PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIX, Issue 229, 28 September 1898, Page 2

PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

(By Telegraph.)

WELLINGTON, Tuesday,

In the House to-night, the Hon. W. lHall-Jones, Minister for Public Works, Idelivered the Public Works Statement §as follows:—

Mr Speaker, I have the honour to ffay before hon. members the Public :JWorks Statement and Estimates of exr Ependiture for the year. The large of applications that have been for the construction of variious public worics throughout the_ coltony have been very carefully ensideried, and in view of the limited ways and •aneans available, honourable members Swill realise the difficulty experienced tin deciding upon those which first required attention. After careful deliiberation, however, a selection has been made, and full particulars of •ithe works*proposed to be undertaken !;Svill be found in the accompanying In railway construction ;»lone the applications for new lines, «md the extension ot existing lines, a length of over 150 miles *3at an estimated approximate \cost of aiearly £10,000,000. It is claimed by .^fchose who advocate these railway Svorks being undertaken by the colony, Jfchat each one is the most important, dand that the expected returns could justify the expenditure. Those who ?know the disadvantages under which they labour, as compared with other ' parts of the colony, where greater have been provided, should ifeel that the works which most c6n«em them are of greater importance jthan those with which they are not so "well acquainted. Searching and com;Jilete inquiry has to be made, and the ■^greatest care exercised in deciding •jwhich among the numerous claims, ,£f given effect to, would best promote 'Jthe general interests of the colony. *T-his being done, it is too often the 3case that while the Government admit ,lhat many of the works asked for are •■^necessary for the convenience of the Tsettlers, and the proper development -cf the country, a great many of them must stand over, owing to the limited amount of money available. ' If the more important railways, such as the North Island Main Trunk, Otago Central, Blenheim-Culverden, the completion of the Seaward Bush, and the ex* tension of the Helensville northwards railway to Kaipara Flats, etc., are to t>e completed at an early date, it can only be done by means of a large loan to meet the necessary expenditure ; This course has been advocated by many hon. members who —with. some reason—contend that the early completoa of these works will largely increase the returns from the lines already constructed, will induce settlement, and promote the development of the resources of the country; *and, moreover, that as the works will be ol a permanent character, it is only rightthat those coming after* us should in seme measure help to bear the expense x>i their construction; and, further, -that the buoyanty of the revenue indicates that the burden of taxation :would not require to be increased to meet the necessary charges. The Government; 1 however, are of opinion that \ior the present it is preferable to proceed with that caution which has distinguished the careful admnistration of the last few years, and while desirous of seeing the early completion of the important works referred to, £hey deem it the wiser course to only ask"this year for the half million mentioned in the Financial Statement, and ?to leave the question of a more speedy prosecution of the construction oi the main lines of railway open for future consideration. During the pa*st year satisfactory progress has been made. The completion .of through communication I between Wellington, Napier, and New Plymouth, via the Rimutaka, has permitted the lines previously opened to be used to the greatest advantage. Before the close of the financial year I hope to hand over to the •working Railways Departmen the undermentioned sections of railway:— Thames - Paeroa, Kokonga -Ranfurly section of the Otago Central, the extension of the Seaward Bush, and the 3?orest Hill railways.

PUBLIC WORKS FUND,

On March 31st, 1897, the balances available for Public Works purchases were as follow: Public Works Fund, J£ 282,363; Lands Improvement Accoimt, £199,073; Native Lands Purchase Account, £157,723; total £639,----159. Under the authority obtained last session the two accounts mentioned above have now been incorporated Into the Public Works Fund, and further ways and means provided as follow: —For additions to open railways, '£200,000; for school buildings, £ 25,----000; for technical schools, £25,000; transferred from the Consolidated Fund, £300,000; miscellaneous receipts, £2876; thus making a gross total of available ways and means of £'1,192,035. The expenditure has amounted to £865,543, which left a balance at the end of the year of £326,492. It is now proposed to supplement this amount as follows: — Transfer from the Consolidated Fund, •£350,000; Sinking Fund released (say) !£36,500; further transfer from the Consolidated Fund for defence purposes, £25,000; further transfer from the Consolidated Fund for lunatic asylums, £25,000; further transfer from the Consolidated Fund for Parliamentary Buildings, £25,000; further aid to be authorised, £500,000. If these proposals are adopted by Parliament we shall have a total sum of £1,287,992 available for public works purposes *or the current year. The estimates of expenditure for the current year now submitted to the House, total to £1,127,640, of which £1,077,640 will be a charge against the Public Works Fund, and the balance against the Government Loans to Local Bodies Account, so that a credit balance of £ 210,352 will remain in the Public Works Fund at the close of the year.

RAILWAYS UNDER CONSTRUC-

TION,

I will now briefly review the operations of the past year in the matter of railway construction, Kamo-Kawakawa: The section of this line between Whak^para and Waiotu is now practicallyTcompleted, but no buildings have been erected, or other terminal facilities provided at Waiotu, as upon a full consideration of the matter the Government has decided to ask authority to extend thfs line to the Hukerenui township. This extension, which was petitioned for last session, is urgent. It is two miles in length, and will not be expensive to construct, and will carry the line to a more convenient point. All the landowners along the route have agreed to convey tlie land required for the line to the Crown, fre^ of charge. The expenditure on this line last year amounted to £ 6494, and the liabilities existing at the eJeRe of the year to ft further sum of £1554, The vote proposed for the current year Is £7000.

Several petitions have been presented to Parliament praying for an extension of the line southwards from Kawakawa and Bay/of Islands County ] Council is strongly urging that a sur- j vey of the proposed extension be un- ' dertaken immediately. As soon as an engineer can be spared for the work ! this survey will be piit in hand, and j I hope to be able to lay the result be- | fore Parliament next session. j HELENSVILLE, NORTHWARDS. The formation of the Tahekeroa sec- : tion of this railway has been started t in pursuance of the vote for work ; passed last session. The works are j now proceeding satisfactorily, and , will make still better progress as the I weather improves. The expenditure j on this line last year amounted to £4047. The proposed expenditure for the current year is £ 7000. GRAHAMSTOWN-TE AEOHA. Construction works have proceeded satisfactorily on this line throughout the year. The formation is now complete right through. The rail laying extends to within about two miles of Grahamstown. Ballasting- is proceeding as expeditiously as possible, and the construction of the station buildings has been authorised. I am in hopes that the whole line will be available for passenger traffic by Christmas, or early in the. new year, though fa is probable that considerable finishing work will remain to be done after that date. The expenditure on the line last year amounted- to £15,565. The vote proposed for the current year is £25,000, which is required to meet liabilities, and to complete the line to Grahamstown, including cost o£ station buildings.

PAEROA-WAIHI.

I mentioned in my last j-ear's Statement that the survey for the projected line between Paeroa and Waihi was in hand. It has since been completed, and shows that a fairly good line can be obtained. The length would be about 12A miles, and the probable cost, constructed according to present standards, but exclusive of rolling stock, about £80,000. The only heavy piece of work on the line is the construction of a tunnel 1188 yds long, at Karangahake; an alternative line to avoid this tunnel has been laid out, but it interfers so largely with existing roads, water races, and other mining- works and conveniences, that it is questionable if any economy would result from its adoption. Considering the pressing demands for the completion of the lines of railway already authorised, I do not think the colony should undertake the construction of this work, especially as there is, I understand, a probability of its being undertaken by private enterprise in terms of the .existing law.

NORTH ISLAND MAIN TRUNK.

The construction of the Ohinemoa section at the north end of this line has been proceeded with along a portion iof the route. The country has turned out to be of a very treacherous nature, and will require to be carefully dealt with to avoid heavy slips and subsidences. The works were visited by the Engineer-in-Chief during last winter, and a careful inspection made of the strata, and suitable Instructions given to the officers in local charge. The ground proved so bad that work had to be suspended hi some places during the wetest portion of the winter, but has now been resumed, and will be pushed on vigorously during the summer months. At the southern end of the line, formation has been in hand between Mangaweka and Kaikoura, and the foundations and abutments of the Makohine viaduct have been completed. This latter work is of an exceptionally heavy character; the massive concrete bases for the principal piers, consisting of iowr huge monoliths, weighig collectively over 10,000 tons, while the total quantity of concrete in the structure exceeds 12,000 tons. The engineering workshops for the preparation of the ironwork has been erected and provided with suitable machinery, and the work of shaping, planing, drilling,- etc., of the iron is now in 'hand, and the erection of the piers will be commenced when a sufficient quantity of the material is turned out from the workshops. Owing to the prolonged engineers' strike, the execution of the order for the workshop machinery in Great Britain was delayed for a considerable time. This had the effect of retarding our work considerably, and is very much to be regretted, as several miles of formation^beyond the viaduct are ready to receive the rails, and delay in the construction of this work delays the opening of the line to Ohingaiti and Mangaweka. Another large viaduct is required for the Mangaweka Creek, and instructions have been issued for the designs for this to be prepared. The survey'of the portion of this line not already definitely located is being pushed on vigorously, two survey parties being engaged on the work, one at each end of the line. It is found impossible to carryon operations of this nature in this country in the winter time, so that both parties had to discontinue field work in June or July last, but instructions have been issued that work in the field is to be resumed at the earliest practicable moment, and I have no doubt that- the survey will be completed before next winter. When the survey is finished a reliable estimate the cost of completing the railway can be placed before hon. members. In both Auckland and Taranaki the agitation for the deviation to Stratford continues, and adds to tke difficulties of the situation. The railway, hbwever, requires to be constructed for another 12 miles at the northern end before it reaches the point of divergence of the two routes, while at the southern end the completion of the Makohine viaduct will take nearly two years, and as far as the line has gone at this end, and, for some miles ahead, it opens up good country, capable of carrying population. In the interval, after investigation as to the extent and capabilities of the land from a settlement point of view, it is reasonable to expect that sound public opinion will be formed, and by a moderate give-and-'take policy, a safe conclusion as to the route which the line should ultimately follow will be arrived at. In the meantime, the position will not be prejudiced by the expenditure of the money proposed to be voted this year. The expenditure on the North Island Main Trunk Railway last year amounted to £45,385,- and liabilities existed at the close of the year to the amount of £12,275. This jfear we ask for a vote of £40,000.

Eketahuna-Woodville: In my last year's Statement I was able to record the fact of the last section of this line having been opened for traffic, thus completing through communication between Wellington and Napier, via the Rhnutaka Gorge. A good deal of finishing work still remained to be performed, which has since Jjeen done. The expenditure on the line last year was £23,869, but as liabilities existed at the close of the year to the amount of £842, and some other items have

been authorised since, it is necessary to ask for a vote of £1500 to finally close the accounts in connection with the railway.

Wellington-Masterton: The survey | promised in last year'si Statement to determine whether or not a better ; route was available over the I'imu- [ taka mountain than the present in- \ cline line was put in hand as soon as an experienced officer could be spared for the work. The survey is not yet . complete, but even as far as it has • gone it has fully justified the hope ot ; finding a more favourable line which i I expressed last .year. With a mile ' and a-half tunnel under the saddle on | the old coach road, and at a level 250 ft \ lower on the existing railway, a line j can be. obtained between Kaitoke and j Featherstone that would be. seven j miles shorter than the present line,and would have no gradients steeper than 1 in -10, and no curves sharper than 10 chains radius, compared with gradients up to 1 in 15, and five-chain curves on the existing line. The estimated cost of constructing the suggested deviation is £200,000. Favourable as this result is, still more favourable results can be obtained by way of the Tnuherenikau Valley. By this route a line can be obtained which will afford gradients not steeper than 1 in 00 and a tunnel under one mile in length with a greater shortening of the line than by way of the coach road route. The line by this route would ali=o be less expensive to construct. Having thus ascertained that the Rimutaka Mountains can be crossed on moderate grades, 1 have now directed the surveyor to make further exploration in order to ascertain whether it is possible to eliminate the long 1 in 30 gTades between the Upper Hutt and Kaitoke. If this can be done it will be evident that a line can be formed between Wellington and the Wairarapa having no gradient steeper than 1 in 60. I hope to be in a position to place fuller information on the subject before honorable members prior to the close of the present session.

Otago-Central: I stated last year that the construction of this- railway between Kokonga and Ranfurly was being delayed by the slow progress of the 'contractors for the iron bridge over the Taieri River. I anticipated that this bridge would have been completed early in the current year, in which case the whole line to Ranfurly would have been ready for opening by August last. I regret to state, however, that the bridge has only recently been completed, so that it will be impossible to open the line to Ranfurly until the middle of November next. The formation of the section between Ranfurly and Wedderburn has been put in hand, and the work is now in active progress. The expenditure on the Otago-Central railway last year was considerably less than it would have been if the delay in the construction of the Taieri bridge had not hindered the work. As it was it amounted to £21,281, but lial-Uities existed at the close of the year to the amount of £8371. This year we ask for a vote of £30,000. •

Midland: A considerable amount of work has been done on this railway. At the Greyraouth end the whole of the unfinished portion between Jackson's and Otira has been in hand, and some, platelaying and a good cle:il ot river protective work has been clone in addition. This section should be well on towards completion by the end of the financial year. At the Nelson end the formation and bridging between Belgrove and Motupiko has been completed, and the laying- of the rails is also nearly finished, and the ballasting' of the line has been begun. The railway will probably be available for regular traffic about Christmas next, but we shall be in a position to carry wool and other produce by November 1. The promised survey of the Tatmore Valley route for the extension of the line has been put in hand, and is now proceeding Work at the Springfield end of the railway was commenced in March last. The first work was the construction of service roads to give access'to the line, but now the actual railway works are. all in hand and proceeding- very satisfactorily. The company has until recently met the claims made upon it, the amount received during the financial year being £20,567, while the profits on the working- of the open section of the railway credited to construction account during the same period amounted to £'12ot), making a gross total sum earned by the railway or recovered from the company since possession of the line was taken by the Government of .£ 50,587. Accounts for a further sum of £11,018 was i-endered to the company in April last, and formal notice in terms of section 125 of the Railways Construction and Land Act, 1881, was served early in May, but the amount demanded has not yet been paid. As hon. members art aware,, the debenture holders claim that under section 14 of the Ea.st and West Coast (Middle Island) and Nelson Hallway and Railway Construction' Act, 1884, they and not the Government are entitled to possession of the line. They claimed that they have a first charge on the property, even against the Crown, and notwithstanding that the company has failed to carry out its contract. As against this contention, the Government was advised that it was fully justified and well within its rights in taking possession and proceeding- with the construction of the railway. An application by some of the debenture holders was recently made in the Supreme Court in the colony for the a,ppointment of a receiver, so that an action could be brought against the Government to determine whether the rights of the debenture holders are subject and subordinate to the rights of the Crown uuder the Railways Construction and Land Act, 1881, or whether they are entitled to precedence over those rights. The receiver was duly appoint*.! by the judge, and he has since initiated the contemplatedaction. The statement of claim and the Government's statement of defence have both been filed in Court, and we now await further action on the part of the receiver. This being the case, much as I regret the complicated position existing, I fear that until the legal position is denned by j the courts, nothing can be done to improve the situation, which, contrary to the wish of both parties? may be described as straiued relationship. When the line is completed to j Otira. the auestion as to whether; the incline section from there to the i summit of the range at Arthur's Pass I shall be constructed with a switch-' back "i the Rolleston Va.ll.ey or with a spiral tunnel under Mount Rollestem, : will require to be definitely decided. At present the matter is engaging the attention of the highest engineers in the colony. A reduction in the pre-! sent rnte of expenditure will be neces- j sarv if this question is not settled at on early date. The expedittire on conniruetion works on this railway last y»ar amounted to £30,527, The totxl '-'ote proposed for the current

year- is £35.000, including cost of pe-'myneni way materials, but- allowing for credit's the net amount is £30.000. SUEVETB. : Considerable work has been undertaken during the year in the matter of surveying projected lines of railway. Reference has alrer.dy been marie lo surveys at both ends or the Main Trunk railway, the IN'clson end of the Midland railway, and the Pae-roa-YYaih;, and the Rimutui k :i Deviation s.n-vev;-' In addition •<•■ 'hese (i sunvy party is now eUgltecd in explorifig- -foi a suitable lino between Napiei and Gisborne. On a portion of this lonte the country is of a very rouyT; and broken character, and-four differ, nt routes will have to be tried ; in order to ascertain which of them ; pre,sci!is ihe greatest advanta;/ts. The ■ survey has not yet made sufficient ; progress for any practical results to be laid before Parliament during the j present session, but it seems evident j that between Napier and. Wairoa at j anyra+e the line will be of a heavy j and costly character. It has for some vime past been in contemplation I to have a trial survey made for a light | railway between Gisborne and Roto-I rim, The larg-e amount of survey J work the department, has in hand \ at present has prevented my setting apart a suitable officer for the survey, j but I am' now making arrangements j which will enable this work to be put ill hand. This line, throughout fi i great, part of its length, will traverse j a country that is but little known, i The little we do know of it, however, leads me to suppose, that the construction of a railway in this district may be rather a costly undertaking. The. amount expended on survey's of new lines last year was £1010, and a votfj of £3000 is proposed for the current year. APPROPRIATIONS FOR RAILWAYS. The total appropriations proposed for railway construction works, ineluf'i •'ir surveys, permanent, way, materials, etc., is £217,100, and £200,000 for additions to open linos, or l gross total of £-117,100. Last yeav the amount for new construction work:-; wa.s £217,500, and £150,000 for additions to open lines, or a total of £367,500. ROADS AND BRIDGES. As was anticipated in my Statement of last year, the- extent of works required to be done and the consequent expenditure have been about onethird greater than in the year 189S-87. During the present year 105 miles of dray roads and 307 miles of horse roads, with SO bridges over 30ft span, have been constructed, as ns 383 miles of dray roads and 103 miles of horse roads widened and improved. The roads maintained for dray traffic aggregate 1,827 miles, and those maintained for horse traffic amount to 952 miles in all. An extent of 4,007 miles of road and SO bridges have been dealt with during the year. The cost of these operations was £200,-127. The main roads maintained during the year were about 1,300 miles, those improved about 250 miles, and those constructed about 13f> miles, including 28 bridges, and the cost of these works was about £ IOG,QOO, so that, over £160,000 w;is expended in constructing roads and tracks, and to a great extent for the benefit of newly-settled lauds. That this largo expenditure every year is a profitable investment, is amply proved by the recent valuations made under the Government Valuation of Lands Act, l.«'J6. The counties in which settlement and roadmaking have advanced show an immense increase in values since the last valuation in ISOI, and it may rightly be assumed that a largo share of that increase is due to the expenditure on roads. In Auckland 17 counties in which roads have been made to the extent of £174,501 have increased in value by £1,459,957; four counties in Ilawke's Bay, in which £44,775 has been spent, have increased by £1,296,----949; five counties in Taranaki have increased £2,080,081 by an expenditure on roads of £20.1,135; cloven counties in Wellington in which £287,215 was spent on roads have increased in value £4,096,990; two counties in Marlborough and Nelson, in which there was a road. expenditure of £27,873 have increased in value £247,094. The expenditure in four, counties of Otago and Southland was £131,017, and the increased value is £903,851. The products of these counties have largely increased in the same period. ViFrom a table which has been prepared, an increase is shown in the newly-settled counties during the past seven years of 12,5-12 holdings, 3,036,164 acres grass, 50,56G acres in root, or grain

crop, 75.28S acres in green crop. Notwithstanding a decrease in the number of sheep in the Otago and Southland counties, there are now 1,03T\022 more sheep and 323,995 more cattle. The largest increase is in Wellington district, where the bush-clad plains and downs have been converted into pasture, and the country is still understocked. It is not necessary to compare this progress with the progress of former years. It is enough to show that the actual development of the country is proceeding at a forward rate, and that the increase in the rural valuation of the colony is due in great measure to the advance of settlement on the land, and the consequent increase in cultivation and production. In. Auckland every new holding has increased the value of the country by £603; in Ilawke's Bay by £1,010; Taranaki, £1,180; Wellington, £1,123; Marlborough and Nelson, £384; and Otago aud Southland, £320. The Ilawke's Bay, Taranaki, and Welling- j ton counties dealt with, being forest- j covered, are, by the conversion of for- j est into pasture, increased it) about the .same ratio, while the open, or i partly open, lands of Auckland, Marl- [ borough, Nelson, Otago, and Southland '. shows a smaller increase. The table i shows that the expenditure in newly-, settled districts has been three-fourths : of the whole, while the older settle- \ ments have had new and better roads ! only to the extent of one-fourth of j the outlay during the past seven ■ years. For the current year a slightly , greater sum is required, but the! amount now asked for will,! it is fear- j ed, be a. disappointment to many by its smallness, and I am within the mark in saying that it would take over a million pounds sterling to meet the demands that have been made for: roads, bridges, and other similar works. A large portion of the available funds is again required for the North Island, and principally for Auckland, Taranaki, and Wellington, ' where men of very moderate means are striving to make homes in the roadless forest, and equally roadless, apen, but rugged, country. It is proposed to push forward vigorously the construction of the road from Stratford through to a connection with the . railway system in the Ohura country, j to continue to Awaklno road to a junction at Te Kuiti, to proceed steadily with the road though the Urewera ; Country from Rotorua to WalkareMoana and Gisborne to the north, and ; Wairoa to the south, to carry on the '

construction of the Napier-Mohaka-Wairda Coast Road, via Tutira Lake, and to continue the road via Nuhaka from Wairoa to Gisborne. A large block of land for settlement, situated east of Dannevirke, is now in proses^ of being roaded, and that work will be continued during' the year. In Wellington, the very large number of important roads to give settlers an outlet should be pushed forward, and the constructed roads metalled wherever possible, in the Middle Island a conneetioh with the railway at Starborough, and roads through that estate, should be arranged for early. The maintenance and advancement of the main roads, which are the chief means of communication on the West Coast, must be attended to. A number of bridges in Canterbury and Otago are now iv need of practical renewal, and as this is evidently beyond the means of the local authorities, some provis- j ion is this year •made for a few of; them. The through road in the Tautuku forest, from Owaka to Waikawe, should be metalled, if the settlement: of that land is to be successful. In i Southland and Stewart Island new I . roads and bridges are required for ad- i : vancing settlement, in the West and |on the East Coast. For tourists and . ' invalids some provision is made for j increased accommodation and conve- . nience at '-Botoriia, Te Arohn, and [ I Hainner. The amounts required to be ; authorised arc:—-For immigration, ! £150; for main.roads, £184,510; for; I settlement:, roads, £190,010; for irn- : | proved farm settlements, roads, and I improvements, £24,284 (out of the ! Government loans to local bodies account); settlement roads, £50,000; for roads to open native lands recently bought £5,338; for thermal springs (works, £15,024; total, £478,9",;. They may be provincialised as under: — i | „ • ■ , § *i 6 \ 4 Provincial ~ s>> 3 'J! ~, , District. | g %' J I 2 "-•' r- I lot Bii \ tt F "■ I \*\™sjJi_J" r .1 Atu-klnncl "I- 7iii.v; .isrsw.-- v i'-Wuio Hav.-ko'n Bay..!- WM'J. W-* ■■'■■ '•''] "'•'■' Taranaki ..i- 2201fi So:n:{ :,<v - nliZ^ Wrflin<'lon ..I- o:iSfi2'2T2:ifi i?U. 200 '.Ml W NeiHon .. ..;- aaisi: 7525, wt. - ww Marlboniiißh .. - mm lW«i - - 'f'«'' Wostland .. — (J0(»3 TTlOi - - p7 li Canterbury ..I— 7M7(! I'i."') — — HI-" Otaso .. ..!- 2.W71; i:u!i7i - - nriitif Southland .. - LT)I3S; 10H7C - -- {^\{ General.. ..iIoOJ IS2IBJ —■ - -iW I'M® Totals .. l«0 27.'i')i.'')'l-Sir)101»12' .^:!S j 1781)23 ROADS ON, GOLDFIELDS. The constructing of roads and tracks by means of grants and subsidies, as intimated in my last Statement, will be continued. The vote for these purposes last year amounted to £98,092, the expenditure being £49,569, and the liabilities at the end of. the year £43,580. The amount proposed to be authorised for the current year is £99,5fi1, on account of which a vote of £ 00,000 is asked for. DEVELOPMENT OF GOLDFIELDS. | If is satisfactory to be able to state that the prospects of gold mining arc now generally ola more stable ehari iicter than ihey were this lime last I year. Some of the extensive dt-velop-i'meat worts previously referred to have been completed, with the result that the production of gold is on the | increase. This, it is anticipated, will j continue as other development works which have been entered upon are completed. The improvements in the | construction of dredges, and the j methods of obtaining gold from the auriferous drifts and bens of the rivers, creeks, and beaches, in the '.Middle Island, to which attention has been, specially directed in the statement of my colleague, the Hon. the Minister for Mines, and the reports of the Department, will, jt is anticipated, add materially to the future goldproducing of the colony. It may be of interest to hon. members to know that informal inn in respect to dredging in the colony is frequently applied for by persons interested in the question in America and the Australian colonies, and within the last few days an application has been received from the Government of British New Guinea for full information on the subject. The erection of. pumpingplant at the deep levels shaft of the old Queen of Beauty mine, which has ; been referred to in previous State- j meiits, is now approaching" completion, and it is expected that pumping j operations will be commenced before ! the end of Ihe year. The greater j facilities for draining the lower levels of mines at the Thames, which this pumping- plant will afford, will', it is hoped, give ;i fresh impetus to gold mining in that part of the colony. The question of water conservation on our goldfields is still being dealt with, and reports on the subject will |be presented to Parliament ,1y the ; Mines Department. Already a 'com- \ rnencement has been made towards j the conservation of water by the construction of a dam at West Ewebura in the Maniototo County which it: is estimated will be capable of storing i 250,000,000 gallons. This will supply I from the Mount Ida water-race to j the extent of 25 Government heads a j day. The sum expended last year on : j works for the development of the ! goldfields was £33,117, while the lia-} bilities amounted to £7.135. A vote of | £45,000 is proposed for the current year.

PURCHASE OF NATIVE LANDS,

I During the past financial year the I public landed estate has, through the i operations of the Native Lands De- | partment, been increased by an area !of 202,000 acres in the King Country alone. The Native Land Court sitting at Otorohanga, under Judge Gudgeon, | has made :IOJ orders vesting in Her j Majesty in freehold tenure 302,506 ' acres, which is now under survey, pre- ; paratory to being1 thrown open for settlement. The same Court has put ' under European title over 500,000 acres lof the Rangitoto-Tuhua Block, leaving i a little more than 100,000 acres still to be put under title before the Court ! closes its sittings. The proposed legis--1 lation in connection with the native ! lands will, if carried out, practically j bring to a close within a limited period the acquisition by purchase of native lands by the Crown under the present system. Instructions will be given to the land purchase officers against purchasing any interests in new blocks, unless under exceptional circumstances, and to confine their efforts to .winding - up the present purchases, and to getting titles to the land so that the same can be thrown open for settlement at an early date. The vote proposed for the current .year is £50,000. TELEGRAPH EXTENSION. The expenditure during the year' under this head was £29,384. ' ' TELEPHONE EXCHANGES. I A new multiple switchboard, having an ultimate capacity for 4,800 subscribers, has been fitted up in the Wellington exchange. The total number of paying subscribers in the colony is now 5,478. The vote proposed

to be asked for the present year is £32,000, which provides for additions to the existing exchanges, the, completion of the work now in hand, and new works to be undertaken, the more important of which are Auckland to New Plymouth line. Whangapoua to Opotonui. PUBLIC BUILDINGS. The expenditure in connection with our public buildings continues to maintain the late average, the amounts of the votes and the total amounts expended having varied very little during the last three years. The appropriations proposed for the current year amount to .£168,645, namely, £120,420 under the Public Works Fund, and £42,225 under the Consoli-, dated Fund. The most important work was probably the new Parlamen- i tary Buildings. Hon. members will ; ! recollect that an amount of £7,000 : was voted for the erection of a new library in the Consolidated Fund Esi timatcs of last year. Owing to the i lateness of the session, and the time j necessarily consumed in preparing plans and specifications, and the time ! lost iv inviting tenders, which proved ; to be much above the estimate, scarceily any expenditure came to charge I against this vote before March 31 last. : The whole of the amount lias since j been expended, however, but will of I course now become a charge against I the vote of the current year. A special I transfer of £25,000 is to be mn.de from j the Consolidated Fund to defray the cost of this work, and a vote for that amount has been provided on the Esj timates. Accordingly, it is well, perhaps, to state that in limiting the ex- ! psuditure to £35,000, ths proposal to i have a three-storey building has boon abandoned. Immediately at the close of the present: session work will be,,recominencod, and T fully expect to have the building finished and fitted up for the use of hon. members by the commencement of next session. The next most important work was the completion of the Government Printing Office, for which £9,000 was voted, and on which £0,127 tvns expended. The building is now complete, and is j occupied by the printing, binding1, ' lithographic, and photographic staffs, and the additional space and convenience afforded is greatly appreciated. |Boi!if little expense had been' incurred I during the present, year for machinery, fittings, find conveniences, and a vote of C2OOO is provided in the Estimates to cover thir;. The Government Houses at both Auckland and Wellington have bnpn renovated internally and externally. The expenditure on former driving Inst financial year p.monntrd to £307. and on the latter to Sian-!, while further voles to the : amount of £3500 and £2050 respect- ' iv.'ly arc proposed this year to complete the work. The hnuKes having been renovated it was also necessary that furniture and fittings should be looked to. The greater part of furniture required renewing, having deteriorated since the par-sing of the Governor's Rnlnry and Allowances Act, 1873. A good deal in this direction has already been done, but more remains to be done in this connection. The stringont conditions of the Act just referred to have heen found to be very re-» strirtivc. It is, therefore, proposed to make provision for furnishing of the Government. Houses, so ns 1o remove thi> difficulty which the Auditor-Gene-ral at present experiences in passing expend itu re vouchers. Under the item 'Gaols,' provision is made for currying on the work at. Mount Eden, and erecting a new gaoler's house there. Under 'Police Stations,' a host of smnll matters are provided for, the only larga item being the new police barracks at Auckland. Now stations arc to ho erected at Te Kuiti. Molcau, Opunakp, etc. Under the head of Tost and Telegraph Buildings' the appropriation proposed for the current year is £8425, the principal works provided for being new fireproof store Wellington, new post offices at Otahuhu, Mnngnweka. Masterton, Pc|one, Newtown, Wnkapunka, Tnkaka and Mosgiel,' and additions and alterations at Auckland, Hamilton, Waitara, Lyell, Ashburton, Owaka, etc. The expenditure on our asylum buildings is still very heavy, and must. I fear, continue so, unless some change is made lin the condition and administration of our lunacy laws. The present rate of increase in bur asylum patients is over 100 per annum, and if this is to continue, it means that in addition to our present institutions, an entirely new asylum as large as Porirua will be when completed, or as large as Sunnyside is now, must be erected every five j years. This is, perhaps, a light in which the matter has not presented itself to hon. members previously. The expenditure on construction of asyI lum buildings last year amounted to I £1-1,120, more than half this amount I being1 spent on Porirua, and smaller j sums at Auckland, Nelson. Sunnyside, etc. For the current year an expenditure of £20,000 is proposed, which provides for completing the work now in hand at Porirua, and for erecting a new 2-storey block containing a female I dining hall on the ground floor, with 'dormitories above and connecting I corridors and large general bathroom. ! This will provide sleeping aecommodai lion for 9S inmates. In addition to I the conveniences referred to, the vote also provides for completing the new brick dormitory now in hand at Nelson, allowing accommodation for 56 patients, find for the erection of a block of single rooms on the female side of the Auckland Asylum; also for the completion of the auxiliary building at ScaclilT, with sleeping accommodation for 80- patients, and sundry j other minor works. The amount j voted for school buildings last year | was £59,350, viz., £25,000 under' the j Consolidated Fund, ai\d £33,350 under | the Public Works Fund. The expenditure amounted to £48,769, viz., £24,----905 under the Consolidated Fund, and i ■ £23.864 under the Public Works Fund. ! i This year we ask for a total vote of ; £73,400. viz., £25,000 under the Consolidated Fund and £48,400 \:nder the ! Public Works Fund. The amount | voted for lighthouses last year was | £2520. The expenditure during the i year amounted to £2180. This year a l vote of £4220 is proposed, the principal item being the erection of the new j lighthouse on East Island, East Cape, j The vote for harbour works last year j amounted to £1250. A vote of £2350: is asked for this year. Last year's vote \ for harbjour defences was £5000, but! only £2517 was actually expended j within the financial year. Important j works for the efficient defence of the port of Auckland are now in progress, as well as other works at Wellington, jLyttelton. and Dunedin, A vote of \ £ 5000 is proposed this year to dofrny the cost of these. Under the bend of 'Contingent Defence,' unvote of £20,----000 was passed last year, bxit only £10,860 was actually expended, The balance will come to book during the present year, together with consideraable additional dbpenditut'o fox' the purchase of warlike stoves of various descriptions. The vote proposed for the current year is £25,000.