PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume I, Issue 80, 15 December 1887, Page 2

PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

Ths Public Works Statement was delivered on Monday evening. The Minister for Poblfo Works mainly directed hit attention to railways, the total length open for traflfe Qfi October 81 being 1784 miles, of which 668 were in the North Island and 1103 in the South Island. There wen also at that date 176 miles In course of construction—B7 in the North Island and 89 in the South. The total railway expenditure up to March 81, including cost of provincial lines and puf. ehaae of district railways, was £14.083,711, and the liabilities £486.875, making in all £14,569,087. Referring to the North Island Trunk Railway, the Minister found that the original estimate was altogether misleading, having been £1,800,000, whereas the present estimate, exclusive of probable costs end charges of ral.ing the loan and the amount allocated to purchase of native lands (st/ altogether £300,000), is £2,oBs,ooo—leaving £1,285,000 still unauthorised, to complete the whole line from Te Awamutii to Marton. He thought the House should have mi opportunity to express an opinion on the new aspect—in any case no new contracts were proposed to be put in hand until after next session. The estimate for the alternative route, from Stratford to Te Awamutu, befog £1,086.000, appeared to give that an advan. tage, but it Would be premature to express any opinion until a reliable estimate wm completed. At the preeent rate the expendl, taro proposed teas £87,080 for this year and £24,431 tor next—total to the end of March, 1889, £61,421. The Btatemedt goes m»t» deal with the various railway works, thA ax. penditure provided for additions to op«ytf lines being for the present year £40,000, and for the following three years £89,000, £30,000 and £19,289 re.pectively. The receipts tot working railways for the year ending March 81 were £998,768 and the expenditure £699,072, the net profit being £399,696, ot £2 6s per cent, on an outlay of £18,017,567, which the lines open for traffic bad cost up to the end of March. In merchandise, timber, and gram the traffic had lessened during th< year, while that on live stock; wool, and minerals had considerably increased. Reductions in the railway expenditure wore being made wherever possible, and the Minister believed farther economies can bo effected even with considerable addition to present business, as increased grain tonnage was eon* fidently expected. He pointed out, however * that while much economy might vdry ofteii be made by reducing luxuries hitherto en* joyed, such endeavors to economise were generally stoutly resisted in the particular districts. Much greater benefits, he believed, might be derived from the railway system U the proposals now before Parliament, re appointment of Commissioners, were aslentid to. He found no fault with the officers th the Bailway Department, and expected to learn that under the Commissioners officers who had served the colony faithfully for many years would do much more useful work in the future than the surrounding circumstances have admitted of their doing

in the past. The length of roads constructed and fat proved in the colony generally out of Public Works fund from the commencement of the Public Works policy is found to be as follows Dray roads 4843 miles; horn roads 3578 miles. Mostly in connection with these road works there have been constructed a great number ot large bridges, the total being 765 bridges having a total length of 80,982 feet. The work undertaken by the Government under the head of main roads consists principally of maintenance of The amount expended on this class of work during the last four years has ranged froth about £82,000 to £33,000, and the amount proposed for the present and next three yean ranges from about £19,000 to £5OOO, tbs intention being to gradually reduce the charges for this class of works against the Public Works fund until it disappears altogether at the end of the fourth year; handing over such ot the works as can reasonably be so handed to the local bodies, and protiding for others put of the consolidated fund. Under the head of Miscellaneous Beads and Bridges a number of new worU have from time to tide been undertaken; varying in extent during the last four years from about £61,000 to about £40,600 per annum, and it ia thought necessary to make provision for the completion of such of these works as are incomplete, and also to some extent for works of a similar character in the future. It is proposed that the expenditure be gradually reduced for the present and the three following years from £35,000 to £5,000 per annum, and it is intended to stop such expenditure altogether at ths end of ths fourth year.

The important work of rendering Orowh lands more accessible to settlement by the clearing and formation of road lines has been, and ia being, promoted extensively throughout the colony. The expenditure on this work has been very considerable, having been about £84,000 in 1883-4, £89,000 in 1884-5, £65,000 in 1885-6, and £57,000 in 1886-7. The amount proposed for 1888-9 being £45,000 and 1889-90 £20,000. The expenditure on the purchase of native land in the North Island, exclusive of the land along the North Island Main Trank Railway, during the last four years has been in round numbers respectively £24,000. £70,000, £84,000, and £lB,OOO. For thia year the expenditure required to meet engagements will amount to about £13,000, but as £U,OOO will come to credit of the vote from the fund provided for land purchases along the North Island Main Bailway, the actual charge this year will amount to only £lOOO. For the next two years the expenditure ia proposed to be £lO,OOO and £5OOO respectively. The total allocation proposed for this purpose is thus £16,000. The amount of land in respect of which transactions were completed under this head, and which has consequently become the property of the Crown, for the period from the 31st March. 1886, to the 80th September last, was 30*7,000 acres, and the area of land in respect ot which negotiations are still pending, and upon which more or less payments have been made, ia about 575,000 acres.

As regards the important question of immigration, for the period between the Ist ot May, 1886, and the 80ih November, 1887, 1460 nominated immigrants have arrived in the colony. For this and the three following years the expenditure proposed on immigration is respectively £16,730, £20,000, £20,000 and £14,000. w The total amount to be allocated fonpublic buildings during the next four years is £212,410.

The proposed expenditure for 1887-88 is £1,127,550; for 1888-89, £986,903 ; for 1889 s 90, £577,677; for 1890-91, £248984, giving an average throughout four year of about £735,281 per annum. The reduction is considerable compared with the expenditure of previous years, which has been for 1883-84, £1,409,588; for 1884-85, £1,336,717 ; tor 1885-6, £1,147,886; for 1886-lj7, £1,322,484.

The usual meeting of the Hospital Trustees took place last night.