PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

Press, Volume XLV, Issue 7125, 23 July 1888, Page 5

PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

A FORECAST. [Bγ Telegraph.] [from our correspondent.] WELLINGTON, July 21. It is now almost certain that the Public Works Statement will be brought down on Tuesday evening. Less interest than usual, however, centres in it from the fact that the loan is tied up by the Act, and there are no large sum 3of borrowed money to fight over. I have taken some trouble to obtain authentic information relative to the probable contents of the statement, but very great reticence is shown for the reason that it has not yet been adopted by tho Cabinet.

THE RAILWAY VOTE. Probably the most important part of the Statement will be that relating to railway works. I believe the only new contracts to be let during the current year will be on the Woodville-Palmerston and Otago Central lines. The amounts have not yet been fixed, but it may be assumed that about .£30,000 will be voted for the Woodville - Palmerston, and .£24,500 for the Otago Central. These will be principally bridge works, and on the Manawatu line the contract to be let will include Pohangu bridge, to cost £20.000. The other votes will be very small sums to complete the existing contracts. It is recognised that the Otago Central must be completed to the nearest paying point, which is Taieri Lake, or in the event of Mr Pyke's Bill passing, to Middlemarch. The public works fund statement will probably show that the liabilities of this fund stood at £850,404 in March 18S7, and that, by the close of the last financial year in March, they had been reduced to .£471,695. This sum is chargeable against che present loan votes for the year. It may be expected that the votes for • üblic works expenditure for the year to be asked for by the Minister will be £520,C00. Of this sum only about 4275,000 is intended for expenditure on railways, roads, bridges, buildings, telegraphs, &c. About .£30,000 is for expenses of raising the two million loan and the balanoe is made up of public works liabilities of Jβ 1-71,695 already referred to. It ill thus be seen that the Minister is adhering to his jjolioy of tapering off public works expenditure from loan, as the vote asked is the smallest since the Public Works Department was established.

NORTH ISLAND TBUNK BAIL WAT. Reference will be made to this subject, and the House will probably be informed that satisfactory progress is being made with the survey of the proposed newroute at or near Stratford, or that the surveyors will have completed the work in the latter part of October or early in November, and plans and reports of their operations will be placed before the House next session. The cost of these surveys will be .£SSOO (of which .£3OOO is taken from the vote tor the survey of new lines and .£2500 from unauthorised expenditure. It 13 not proposed to let any new contracts on this railway during the current year, or until the land on the route is acquired from the Natives. Work will therefore be hung up for the present, and the balance of the loan invested at interest.

THE POSITION OF THE NORTH ISLAJTP TBUNK LOAN JUND. It will be stated that after deducting .£IOO,OOO for the purchase of land, about ,£40,000 for expenses of raising the loan, and also deducting the coat of the work done, there will be a balance of about .£400,000 in hand for investment for the com, letion of the line.

BAILWAT COMMISSIONERS. Allusion will be made to this subject. The House -will be informed that no suitable application has yet been received by the Agent-General, who is still prosecuting enquiries. Unless these are successful, the Government will immediately after the session proceed to tne appointment of Commissioners in the colony. No indication will be given as to the probable names of the Commissioners.

ABOLITION OF THE PT7ELIC WORKS DEPARTMENT. Large savings will be shown in the Public Works estimates in giving effect to the intention of the Minister of Works to abolish' the Works Department, which change will come into effect when the Hou3e rises. Considerable reductions will also be made in some of the higher salaries, and these include .£2OO from the Engineer-in-chief. The changes referred to involve the taking ov«r of the railways construction branch by the Working Eailways Department, and roads and bridges construction being backed on to the Department of Lands, the Minister in charge of which will be the settled Minister for Lands and Works. The new portfolio of Minister for Railways will take the place of that of Minister for Public Works. Reorganisation will cause a large number of dismissals from the present Public Works branch of the service. The railways will only need, at most, two more engineers for the added duties, and the I*an<*s Department one engineer. It would be premature to enter more fully into tiie details of the Statement at present, but the above gives a brief outline of some of the main proposals. It will be found that it will be proposed to invest half the two million loan.