PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

Evening Post, Volume LVI, Issue 77, 28 September 1898, Page 2

PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

HINTS OF A BIG LOAN. RAILWAYS, ROADS, BRIDGES, &c. THE NORTH ISLAND MAIN TRUNK LINE. The Public Works Statement was laid upon the table of the House last night by the Hon. W. Hall-Jones, Minister for Public Works. A LOAN HINTED AT?. After refei'ence to the numerous applications for the construction of public works, the Statement proceeds :—ln: — In railway construction aloue the applications for new lines and the extension of existing lines comprise a length of over 1500 miles, at an estimated approximate cost of nearly £10,000,000. If the more important railways, such as the North Island Main Trunk, Otago Central, Blenheira-Culverden, the completion of the Seaward Bush, and the 'extension of the Helensville Northwards Railway to Kaipara Flats, &c, are to be completed at an early date it can only be done by meaus of a large loan to meet the necessary expenditure. The Government, however, is of opinion that for the present it is preferable to proceed with that caution which has distinguished the careful udministration of the last few years, and, while desirous of seeing the early completion of the important works referred to, the} r deem it the wiser course to only ask this year lor the £500,000 mentioned, in the Financial Statement, and to leave the question of a more speedy prosecution of the construction of the main lines of railway open for future consideration. During the past year satisfactory progress has been made. The completion of through-communication between Wellington, Napier, and New Plymouth, via the Rimutaka, has permitted the lines previously opened to be worked to the greatest advantage. STATE OF THE PUBLIC WORKS FUND. On 3 1st March, 1897, the balances available for public works purposes were as follows :—: — Public Works Fund , £282,363 Lands Improvement Account ... 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 follows: — For additious to open railways, £200,000; for school buildings, £25,000; for technical schools, £25,000 ; transferred from the Consolidated Fund, £300,000 ; miscellaneous receipt^, £2876 ; thus making a gross total of available ways and meaus 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 cow proposed to supplement this amount as follows : — Transfer from the Consolidated Fund, £350,000; sinking funds 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 Parliament Buildings, £25,000 ; further aid to be authorised, £500,000. If these proposals are adopted by Parliament we shall have a total sura of £1,287,992 available for public works purposes for the current year. The estimates of expenditure for the current year 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.

NORTH ISLAND MAIN TRUNK EAIIAVAY. The construction of the Ohinemoa Section, at the north end of this line, has been proceeded with. Along a portion of 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. At the southern' end of the line formation has been in hand between Maugaweka aud Kaikoura, aud the foundations and abutments of the Makohine Viaduct have been completed. This latter work is of an exceptionally heavy character. 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 etfeot 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 nt each end of the line. It is found impossible to carry on operations of this nature in this country in the winter time, so that both parties had to discontinue field-work in Juno or Juty last ; but instructions have been issued that work in the field is to be resumed at the earliest practicable moment., aud I have no doubt that the survey will be completed before next winter. When the survey is finished a reliable estimate of the cost of completing the railway can be placed before honourable members. In both Auckland and Taranaki the agitation for the deviation to Stratford continues, and adds to the difficulty of the situation. The railway, however, 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 a large population. In the interval, afLer investigation as to the extent and ! capabilities of the land from a settlement point qf view, it is reasonable to expect that a 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 he 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 year 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 lasb section of this line having been opened for traffic, thus completing through - communication between Wellington and Napier via the Rimulaka. A good deal of finishing-work still remained to be performed, which has since been done. The expenditure on the line last year was £23,860, but, as liabilities existed at the close of the year to the amount of £842, aud some other items have been authorised since, it is necessary to ask for a vote of £1500 to finalty close the accounts in connection with this railway. WELLINGTON-JIASTEBTON. The\ survey promised .in last year's Statement to determine whether or not a better route was available over the Rimutaka mountains than the present incline line Avas put in hand as soon as au 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 of finding a more favourable line which I expressed last year. With a mile-and-a-half tunnel under the saddle wliich is crossed by the old coach road, and at a level 250 ft lower than the Summit tunnel on the existing railway, a line can be obtained between Kaitoke and Featberston that would be seven miles shorter than the present line, and would have no gradients steeper than 1 iv 40, and no curve sharper thau 10 chains radius, compared with gradients up to 1 in 15, and 5-chain curves, on the existing line. The estimated cost of constructing the suggested deviation is £200,000. Favom-able as this result is, still more favourable results can be obtained byway of the Tauherenikau Valley. By this route a Hue can be obtained which „\vill afford gradients not steeper than 1 in 60, 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 also be less expensive to construct. Having thus ascertained that the Rimulaka Mountains can be crossed ou moderate grades, I have now directed the surveyor to make further explorations in order to ascertain whether it is possible to eliminate the long l-in-35 grades 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 iv 60. I hope to be in a position to place fuller information on the subject before honourable members prior to the close of the present session. MIDLAND RAILWAY COMPANY. The cnmpauy has until recently met the olaims made upon it, the amount received during the late financial 3'ear being £20,507, while the profits on the working of the opened sections of the railway credited to Construction Account during the same period amounted to £1250, making a gross total sum earned by the railway or recovered from the company since possession of the line was laken by the Government of £50,588. Accounts for a further sum of £11,018 were rendered to the company in April last, and formal notice was served early in May, but the amount demanded has not yet been paid. An application by some of the debentureholders was recently made to the Supreme Court in the colony for the appointment of a Receiver, so that an action could be brought, against the Government to determine whether the rights of the debentureholders are subject and subordinate to the rights of the Crown under the Railways Construction and Land Act, 1881, or whether they are entitled to precedence over those rights. The Receiver was duty appointed by the Judge, and he has since initiated the contemplated action. 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 defined by the Courts nothing can be done to improve the situation, which, contrary to the wish of both parties, may be described as a strained relationship. BOADS, ETC. As was anticipated in my Statement of last year, the extent of the works required to be done, and the consequent expenditure, have been about one-third greater than in the year 1896-97. During the present year, 405 miles of dray-roads and 367 miles of horse-roads, with 89 bridges over 80ffc span, have been constructed, as vyell as 383 miles of drayroads and 103 miles of horse-roads widened and improved. The roads maintained for dray traffic aggregate 1827 miles, and those maintained for horse traffic amount to 982 miles. In all, an extent of 4067 miles of road and 89 bridges have been dealt with during the year. The cost of these operations was £269,427. The main roads maintained duriug the year were about 1300 miles, those improved about 250 miles, and those constructed about 135 miles, iucluding 28 bridges, and the 1 cost of these works was abont £106,000, so

that over £160,000 was expended in constructing roads and tracks, and to a great extent lor the benefit of newly settled lands. That this large expenditure every year is a profitable investment is amply proved by the recent valuations made under the Government Valuation of Land Act, 1896. For the current year a slightly greater sum is required, but the amouut now asked for will, it is feared, be a disappointment to many by its sniallness, and I am within the mark iv saying that it would kike over a million pounds sterling to meet the demands that have been made for roads, bridges, and other similar works. A large proportion of the available funds is again required for the North Island, nncl principally for Auckland, Tarauaki, and Wellington, where men of very moderate means are striving to make homes in the roadless forests, and equally roadless open but rugged country. The amounts required to be authorised are: — For immigration, £150; main roads, £184,516; settlement roads, £199,61(5 ; improved farm settlement roads and improvements, £24,28 A; out of the Government Loans to Local Bodies Account — settlement roads, £50,0C0 ; roads to open Native hinds recently bought, £5338 ; thermal springs works, £15,024; total, £478,928. They 1 " may be provincialised as under: — Auckland, £131,190; Hawkes Bay, £50,373 ; Taranaki, £53,299; Wellington, £94.498; Nelson, £13,092; Marlborough, £22,790; Westlaud, £13,713; Canterbury, £11,426; Otago, £39,168; Southland, £35,511; general, £13,868 ; total, £478,928. 3 PUBCHASE OP NATIVE LANDS. During the past financial year the public landed estate has, through the operations of the Native --Land Purchase Department, been increased by an area of 262,000 acres. In the King Country alone the Native Laud Court sitting at Otorohanga, under Judge Gudgeon, has made 101 orders, vesting in Her Majesty in freehold tenure 302,506 acres, which are now under survey preparatory to being thrown open for settlement. The same Court has put under European title over 500,000 acres of the llaugitoto-Tuhua Block, leaving a little more than 100,000 acres still to be put under title before the Court closes its sittings. The proposed legislation iv connection with native lauds will, if carried out, practically bring to a close within a limited period the acquisition by purchase of native lands b}' the Crown under the present system. Instructions will be given to the land-pur-chaee officers to refrain from purchasing any interesfs 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. Of the wires constructed and extended, the following are the most important: New copper wires — Napier to Wanganui, Wanganui to New Plymouth, Blenheim to Dunedin. New iron wires — Waipapakauri, Kaeo to Totara North, Omanaia, Hikurangi to Hukerenui, Auckland to Whangarei, Mangapai to Maungakaramea, Onehunga to Mangere, Inglewood to Tarata, Toko to Strathmore, Dannevirke to Weber, Eketahuna to Hukanui, Manga weka via Pembertou to Rangiwahia, Hutt via Day's Bay to Eona Bay, Belgrove to Wakapuaka, Ngahere to Blackball, Lyndhurst, Ngapara to Tokarahi, Hyde to Kokonga, Clyde to Cromwell, Bannockburn to Nevis, Skipper's to Bulleudale, and Hokonui to Hedgehope. The vote proposed to be asked for the present year is £32,000, which provides for additions to existing exchanges, the completion of the work now in hand, and new works to be undertaken. PUBLIC BUILDINGS. The appropriations proposed for the currant year amouut to £168,645 — namely, £126,420 under the Public Works Fund aud £42,225 under the Consolidated Fund. The most important of the general works was probably the new Parliamentary Buildings. A special transfer of £25,000 is to be made from the Consolidated Fund to defray the cost of this work, and a vote for that amount has been provided on the Estimates accordingly. It is well, perhapo, to state that in limiting the expenditure to £25,000 the proposal to have a three-story building has been abandoned. Immediately at the close of the present session work will be recommenced, and I fully expect to have the building finished and fitted up for the use of honourable members by the commencement of next session. The next lrost important work was the completion of the Government Printing Office, for which £9000 was voted, aud on which £9127 was expended. The building is now complete, and is occupied by the printing, binding, lithographic, and photographic staffs, and the additional space and convenience afforded is greatly appreciated. Some little expense has been incurred during the present year for machinery, fittings, and conveniences, and a vote of £2000 is provided in the Estimates to cover this. [Among the other works referred to are the additions to the Departmental Buildings at Wellington, and renovations at the Government Houses at Wellington and Auckland.] LUNATIC ASYLUMS. The expenditure on our asylum buildings is still very heavy, and must, I fear, continue so unless some change is made in the condition and administration of our lunacy laws. The expenditure on construction of asylum buildings last year amounted to £14,129, more than half of this amouut being speut at Porirua, and smaller sums at Auckland, Nelson, Sunnyside, &c. 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 two -story block, containing a females' diuinghall on the ground floor, with dormitories above, aud connecting corridors and large general bathroom. This will provide sleeping accommodation for 98 inmates in addition to the conveniences referred to. The vote also provides for completing the new brick dormitory now in hand at Nelson, affording accommodation for 56 patients, and 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 Seacliff, with sleeping accommodation for 80 patients, and sundry other minor works. SCHOOLS. The amount voted for school buildings last year was £59,350. The expenditure amounted to £48,769. This year we ask for a total vote of £73,400. The vote of £13,000 for special school buildings was not wholly expended, as the non-passing of the Technical Education Bill last session prevented the Government from fully carrying out its intentions as regards the establishment and equipment of technical chools and classes. Also, the difficulty of making an equitable distribution of the vote for schools in newly-settled districts involved enquiries which prevented the expenditure during the year of the portion of the vote obtained for this purpose. I am pleased, however, to be able to state that au allocation has since been made. LIGHTHOUSES, HARBOUR WORKS, AND HARBOUR DEFENCES. The amount voted for lighthouses la9t year was £2520, the chief item being the completion of the new light on Cape Palliser. The expenditure during the year amounted to £2180. This yes*r a vote of £4220 is proposed, the principal item being the erection of the new lighthouse on East Island, East Cape. The vote for harbour works last year amounted to £1250 only, the principal works provided for being the continuation of the reclamation at Sticking Point, Lyt-. lelton, and certain works necessary for the protection of Government property at Hokitika. A' vote of £2350 is asked for this

year for the purpose of carrying ou the works mentioned. Last year's vote for harbour defences was £5000, but only £2547 was actually expended within the fianancial year. Important works for the efficient defence of the port of Auckland are now in progress, as well as other works at Wellington, Lyttelton, and Dunedin. A vote of £5000 is proposed this j'ear to defray the cost of these. Under the head of " Contingent Defence " a vote of £20,000 was passed last year, but only £10,360 was actually expended. The balance will come to book during the present year, together with considerable additional expenditure for the purchase of warlike stores of various descriptions. The vote proposed for the current year is £25,000.