PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 271, 15 November 1910, Page 5

PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT

THE TEAR'S APPROPRIATIONS.

PROGRESSIVE POLICY PROMISED.

BIG VOTES FOR THE NORTH.

<By TelezMph.—Pailiamentar? Reporter.)

WELLINGTON, this day.

The Public Works Statement will be presented in the House of Representatives iby the Hon. R. MeKenzie this evening. Considerable interest attaches to the 'bringing down of this year's Estimates, in view of the fact' that more than an ordinary amouni, of tiane has 'been taken up by members this session in wrangling about puiblic works expenditure. The Addxeso-in-Reply debate and the Budg-et dubate were ilargeh-devoted ito the North v. South controversy. Early in July a conference of Auckland members was held to discuss the possibility of united action in securing justice for the North in the matter of pmblic works votes. The fact that last yeaT the South Island received £449,500 for railway construction works as against £287,500 in the North Island was the chief bone of contention. The only result of the conference in question, 'however, was to stir feeling amongst Southern members up to a pretty high pitch, and to give birth to much 'bitterness and recrimination. *•

Tiis year it will be found that the disparity in the total votes for railway j construction in the two islands is not so ! great, but the reason is explained in the fact that several large works in 'the i South Island are nw complete. Last' year the vote for the Soubh was unusu- j ally 'big, and was to be attributed to the I desire oi 'the Government to put the finishing touches to quite a. number of small branch lines, and 50 bring them as quickly as possible into the list of, reproductive works. Now that this has been achieved a more progressive policy is likely to be followed in pushing on the construction 01 the more important lines in hand. On the whole, the North Island, and more particularly the Auckland province, should be very well pleased with the pro-; visions made in the Public Works ap- i propriations of 1910-11. WHANGAREI-KAWAKAWA LINE COMPLETED. One of the most pleasing announcements .the Minister for Public Works will have to make is tiiit the railway from Grahamtown 4o Opua, a section of about 60 miles, will be 'handed over to the Railway Department at the end of ■the present year, and daily connection between the Bay of Islands and Wha- i ngarei harbour will bo established in '■■ January nest. Owing to the extraordinary nature of the country in the, vicinity of Towai, construction work was carried on with diuicuity during the win--fcer, tout all have been cur- \ mounted, and the iron rails now connect Wiangarei and Ka-.va.kawa. The wharf at Grahamfcown is almost completed, the contractors are well aiiead on contract .thne, and the Whangarei-Grahamtown extension should fee taken over toy the Railway Department at the same time as the Towai-Kawakawa section of railway. Last year the vote for the W-lia-Dgarei-Kawakawa lin-e was £40,000, arid it is likely that £65,000 will have to be placed on this year's Estimates to put the finishing .touches on this important line. The IMinister hopes to hand this section over to the Railway Department for working at Christinas, and the wharfage ■works at Grahamstown will be handed over early in the new year. Last year £51,137 was spent. RAILING THE FAR NORTH. Those residents of the Far North who have been crying out for railway communication for so many years past will bo pleased to learn that Parliament is this year going to place a very substantial sum upon the Estimates, £40,000, for pushing on the railway from Scoria Flat (near Kawakawa) to Kaikohc. Last year the sum of was voted to get preliminary arrangements under way. This session the energetic member for the Bay of Islands (Mr. Vernon Reed) "lias been persistently advocating that a really progressive policy should be pursued in railing the North, and from the floor of the House, with cheery optimism, demanded that the annual expenditure should be raised from to £50.000. Mr. Reed has not got quite as much as he asked for, but the allocation of £40,000 for this work will no doubt be accepted as an indication that the Government is fully cognisant of the importance of pushing on this railway. This sum, added to the vote for the completion of the Towai-Kawakawa section, will make a bigger aggregate vote for railways in this part of the country than ever before. Over a hundred men are already employed on the extension towards Kaikohe, and as the Kawakawa line .is finished this number will be increased by the end of the present year. It is hoped to have 300 men at work, and Kaikohe should be linked up with the section after two good summers' work. The ultimate object is to push this lino right into Mangonui County, and to build a small branch line, which will run down and tap deep water on the Hokianga River. THE EAST COAST LINE. As the result of his tour oyer the route of the East Coast railway, last recess, the Hon. R. McKenzie is more than ever convinced of the necessity for running the iron rails into the rich Bay of Plenty districts without delay and penetrating the vast area of splendid pastoral and agricultural country which is to be found on this part of the East Coast. Substantial sums, aggregating £110,000. will, therefore, be voted for pushing on the line from both ends. At the Gisborne end the railway now extends as far the Matawai, a distance of 45 miles. The main work bow in hand is the big Otoko viaduct. The contractors have that welL under waj 7 , and should complete it in twelve or eighteen months. Motu is the present objective. Exploration parties are now out trying to locate the best route from Motu to Opotiki, via. Pakihi j and Papamoa, At the Tauranga end there will no doubt be a fresh authorisation to Parangaroa. The route has not been definitely decided yet. An exploration will be made inland from Parangoroa to Te Teko, and in the event of a satisfactory route not being located, the line will "follow the whole survey to Matata, which practically folioivs the coast. Last year £67,630 was spent, by tar *he largest sum expended in any single year since the -work wa-s authorised. Having in view the great importance of completing the connection from Auckland to (Wellington, via the East Coast, the House iwili foe asked, to authorise the construction of the first portion of the iNapier-Gasborcie section. The votes on " " : "t t

Tauranga-Paengaroa , .£25,000 Gisborne-Motu ..,,...,.,.... 80,000 Napier-Gisborne " 5,000 Total -.........-...,.,.,... -£110,000 STRATTORD-ONGARUE. Last years vote for the Stratford-On-garue line was £60,000. " This year it is expected that the vote will be considerably increased. Even in the session a large deputation of King Country settlers waited on the Prime Minister and the Minister for Public Works to urge that a start should be made on the Ongarun end. The reply given at that time was that anything of the kindiwould necessitate delay inasmuch as'it , -would mean dividing the appropiiation, dividing plant and keeping up a double staff of enginers. Evidently the Minister is still of the opinion that it is better to \ concentrate work at the Stratford end, ! since no provision is made in the Estii mates for commencing at Ongarue. The j vote will probably total £100,000. I The Pohokura section is expected to ' tie available for traffic in January. Last I year's expenditure was £93,235, constii tilting a record. j For the Mount JTgmont branch £ 15,000 i is proposed, and for tie North' Island Main Trunk the actual expenditure on this account was £27,640, with no I further appropriations. THE NORTH AUCKLAND LINE. I On the North Auckland line progress has been slow but sure. The construction ■work now extends well on towards the Otamatea river at Young's point, and preliminary work has been done with a I view to bridging the waterway and carry- ' ing the line through Bickerstaffe on towards McCarroLTs Gap. It will bs sev- ; eral years before this point is reached, and before the line is carried thence furj ther northward a Royal Commission, as i promised in last years Public Works I Statement, -will have to be set up to in- | quire which of the rival routes will be followed, east or west of the Tangihua. Meantime good progress is made with the tunnelling and construction work between Te Hana. and Young's Point, and this year's vote for the North Auckland line will not be less than £100,000. As it is intended to proceed vigorously with the construction o{ this line this year's Authorisation Bill will contain provision for the extension to McCarroll's Gap. Last year's expenditure was £50,299, -which is the largest sum ever expended on the line in a single year since the work was started. HUNTLY AWAROA. It is intended to put in hand three miles of line to open up coal deposits, including a bridge across the river at Huntly for rail and road traffic, and a vote of £20,000 is provided; tenders for j the ibridge construction to be called as ; soon as the appropriation is passed. j EOAD VOTE. ! The road votes for the Auckland province will be very considerable, asrgre-S-ating more than the rest of the Dcminion put together. In the Bay of Islands I district the appropriations will total j £75,000. In the Bay pi Plenty £35,000 1» £40,000 will be allocated for roads and bridges, as the result of consistent advocacy on the part of the member for the district (Mr. W. D. S. Macdonald). A large grant ia to be made for the completion of the road from Opotiki to ilotu j a distance of 55 miles. ■ .. • The Tavurtarunui electorate will receive tlie largest vote in th? Dominion for roads and bridges, the total appropriation being in the vicinity of £Sofioo. This will probably be exclusive of the sum of £ 10,000 authorised for road and bridge ivork through the Tangara-kau Gorge, which ■will open up the Mangaroa-Ohura trade. Mr. Jennings, member for the district, has been persistent in his efforts to get not only the. allocation of this money, but the actual expenditure o-f it, ■and has more than once complained in the House that the. Public Works Department has failed to spend the money authorised. This year a progressive roading and bridging policy is promised. KAIHU RAILWAY. Kail way -works are • noticed in detail. the Kaihu extension the claims of Daniel Fallon are satisfactorily settled !by the, payment of £2,000. Resurvey of the ■ line is now in- progress, and as a good deal of work was done under ■Fallon's contra-ct the task of completion and laying permanent way will be neither lengthy nor , expensive. It is expected that this section will 'be ready for traffic before the next Statement is delivered. The vote for the. current year is £15,000. SOUTH ISLAND TRUNK RAILWAY. In 'this year's authorisation bill, provision is made for an extension of 3J miles to one mile south of Ure river, and "a section up Leadee Valley six miles in length—£2o,ooo is asked for the north end and £30,000 for .the southern. Last year's expenditure Avas £49,621. ■Last year's expenditure at the Nelson end of) 'the Midland railway amounted to £27,627. This year £30,000 is proposed. At the Reef ton end £20,434 was spent last year; £20,000 is now asked for. As to Arthur's Pass tunnel there is a little prospect of completion of the ■work by contract time (August, 1932). The contractors are 'being urged to accelerate the progress of the work to the utmost possible extent. . Last year's expenditure was £66,005, and a vote of £90,000 is asked for. The Broken RiverCaas section will be -ready for opening at the end of November. There will be no difficulty in completing .the section up to the commencement of the Arthur's Pass tunnel by the time the 'tunnel i 3 completed. An expenditure of £59,760 was made last year, and £50,000 is now asked for. On the West Coast railways £96,512 was spent last year, and £53,603 is now asked. For the Greymouth-Point Elizabeth railway £91,000 is asked for this year, of which Point Elizabeth absorbs £50,000. On the Lawrence-Roxburgh Tailway, after careful consideration, the Government decided to recommend an additional eeven miles as far as Beaumont. Last year's expenditure was £14,065; this year £15,000 is asked. Operations ■will foe resumed as soon as possible. Catlins-Waimahaka, —The earthworks on the section between Paipatupu and Puketiro aTO so heavy and difficult that it will take considerable time to complete. Rails are being laid at the Waimahaka end. Last year's expenditure on the whole line was £ 64,413. A considerable increase on the previous expenditure is proposed, this year's proposed vote 'being £80,000. For the Riversdale-Swltzcrs line, £ 8,000 its required to clean up, and i £2,000 is wanted for .the Orepuke-Wai-hou line to pay off all liabilities. Surveys of new. lines cost £1,195 last year, and £1,500 is required for the same purpose this year. Departmental 'estimates provide '£ 100,000 for permanent Tvay, £2,500 for laßiLidaJina. and fringing

tne total votes lor rail-way purnosee '.';.« all kinds Tip to £1,000,000* o£ On railway duplication Work JEUoW •was spent during the, year, Hutt absorbing £30,814: .'New W,,f+ : road, £25,465;. Auckland-Penrose' £5,476; Addington-Bolleston, £90 5e .' Dunedin-Mosgiel, < £ 66,517. This veix £135,000 is asked for duplications of ■which Auckland-Penjose requires £1000-Wellington-HuttT £35,000;" AddingtonRolleeton, i £3,000;: 'I)unedm-:&fts"ieL £06,000. .;-.. -fe- ° £230,000 is required. Jorne-w rolline atisck ■worksnops, and inaeKinery;- and £25,00» for interlocking signal gea»tablet installations, etc ( Continued on p&gc*6 ' : ■ A BUSY YEAR.. The Statement .will disclose that the past year was exceedingly busy. There were only four occasions during the past 30 years (1909-10 toeing one of.them) ■when 'the expenditure exceeded two mil-" , lions sterling. The Minister anticipates an even busier time this year. The total expenditure .this year was £2,218,975, of which £ 786,952 was on ne\y railways, £4GS,SIS on adidtions to open lines, £338,762 on roads, £2,777,157 on public buildings, £17,003 ou immigration, £30,567 gn tlte pandaseof i«aitivo lands, £123,422 <m. telegrajplis, £11,805 on;tour- ■ ists, £17,597 on goldfield development. Ordinary expanditnro aiatniated to £1,993,171; leaving a credit balance at the end of the financial year of £312,366. It will 'be-shown:that the great improvement reveimo has enabled the Finance Minister to provide a. laTger •measure of assistance than originally contemplated. The estimated expenditure on jrablic ' •works for the current year amounted to £2,855,000, . leaving a balance of £957,366 to carry forwaard- to next year. During the year 53 miles 40 chains of new railway ' were opened, while seven additional miles have been opened-since the statement was prepared. ■ ■ >.- ; '-