PARLIAMENTARY.

Feilding Star, Volume III, Issue 8, 12 July 1882, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY.

PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT At the evening sitting of the House last night the Hon. W. W. Johnston made his statement. H« said the Government did not intend to dea this year with the large question whether the administration of constructed railways should be confided to a Board of Management. That question was altogether too important tor a hurried conclusion to be come to respecting it. Luring the past year £34 miles of railway had been in vari out states of progress. Forty six miles (23 in each Island) had been opened for traffic, and on 31st March last 1333 miles were open, of which 458 miles were in the North Island and 875 in the South. The working of the opened lines showed good remit ts. The increase in revenue during the year had heen £55,572, against an increase of ouly £1,142 in expenditure. The goods traffic showed an increase o! 59,931 tons, and ihe number of passengers carried find been 61,916 iv excess of those during 1880-81. Taking the last three years the revenue had been increased about 17 percent, while tbe expenditure had been decreased about 10 per cent, in face of the fact that an additional 147 miles had been worked ana maintained. The cost of the lines open for traffic was £9,443,000, and the surplus of receipts over expenditure £369,000, showing a return of £3 18s 2d per cent. Tde Government bav 1 a clear balance, after providing for all money liabilities actually incurred of £284.000. The great part of this expenditure is for works •at Auckland, Timaru and Dunedin. They have decided to recommend the following apportionment of the loan : — Hailways. - Kawa Kawa, to complete, L 17,00 0; Whangarei-Ka i;o, to complete, L8?,000j Hamilton-Cam-bridge, to complete, L 50,000 ; Ham-ilton-Te Arohu, to complete, L 92.000; 'J hames-Kopua, L 24,00 0; Main trunk line fr* in Te Awamutt., southwards, .LIO.OOO ; Napier-Woodville, to complete, L 160,000; Wrllineton-Wood-

ville, extension from M aster t- n; L 200,000; New Plymouth- Foxton. to complete line of 195 miles, L 75,000 ; Neloon-Roundeli extension, from Bellgrove, L4O 000 ; GreymouthHeefton exteiu-ion, towards Reefton. Ll00,000; Main trunk line through &outh Island, extension, southwards fr..m Blenh.em; L 90,000; Completion of Weka Pass and Horsley Downs, section including bridge over the Hurioui, L 75,000: Main trunk line extension, northwards, Li 80.000: Upper Ash burton branch, extension, M 5.000 ; incoln-Little River to com lete, L 30.00 0; Abburg Creek branch extension to Burkes' Pass, L 35,00 0; Oxford to Sheffield, to c »m---plete, L 12,000, Livingston branch >o complete, first section, L~'2,UOO ; Palmerston-Waikemo, to complete, JLIS,OOO ; Callings iver br inch, to complete, seciion from Muni line to Port Molyneaux road, L 22,00 0; Waipahi-Heriot, to complete, section to Swift's Creek, L 12,000; Edendale Taitor's, to complete, section to Mokoreta, Llb\000 : Otago Central Extension, L3U0.000 ; Lurasden-Mara-roa branch, to complete to Centre Hill, L 35,000; Riverton-Orepuki, to complete, L 16.000. T0ta1, L1,650,000. Purchase of Native Lands, L 200,00 0; Public Buildings, L 300,00 0; Immigration, L 200,00 0; Reads to open up Crown Lands, L 200,000 ; Roads and bridges, L 100,000; Roads, wharves, and bridges, north of Aucklanu, LIOO,OOO. Gold fields, Lloo,ooo. Harbours, LIOO,OOO. Telegraph extension, 1.50,000 Total, L 1,350,000. Grand I etal— L3,ooo,ooo. Hen members will observe that towards the construction of the line between Waikato and the railways on the southern part ol the North Is and only LI O,OOO has been allocated, whilst the estimated cost of the ■work is L 1,000,000., 000,000. This is in consequence of th* decision arrived at by the Government that as I have already said for the construction of this line they would make special provisions, and for this purpose ihey have come to tbe conclusion, after careful consideration, to introduce a special loan bill for one million, to be solely applied to their purpose, as soon as cir- j cumstances will permit. In the meantime, the LIO.OOO allocated will . enable surveys to be made to ! determine the best route, with i regard to the works proposed. ! It is the intention of the Government j to afford no further assistant c to local | works, otherwise than under a Bill proposed to be introduced, and it is looped this class of expenditure will soon cease to be a charge upon our Public Works Fund. The Government is thoroughly convinced of the advisability of completing our railway system. 1 hat it is an essential part of its policy to complete the construction as rapidly as possible of the main trunk lines in both Islands and of desirable branch lines, as soon as circumstances will permit, and that it will gladly see private enterprise supplement the work undertaken by the Colony, by taking advantage of the Railways Construction Act. On the conclusion ol the statement, Mr ontgomery moved the adjournment, and this being at once agreed to the House rose at 18 minutes before 9 o'clock