os er, is not fenced, and the timbers used in the bridges only cost from 7s 6<i to 13a ! 6d per 100 superficial feet, and the sleepers j under Is each, adzed and bored ready for l laying. These rates would be largely ex- ■ ceeded in this colony. Some detailed in- ; formation respecting light railways, and ■ several illustrations of points of interest on ' the Tasmania line, already referred to, of I which photographs were kindly furnished to me by the Government of that colony, will , be found in an appendix to this statement. I Several applications for the construction of light railways have already been made to the Government, of which the followingare the principal lines : —Paeroa to Waihi, Tauranga to Rotorua, Rotorua to Gisborne, Tauranga to Gisborne via Opotiki, Gisborne to Napier, Eltham to Opunake, Danevirke to East Coast, Blenheim to Culverden, Fairlie to Pukaki, Dunedin to Otago Heads. In addition to these, other applications for railway extension to which the light railways principle (whether on the 3 feet 6 inches gauge or a narrower gauge) might apply, have been made, the following being the most important of the lines asked for -.—Kaihu to Waima, Hukerenui to Kawakawa, Makarau to Whangarei, Pukekohe to Waiuku, Westport to Reefton, Level's Flat to Kaitangata, Heriot to Roxburgh, Riversdale to Switzert, Wright's Bush to Heddon Bush, Orepuki or Kaikora to Waiau. During the recess the relative merits and necessity for these several lines will be carefully considered, and information as to their probable cost and the revenue returns they may be expected to yield will be laid before Parliament next session. ROADS, Etc. Operations on roads under the control of the Minister of Lands during the past year have been of the same nature and of nearly equal extent to those of the previous year. Full details have been given in tbe SurveyoGeneral's report, but they may be sum- ■ marised in the Statement that '489 miles of carriage roads and 442 miles ot horse roads were constructed, and 1,177 miles of carriage roads and 647 miles of horse roads were maintained fit for ordinary traffic, the cost for the year being £208,694, including a small sum of £301 spent out of the immigration vote, which is £31,670 less than the ■ year 1895-96. The liabilities on the 31st March, however, were £226,762, the total vote last year being £413,476, so that the. expenditure and liabilities exceed the ; appropriation by £21,980. To some extent : the liabilities might be reduced. The ' works authorised being conducted under : co-operative regulations could be stopped, but unless this is done (which is not desirable) most of the liabilities have to be ■ met in the course of the current year. The expenditure for the first half of the present year reached £128,807, and if the liabilities at the end of the same period, which amount to £197,354, are added, the total comes to £326,161. Some of the works authorised will no doubt extend into the next financial year, but the actual outlay will probably exceed that of 1896-97 if the progress of settlement is to continue, j and is carried on at the same rate as during the past six years. If the pressing wants j of new settlers, and the reasonable demands j of old ones (whose success depends upon the j products of the soil) are to be attended to, j these new roads must be constructed, and I roads already constructed must be maintained in a condition fit to carry the traffic. If we are to judge by the reports of county councilsandroad boards, their revenue is not even sufficient to main tain theirdistrict roads and in general the main roads are, rapidly becoming unfit to carry the public traffic, especially the large bridges erected by the variousprovineialGovernments. Itis, there-1 fore, unwise to shut our eyes to this fact that j local rates and local revenue alone cannot | pay for the maintenance of the general traffic on the country road boards roads. The burden on the settlers in a forest district is greatly increased by the unreasonableness of timber carters, who with heavy loads destroy lightly-constrncted roads, and refuse to contribute a fair share of the cost of maintenance. Instances are reported where roads constructed out of money borrowed on the security of settlers' lands have been made impossible for ordinary traffic in this way. For assisting local bodies to repair the extensive damage done by floods in the early part of the year, a sum of £20,000 is provided. This amount •will be paid in the form of a. subsidy at the rate of not less than £1 for £1 con- j tributed by local bodies. The sum which j it is estimated is required to rebuild lost bridges and other works is £64,037 (of j which £24,447 is required for roads inj charge of the Government and £39,600 for! roads under the control of local bodies). ] Every country electorate in the colony is demanding new roads or better roads, but j the Government can meet only the urgent [ demands of some. The others must wait another year. The amounts required to be authorised this year are : — For immigration £330 I Main roads 13,1.87 ?.!iscel!aneous roads 21,4.')3 ; Flood damages •JO.ouO j Development thermal springs .. .. fi:_,.._3 Lands improvement 2:57,711 Government loans to local bodies ac'nt ."1078 ! Native land roads .. .. .. .. S'J.STI Total £459,465 Provincialiy distributed they are— For Auckland £116,331 Hawko's Bay iIMS Taranaki 53,061 Wellington 95.779 Nelson 12,822 Marlborough 19,103 Wcstland. 14.023 Canterbury 11,241 Otago 40.112 Southland 25.613 General 26,218 j Total £159,41)5 ROADS ON GOLDFIELDS. * ! It is proposed to continue to assist local | ! bodies by means of grants and subsidies to-1 ! wards the improvement of existing roads j Ito enable machinery to be conveyed to the ! i mines, which have already been partially j developed, and also for the construction of roads, bridges, and tracks in the friore outlying portions of the mining district. The vote for roads and tracks last year amounted to £89.357, the expenditure being £32,578, with liabilities amounting to £39,702. The vote proposed for the current year is £96,802.

DEVELOPMENT OF GOLDFIELDS

As already mentioned in the Financial Statement, as well-as in the Statement of the Hon. Minister of Mines, the development of our goldlields continues to steadily progress, and it is only reasonable to expect that on the completion of the extensive development works now in progress, and with the working of the additional and improved machinery which is being erected for the crushing and treatment of our refractory ores, .and for the dredging of our river beds, the yield of geld will be considerably increased. Prospecting operations are going on over a large area for gold, silver, copper, cinnabar, manganese, and other ores,'and reports of new discoveries have been made from time to time. Mining for opals is also receiving some attention, and already nine leases, covering an area of 233 acres in the Mount Peel District of Canterbury, have been issued for this purpose. It has also been reported that opals of a valuable kind had been discovered at Tairua in the Hauraki District. The deep level shaft at the Thames, which has been

referred to in previous Statements, is being constructed as fast as circumstances } will permit, and the pumping machinery ia j being erected as it arrives from the manu- j facturers in England, ten of the largest boilers ever erected in the colony having been placed in position. The old Queen of Beauty shaft, which was the one selected, has also been enlarged to 17ft 6in by Bft 6in in the clear, and is now down to a depth of 425 ft, being within 332fc of the depth of the old shaft, which was sunk 747 ft when the old company ceased operations. Reports will be presented upon the important subject of water supply and conservation for mining, as well as for irrigation purposes. This question is surrounded with many difficulties, owing principally to the existence of prior rights to take water from many of the principal sources of supply, but it is hoped by carefully, guarding in future against the issue of rights to targe supplies of water, and through the gradual lapsing of rights in respect to which the conditions have not been fulfilled, that in course of time this necessary accessory to the development of the resources of the colony will ultimately become more available for use by the public generally. The total sum expended last year on works under the head of " Development of Goldfields" was £10,508, with liabilities amounting to £29,010, and w-e propose to ask for a vote of £44,637 for the current year. PURCHASE OF NATIVE LANDS. The area of native lands acquired during the past financial year was, as mentioned in the Financial Statement, 335,000 acres, a large portion of which is situated within the territory known as the King Country, and adjacent to the North Island Main Trunk Railway. This land will be thrown open for settlement early in next year. The amounted voted under the native land purchase account last year was £163,967, and out of this amount £129,000 was expended, including £88,787 for roads and surveys. This year we ask for a vote of £60,500. and in respect to the purchase of native lands from this time forward the land purchase officers will be instructed not to purchase land from any native unless he has more than sufficient land left to provide for maintenance. TELEGRAPH EXTENSION. The vote obtained last year under this head was £36,500, and the expenditure during the year was £36,791, including the purchase of 40 knots of submarine cable. j The more important telegraph lines constructed were those from Whangarei to Poroti, Hikurangi to Whakapawa, Mangapai to Maungakaramea, Hukerenui (Urmond's) to Waimate, Kerbertville to Wimbledon, Maharihari, Pahiatua to Mangatao, Ballance, Ngaturi, Makuri, Ohingaiti to Mangaweka, Hendes Ferry to | Oeaarito, Burkes Pass to Te Kapo, Cam- ! Brians to Becks, Skippers to Builendale, and additional wire accommodation jas follows : — Napier to Etairoa, I Greymouth to Reefton, Lumsden to j Queenstown, Oamaru to Georgetown, I Springfield to Bealy, and Pukerau |to Waipahi. Additional wires are j also being provided between Napier and i Wanganui, Wanganui and New Plymouth, | and Blenheim and Dunedin. Telephone ! exchanges have been established at Master - I ton and Gisborne, and a branch exchange iat Hasting*. The number of new sub- ! scribers to the exchange system of the | colony was 604. The vote proposed for the | current year is £30,835, which provides for | additions to existing lines, completion of | work in hand, additional wires from j Auckland to Whangarei, Clyde to Crom- | well, and Wakapuaka to Belgrove, and j telephone extensions, the more important !of which are Onehunga to Mangere, etc., ' and a portion of the proposed line from j New Plymouth to Auckland, via Mokau and Otorohanga. PUBLIC BUILDINGS. Our expenditure on public buildings still continues heavy, and with the increase of population that is taking place, and the growth of settlement, and the necessity of j replacing many of our present wooden I buildings with others of more permanent | materials, I see very little prospect of its j growing lighter for some years to come. I The expenditure last year was slightly less | than the year before, but this year I expect jit will be larger again. The appropriations j for the current year amount to £148,300, j viz. : —£98,300 under the public works | fund, and £48,000 under the consolidated ! fund, £7,000 of the latter being for the ParI liamentary Library. The principal works I carried out last year, or provided for this j year, are as follows :—General: The chief j work under this head is the completion of j the Government Printing Office, for which | £8,000 was voted last year, and £7,252 exj pended. This very much needed and at | the same time handsome addition to our j ! Government buildings will have cost, when j | completed, about £16,000. It is already j | partly in use, and will be entirely finished J | and ready for complete occupation very |. ; shortly. In respect to the expenditure on j, [this building, the saving effected will I \ more than cover the interest on outlay. I The other works under this class are of a j. j small and unimportant nature, and do not I | require special mention. The vote pro-1 [ posed under the heading of general this | year is £18,170, which include £9.000 for|the completion of the printing office and j_ £3,500 for the additions at present being \ made to the departmental buildings in j [ Wellington. As announced by the!. | Colonial Treasurer in the Financial State-1 j ment, the Government propose to pro-' . ; vide this year for the erection of a fire- ! | proof building to accommodate the i General Assembly library. As the buoy- j j ancy of the revenue left us a large surplus ' to commence the present year with, it is , j proposed to defray the cost of this building < I out of the surplus, and a vote for £7,000, a , I charge against the consolidated fund, will ', \ therefore be provided for the work on the | Supplementary Estimates. j JUDICIAL. A considerable number of buildings under ! this head have been in hand during the . j year. We ask this year for a vote under ! < ! the head of " judicial" for £16,920. This I! ! provides for the completion of the Dunedin ' ! Gaol, the Marton Courthouse, and other buildings already in hand, and also for a new brick courthouse at Palmerston North, new courthouses at Leeston and Macrae's, " and new police stations at Auckland, Karangahake, Te Kuiti, Opunake, Manaia > and Invercargill, together with several j other works of less magnitude. ] POST AND TELEGRAPH. 1 This year we ask for a vote of £8,160, ' which provides for a new building at Ofahuhu, etc. LUNATIC ASYLUMS. Considerable expenditure was incurred in connection with our asylum buildings last year. At Auckland £9,565 was ex- , pended in addition to the male ward, and ' in completing the restoration of the c auxiliary building. The total expenditure under this class during the year amounted ( to £16,404. The new auxiliary asylum in Auckland, built in brick, affords accommodation for 121 patients, and supplies the ] place or a wooden building destroyed by j fire which accommodated about 100 patients. 1 The additions to the male wing also built , in brick, afford accommodation for 31 patients, mostly single rooms, a feature . badly required at this Asylum. Tlie vote j proposed for the current year is £17,900. SCHOOLS. The amount voted for school buildings ( last year was £48,780, namely, £26,000 j I under the consolidated fund, and £22,7.80 11 under the public works fund, and £48,495 j _ was expended, namely, £26,352 under the J _ consolidated fund, and £22,143 under the i public works fund. This year we ask for I . a total authorisation amounting to £59,350, < namely, £25,000 under the consolidated j i

fund, and £34,350 under the publSc works fund. The latter amount includes the special provisions for ordinary schoolbuildings and technical school mentioned in the Financial Statement. LIGHTHOUSES, HARBOUR WORKS AND HARBOUR DEFENCES. The amount voted for lighthouses last year was £7,550 and £6,067 was expended. This year we ask for a vote of £2,520 for the purpose of meeting the balance of the cost of the Cape Palliser lighthouse and for making a commencement with a new lighthouse at East Cape, etc. The vote for harbour works last year was £1,230. The expenditure amounted to £866. This year we propose a vote of £650. For harbour defences the vote last year was £5,000 and £4,667 was actually spent within the year. For the current year we again ask for a vote of £5,000 in order to give effect to recommendations made by the commandant of the forces. A vote under the heading of contingent defence was obtained Fast session for £23,000, and £10.554 was brought to charge against it during the year. The amount was expended on the purchase of warlike stores of various natures, necessary for maintaining the equipment of batteries and submarine mining stations, also electric search hgh„ apparatus, Maxim guns, ammunition, etc. This year we ask for a vote at £20,000, to cover the balance of the charges intended to have been debited to last year's vote, and further purchases of material of war.