THE PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

Press, Volume XXXII, Issue 4481, 10 December 1879, Page 3

THE PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

Tat following is the statement on Public Wark* delivered by Mr Oliver in the House list night. The report is supplied by the §3Tersment: — - Sir, - On the 7th of August, my predecessor, J£»3fsc-_drew, made a Public Works statessstto this House, in which he shortly sumasrsed tbe work of the department for the tjstbsl financial year, but avowedly confined Ms:s~tf to such factß as were in his opinion jgjded to accompany the application for the Jam then authorised. I Bhall now, by per__Mi_.o ef tbe House, give a brief account of the progress of our Public Works up to a acre recent date, and then indicate the opinion of the Government of the course filch it is our duty to pursue.

BAILWAYS—KOB-H IB3_A_SD. ?, faking the railways in their geographical J at&&, we begin with the Kawakawa, that 2 hssg the most northern. Toe first section of tSaline has been completed, and ia being used * is conveying coals from the mine ? to the wharf, where the coal is put into Surges and conveyed to ships lying at the P jtep water anchorage eight miles below The J" lift contract on the Whangarei-Kamo line is . tnthin a few weeks of completion, and the j werk of plate-laying will bo begun as toon as -r SBS-He. Tho survey of the proposed H-ktaville-Whangarei railway haa now been a and during the summer tho whole of 5 tits country will be thoroughly examined. Sis expected that the wharf at Helensville 2 will be completed in about a month, which J »3i provide a very necessary accommodation. F Between Biverhead and Newmarket, work is ia progress along the whole twenty-two miles, s tad should be finished in about ten months. J His the same time the Newmarket Junction its_k_t could be finished, railway communia__m between Auckland and the Kaipara „ wstsrs would be completed. A large re- j diaation contract is being carried out to obtain increased station acoommo- ? fistion in Auckland, and a site for V aQway workshops has been bought at l Hewniarket. The* branch line to Hamilton * las been opened for traffic, and in a very * ■hori time the southern cud of the Kaipara- ' Puniu line will be finished to within two or * three miles of the confiscated boundary. ! Some works are being carried on at Grahamstown aud Shortland, and Natives are em- J ployed at piece-work on another section, ' ibout two miles long, further up the Thames I YsSey. The works on the Napier-Manawatu nihray are being pushed on south of Kopua, c tad sixty-four miles are now open for traffic. BaEway workshops are being built at Napier. £ "Siasty-four miles of the Patea-Manawatu £ nihrey are now open for traffic from Foxton 1 to Ksi-Iwi, nine miles north of Wanganui, I tad a further section of thirteen miles is « Ma* constructed. In o few weeks the Strat- « fad contract on the Waitara-Patea line will I be finished, and the journey from New i fir mouth to Wanganui will then he an affair * «i one day only. Surveys are being carefully i aa-fe north of Oarlyle and this line, desirable i fer _&_tegie and other reasons, between Wai- " te and New Plymouth on the north, and < €Ktjle,the port of Patea, on the south, may < is finished at no distant date. The worts on 1 tie Wellington-Wood.ille Bailway, in the ] Wsirarapa district, are being pushed on i T-gWHisly. The contract having been abandoned, its completion is being carried out by 1 the pnbUe works engineers. These works atd J th* formation on Grey town branch are so well < advanced that the line may be open for traffic 1 v f« as the latter place early in February. ] __. railway wharf at Wellington and the workshops at Petone are dra* ing near com- ; jSs&Dn. Machinery for t-he latter has arrived ' «-_ will shortly be placed in position, giving ' Polities for repairs as well as for economical i ffi--E&ctur» of many articles at present i -Might at & high rate. Surveys of the Foxton ' Baa are being proceeded with, and some work -» been done near Wellington by day labor i CKf a length of nearly five miles. B-UXVTAIS—KTDDXB IBX_A_SD. _-» original public works scheme for the M-Mle Island was finished in the last financial par, communication by railway being estab-«t-~d between Christohurch and InvercargilL BaSWestern Baflways in Southland, how*v*r, the construction of which was taken ew from the Provincial Government, and «s.e *m__l extensions of the General GovernWat lines, >re not yet complete. With the «M_Afcaof the Biverton-Orepuki Branch, t-s-awfll be finished during this financial ysafc- A connection is being made on the •&"-_<___ and Foxhill line with the port at Nelson, and inland an extension of three OSes from Foxhill is in progress. The Kehm s®d Blenheim line ii being carried into the town of Blenheim. The harbor works, at -wiuch may be regarded as an *djBB-_ to the railway system, seem aa far as t~%have been completed to answer the PBrpsse for which they were intended. Swathe engineer's reoort it would seem *ast the employment of* a dredge* has matesslly facilitated the work and reduced the cart of these improvements. The works in PfOgrew during tbe year on the A mberleyEh__ railway consisted chiefly of extensions of Statsens, workshops at the large towns, and i=«w-*d wharfage at Port Chalmers. A ]*?8- expenditure haa been proposed in re%_3g the main line with heavier rails, but *&** much consideration it seems inadvisable & da this, as before the present rails could be lifted most of them will be so much worn t-atit would not be worth while to put them ** soother lis-- Short extensions are made, °*»» in progress, of the Malvern-Awamoko «?- Green Island branch lines. The Waipshi-Tapanui railway contract was undertaken on terms of payment differing from the "soal ones, inasmuch as no progress pay's*-*- were to be required as the work went **» all payments being deferred until the «"* wss completed. It was thought the of this method would enable us to «e6i___ely extend our system, and to obtam •*& an increase of price for Crown «• Beighbeurhood of Dew lines made under a *s2ar conditions, as would pay the cost of Construction. I gTie. c to say that these exPWatfoes have not been fulfilled. The works *"ac_ were pushed on with great vigor for **=« time, are now almost entirely suspended, *ad the contractors have stated their inability *» finish their contract without progress pays'*--! being made to them. SAIL WATS AUIHOEI-BD I__s- YBAS. Co-atracta were let almo*t to the full extent « the votes on nearly all the lines authorised H* War, and in several cam the votes were SKI*-/ exceeded. Section, were let by piece *»k isai day labor at Weka Pass and _Übt_ry,

En Cinterbury; on the Livingston branch and Otago central railway in Otago, and at K-iwarra, near .Wellington. On all these there are about 2200 men engaged at wages somewhat les» thin current rate*. It is certain th«>t the number will rapidly become smaller as the summer advances. SOAKS. Certain main lines of road in the North Island are being maintained, such aa the Great North road, Auckland, the TaurangaTaupo road, the Taupo-Napier road, and some other short lengths of road in Native districts. The Government expenditure on roads and bridges in the Middle Island last year was comparatively small, having been almost confined to Westland and the Northern end of the Island. WAXES BACBB. Detailed reports np to the 30th June of Government expenditure in aiding mining enterprise have already been laid before you. From these reports and accounts of receipts to the end of the financial jear, I find that the colony has spent, in these undertakings, £387,169, exclusive of £29,234 2s lid by way of subsidies. Of the former sum £70,626 5s 3d has been handed over to the Thames County Council as a grant, with an addition cf £10,000 from the vote of the current year. It has also been arranged to hand over the debt of £11,000 due to the Government from the Carrick Water Bace Company in the county of Vincent. The total receipts from all water races amount to £15,427 7s 103, exclusive of £2945 0s 2d refund of subsidies and interest thereon, being equivalent to an average of about 1 per cent, per annum on the outlay from the date it first became productive - a very unsatisfactory result. Btill the collateral advantages are considerable. The Nelson creek and Waimea races, worked by the Government, were the meass last year of obtaining 25,800 ounces of gold, and employing about 700 men. COAL EXPLORATION. The most important work of this class ' which has been undertaken during the put ' year is the examination of the coal beds of j the Mokau district by Dr. Hector, who reportj that the coal formation there is of oonsider- . able extent, the outcrops having a width of over two miles, and stretching from Kawhaia ' harbor towards the upper part of the Wan- ( ganui river. Coal seams crop out on the ! banks of tbe Mokau river, varying from two . feet to six feet in thickness, and the quality ■ is excellent for steam purposes; 14 tons of j Mokau ooal having been proved by Dr. Hector's trials to do as much as two tons of the best Waikato ooals. In connection with a district in which coal and limestone abound ' an extensive deposit of brown hematite has ' been discovered by the geological surveyors • at Mount Peel, iv the province of Nelson. It is fifty feet wide and has been traced for a 1 distance of over three miles. The coal measures of the Tokomairiro district have also | been examined as regards their relation to : auriferous oements between the Woolshed creek and Tuapeka, but no new mines have \ yet been opened in this field. A new mine ' has been opened at Fen-hill, Green Island. 1 The Eawakawa coal mine at the Bay j of Islands is undergoing development, and . the coal is rapidly acquiring an established j position in the market as a valuable steam coal. A shaft recently sunk has disclosed the ! existence of two seams four and nine feet thick, of superior qualify, and at a greater . depth than any previous workihg in the Waikato coalfield. The company whioh were 1 working the Kupakupa mine have opened J another mine on the opposite side of the Waikato river, and indications of an im- j provement of the quality of the ooal with increasing depth have also been shown by , recent discoveries. The heavy works under- * taken by the Westport Colliery Company for . developing the rich coalfield of the Mount Bochfort district, are making rapid progress j and in a few months it is expected that the . market will receive supplies from this source, j The further development of the principal j coal mines of the oolony by increasing facilities . for shipment deserves most careful considers- . tion, as the means of fostering an industry ' that will profitably employ at home a large ? sum of money which is at the present time sent out of the colony for the purchase of j foreign coal. WOKKDTG BAH.WAYS. ' During the first few days of July heavy • floods occurred in Canterbury and Otago, doing serious damage to the lines, partially suspending traffic, and causing a heavy outlay in repairs and renewals. The permanent way is reported to be in good working order, exoept on some of the branoh lines, which,' owing to the lightness of the rails and sleepers ' used in their construction, are becoming seriously impaired. A very large number of sleepers have required removal during the | last four months, and it is worthy of note j that they aro chiefly of American timber. ' These sleepers were only imported as an ex- i periment, and at a time when the pressure was great, and the local supply wholly inadequate. . j The traffic returns for July, August, and September show a considerable falling off, compared with the corresponding period of j last year. No doubt this is owing to the 1 financial depression, bnt muoh may be ] expected from the grain traffic of the , approaching season, which bids fair to be a j prosperous one. A good harvest and there- j vival of trade, symptoms of which are ( apparent, would speedily produce happier , results. lam glad to say that we are extend- ( ing the use of New Zealand coal on our railways, and after the expiry of existing contractu for the supply of Australian coal, j . our arrangements will enable us to dispense J to a large extent, if not altogether, with im- ' ported fuel, and save several thousand pounds avear. , *In the Public Works statement which was lately made by my predecessor full particulars were given of the length of the railways open for traffic, the cost of their construction, the gross receipts, the working expenses, and the cost of maintenance. Considering the headlong and rapid rate at which our railways have been constructed, the uncultivated lands through which a large portion of nearly all'of them pass, and the smallness of onr population, it is, no doubt, a matter for congratulation that the contribution towards interest on the cost of construction is so large. It may, however, be as well to ascertain how the account really stands. I find that the cost of railways open for traffio at tho end of the last financial year is £8,690.417 Os 4d, including £633,228 Os 4i for interest to date of opening. The gross traffic returns amount to £1,729,955 3s 7d, from which most be dednoted £1,250,797 Ss 7d for wo?kuig expenses and maintenance, leaving £479,057 18. for payment of interest on loans ont of which these railways were made. Table No. 11, which will be appended to this statement when printed, shows that for the past year the receipts have been £758,096 8s 2d, and working expenses £545,478 15s, leaving a surplus of £212,617 13s 2d. This amount represents 2-054 per cent, on the average cost of construction, leaving 2 946 percent, to be supplied from other sources. Sir, we all believe tbat New Zealand is a country of such great resources that in the course of years even those railways which are now the farthest from paying will become remunerative. In the meantime, however, the inhabitants of districts which have no railways are taxed to pay for them, as well as those who inhabit more favored places. How burdensome this charge has become was lately shown by my hon. colleague, the hon. Treasurer, and the duty is placed on us of considering how to make our railways pay a larger contribution towards their cost by sHlf-l and economical management, and of submitting all future proposals for new railways to the same rigid scrutiny as private investors would make, and firmly rejecting them unless a strong probability can be nhown that they will prove remunerative. It must not, however, be forgotten that the demands of the publio have forced on the \ Government the adoption of a more exper- » sive mode of constructing railways, and . greater speed In transit than was at first mi tended, thus necessarily interfering with the '. paying character of these undertakings. No doubt great collateral advantages are gam«j } by the construction of railways, but after all . the practical test of usefulness really is their » being or not being used. If, therefore, i it is found that on any railway the i traffic is so small that great loss results - from its working, it may, I think, be E assumed that either it is badly managed, or . that, being useful only to a few, it ought not i to have been constructed. To quote from the r statement made by my predeoessor in 1878, "Difficulty commenced from the moment r when the Legislature repealed that cardinal - condition of the public works policy, that in the event of the proceeds of any railway failing to meet interest and sinking fund on t the cost of iU construction, the property in a the district should be rated to make up its ■c 1 deficiency " The proposal of the Government, * as hcnoraUa members know, is to d«oto the r, I proceeds of sales of land to local and eoloni-1

public works. "But'if this' fund is to be supplemented to any great extent by additional borrowing to complete fchei general scheme of railway?, .here is no doubt in my mind that either those already constructed must be made to approach more nearly to a paying condition cr else a system of rating districts beneficially affected must eventually be resorted to.

Sir, we do not think that the proposals for the various lines of railways which are now in course of construction have been subjected before their adoption to so close a scrutiny as their importance demanded. It has, moreover, become apparent that the funds which will be at onr disposal for the prosecution of these works will prove inadequate to complete them. We think that the time has come whi*n our whole future policy with regard to public works must be considered, and it is, therefore, our intention to ask Parliament for authority to appoint a Royal Commission to make a more full and complete investigation into the cost and economical value of the several works commenced and proposed than it would be possible for the Government unaided to complete before next session of Parliament. The Government hope by means of the report of these Commissioners to be placed iv a position to make proposals to Parliament for the prosecution of public works upon a plan carefully adapted to the circumstances of the colony. Our efforts must now, therefore, be earnestly directed to the economical management of the railways, and, amongßt other means, I think the keeping the accounts of the various sec-ions separate and distinct, so that it may be seen what each is earning and spending, will have the good effect of aroiuing emulation among the officers, as well as of showing on which ot the lines a different system of working should be adopted. PBOFOSALS FOB THB P-TITBB. J Sir, my predeoessor has had ihe gratification of proposing and instituting many new works of great magnitude. To mc ha. f ahen the unwelcome task of showing that our resources are inadequate to bear the continued strain of so rapidly constructing these expensive works. Believing that to be the case, we do not intend to ask for authority to begin many new works. The funds at disposal for tbe next few years will be only sufficient to meet the necessary requirements for miscellaneous public works already authorised, at a rate proportioned to our resources, and to the point at which they will be of real use to the community. Our position is barely this. In respect of the £5,000,000 loan, and the balance of £517,120, including credits, with whioh we began the year, the positive engagements on contracts entered! into and liabilities which must be met, together with the expenditure already made during the current year, will absorb £3,800,865, including £1,210,802 for land purohase, and £154,791 payable to counties in the provincial districts of Canterbury and Otago, in respect of stoppages from the surplus land revenue of the districts. If finished in the stipulated time, these works will require £2,559,082 of thiß amount to be paid before the 30th June next. The remainder of the liabilities, excepting a portion of those for land purchases, will fall within the following year. The balance therefore, which is available out of the new loan, is £1,872,046, and the only method of adding to this for public works, in addition to receipts from land sales, is by diverting to this purpose a sum from one of the other objects for which the loan was authorised. I have stated generally our intentions, and the principles which we believe must guide our proposals. Whatever may be the opinion of the House as to the expediency of the course which we propose, that coarse mußt to a large extent be guided by circumstances which we cannot control. It is my duty to inform the House that the understanding on which the loan agents are likely to obtain the £5,000,000 loan is Buoh as will preclude our going upon the English money market for further loans for a period of three years. It is imperative, therefore, in the interests of settlement that the expenditure of this loan should be judiciously spread over that period. Our proposals for expenditure will be placed in detail before you. I regret to state that although an earnest endeavor has been made to keep the estimates within a reasonable compass, they reach a very much larger sum than hon. members will expeot. It will be seen, however, that no less a sum than £2,356,729 7s in our estimates is for liabilities which we found in existence upon our assumption of office, and a large portion of the remainder is for works whioh are neoessary to make available those sections already in the course of construction. However much we have desired to contract the large expenditure to which the colony is committed, we have felt bound to ask for appropriations which we are advised will be required for the above purposes. But should Parliament agree to our proposals, it will be onr anxious endeavor to limit the actual expenditure during the current year considerably within the amount of the vote. I will proceed, sir, to briefly indioate the principal works intended to be carried out during the current year. BAILWAYS. Kawakawa,—Another section is nearly ready for tendering, and it is proposed to go on immediately with the works, its prosecution being an obligation imposed on tbe Government under an agreement between the Superintendent of Auckland and the proprietors of tbe Kawakawa coal mine, ratified by an Aot of the General Assembly, the proprietors under the agreement being bound to pay 6 per cent. on the cost. Irrespective of the agreement, however, this work would be a very desirable one, developing, as it will,' one of the most important coal fields in the colony. Whangarei to Kamo. —Plans have been ' prepared for the second section, extending into deep water, and tenders will soon be called for. Kaipara to Puniu.—The whole of this work is now under contract, with the exception of the station at Newmarket Junction. Tenders have been received for this work, and their acceptance is only awaiting the passing of the estimates. Tenders have likewise been received for levelling and draining the site at Newmarket, at which it is proposed to erect the district workshops, as soon as authority has been obtained from Parliament.

Waikato to the Thames. —It is intended to construct a bridge over the Waikato, and a eeotion from Hamilton East. Orders for the bridge material will be sent to London by an early mail. Napier to Woodville.—Tenders have been received for the platelaying on the section sooth of the present terminus at Kopua, the acceptance of which is awaiting the passing of the estimates. A further section will be put in hand with a view to a contract. Wellington to Woodville—lt will probably not be possible to do more this year than oomplete the line to Masterton, but arrangements will be made for laying the permanent , way on the Greytown branch, and tenders | will be called for the erection of the necessary stations, so as to open the line and branch as nearly together aa the state of the work will allow. Surveys of the extension of the line beyond Masterton will be proceeded with. Bunnythorpe to Woodville—A proposal has beta received from the Emigrant and Colonists' Aid Corporation to construct a portion of the main tine connecting the East and West Coast railways, with a view to open up the valuable timbered lands thereon which it passes. The portion suggested is from Bunnythorpe to the Manawatu gorge, and you wdl be asked to give the necessary power to enable the Government and the corporation to enter into arrangements somewhat on the terms indicated in the proposal now laid on the table.

Wellington to Foxton. —The necessary extension of the wharf and station at Foxton will be cndertaken, and the work on the Crofton seotion, near Wellington, will be proceeded with by day labor. The surveys now going on from Foxton will be continued to completion. A lino from Palmerston to join the Wellington and Foxton line is also being surveyed. _ ... Foxton to Carlyle.— The section from __aiiwi to Waitara is under contract, and the acceptance of a tender for the next section to Waverlt is awaiting the passing of the estimates, ihe gap of about nine miles thence to Garlyle will be surveyed and plans made ready fortrendering as soon as possible. The formation of tbe branch line from Great Ford to Bulls, and the extension of the Taroni siding through about a mile and a half of timbered land is under consideration. Carlyle to Waitara.—lt is proposed to complete without delay tbe remaining sections between the Port of Carlyle and Hawera, and from thence to Stratford. A portion of this line is being executed by piecework, it having become expedient to do so owing to the temporary nnsettlement of tbe ordinary avocations of tome of the residents. Waikato to Taranaki.—While it is not at present practicable to survey or do any work on this line, you will be asked to grant a small vote to enable the Government to take advantage of any opportunity that may arise in that directio-u

J Nelson to Greymouth—lt is intended to call for tenders for a section at eich end of this line, and to carry on the Greymouth harbor works more vigorously than circumstances have rendered poeiible during the past year. Greymouth to Hokitika—The continuance of this line will be kept steadily in view. Westport to Ngakawhau—The Buller protective works will be completed so as to insure the whole district as well as the railway against the encroachments of the river. There is every reason to hope that very shortly the coal mines in this district will be in full working order, and the expenditure incurred on the line turned to profitable account. Picton to Hurunui—ln addition to completing the line to Blenheim, a section to the I South, towards Awatere, will be surveyed and advertised for contract. Hurunui to Waitaki—The main line through the Weka Pass to Hurunui Plains will be completed, and the stations at the large centres improved. The branch lines to the Upper Ashburton, Little Biver, and Opawa, will also bo proceeded with. Canterbury Interior.—Three sections will be gone on with, namely, one at each end, and one southwards from the Whitecliffs branch. Waitaki to Bluff—Further station accommodation will be provided at the principal centres and increased wharfage at Port Chalmers. The branch lines from Oamaru to Livingstone, Palmerston to Waihemo, Clutha to Catlin's River, and Edendale to Toitois, will all be proceeded with. Waipahi to Heriot Burn—ln order to facilitate the opening of the- line to Tapanui, and thereby place the district m easy communication with a market, it is proposed to assist the contractor in the completion of his contract. Parliament will be asked to em- ; power the Government to make arrangements with the contractor to ensure the completion . of this work. Otago Central.—Tenders will be advertised , for a further contract in continuation of the Wingatui and Hindon sections. This will finish the heaviest works in tho Taieri Gorge, and bring the line into the open country of the Sutton district. Western Railways—The works on tho lines from Otautau to Nightcaps, Lumsden to Mararoa, and Biverton to Orepuki will be steadily carried on. East and West Coasts.—This line will not be lost sight of, and while no special portion can for the present be begun, the surveys will be continued during the summer. Hitherto only preliminary surveys have been made, and even these have not been completed, on the routes which seem to present the greatest advantages. In the absence of the fullest information, ifc would evidently be impossible to give a trustworthy estimate of the cost of this undertaking. I have abstained from burdening the above proposals with details of tho mileage and cost of the various works to be undertaken, but very full information will be found in the table No. 1 attached to the printed statement. This table is intended to form one of the schedules to the Immigration and Public Works Appropriation Bill in compliance with the provision in section 9of the proposed Publio Works Aot, 1879, and this Bill, if adopted, will practically provide the guarantees sought to be obtained by Parliament in the Bail ways Construction Act of last year. DIBTBICT EAILWATB. Honorable members will regret to learn that nearly all the railway companies formed under the provisions of the District Railways Acts have been compelled to suspend their operations owing to the general financial depression, and the defects whioh have been found in working those Acts. Applications have been received from most of these companies for assistance, on the ground that unless the Government assume their responsibilities, the expenditure already made will be lost. Some of these branches would form useful portions of our railway Bystem, and with regard to these the Government propose to take power to treat with such companies as hare begun works and are unable to complete , their lines, and in the event of satisfactory arrangements being made, to parchase them for the colony. As reridents in the districts interested have shown their faith in the remunerative character of these lines by laying themselves under an obligation to submit to the rating of their properties, if the railways do not clear working expenses and interest on the cost of construction, it may, I think, be assumed that there is every prospect of the lines proving commercially successful. As tbe rating power is intended to be retained by the Government, the risk will be reduced to a minimum, the Government being already liable to pay interest at 2 per cent, per annum. •WATBB BACBB. The vote proposed to be taken for water races is £39.883. This sum will be expended, as indicated in the estimates, on works which, while they promise to be beneficial, cannot be expected to be direotly remunerative. EOADB. I now come to our proposal with regard to roads. We lay great stress upon these, both in promoting a solution of the Native difiiculty in the North Island, and as fostering the permanent settlement of the country, in connection with the administration of a liberal land law. Unless we steadily pursue a policy of progress by opening up the country with roads leading to our main lines of railways, as well as in parts of the country where we are not likely to be able to establish railway communication, we can have little hope of a revival of the prosperity of past years. This will only be obtained by enlarging the areaof our cultivation, and affording every facility for the occupation of our lands by a far larger population than is now settled upon them. To the revival of immigration and th 6 encouragement of an influx of small capitalists, coupled with the active administration of our land laws, we must look under existing circumstances for a re-establishment of confidence and a healthy pursuit of our industries, more, perhaps, than to the extension of works of a costly charaoter, for which the funds may not be immediately available. The estimates will' show in detail our proposed appropriation under this head. COSrCLTTSION'. In conclusion, Sir, I have only to add that I should have made this statement much earlier in the session if there had been any certainty as to the funds which would be at our disposal. Even now I should have liked to defer making it for a few days, until the result of our application for the five million loan had become known to us; but the advanced period of the session and of the year forbade any further delay. Sir, I have to thank you and the House for the patient attention whioh you have given mc.