Public Works Statement.

Hastings Standard, Issue 137, 3 October 1896, Page 3

Public Works Statement.

The Statement by the Mini rof Public Works (the Hon. W. HiliJones) was delivered at 2.M0 this morning. The principal items of interest, are as follow : Mr Srr.AKEU, —Honorable members will, I feel assured concede me every reasonable consideration in respect to this. my first Statement, and make due allowance for any shortcomings, seeing that I have enly recently joined the Ministry and have not as yet bad an opportunity of making myself personalty acquainted with all the details of works in the various parlS of the colony. In submitting my Statement for the consideration of honorable members, I desire to draw attention to the position to day as compared with that in which my predecessors under former admini; 'rations have found themselves. Prior to the Liberal party coming into office in I*9l, it hud become customary for Parliament to pass loan l'-dls fairly regularly at intervals of two or three years, thus providing !sir«.e sums of mcnev for the purpose of earrving on the public works of the colony. The following table shows the several loans authorised for services chargeable on the Public Works Fund from the institution of the public works policy:—

Since 18SS no loan has been raised for publicworksspurposesbut notwithstanding this, considerablel|>rogress has been made with all classes of public works;. I hsul the honor to be entrusted with the charge of tlie Public Works Department at a time when the public works fund was at a lower ebb than it had ever been since its initiation. The amount to the credit of Part 1 of the fund on the 31st March, 1885. was JE268..726. Burins the year .£150,000 was transferred from the consolidated fund as proposed in the Financial Statement of last year, and .sundry credits also came to book to the amount of £2,272. bringing the total of this part of the fond up to £420,790. The expenditure amounted to £3fH9,64y, leaving a credit balance at the end of the year of £31.150 only. On Part 2 the balance at 31st March, 1595, was £2ii.604. and £IO.OOO (being receipts in respect of land purchased out of the North Island Main Trunk Hailway I.oant was transferred to credit during the year, thus bringing the total amount up to £36.604. The expenditure amounted to £22.6*1, leaving a balance on the 31st March last of £13.023. or a total balance available on the whole Public Works Fund of £45.073. There was also £31,425 to the credit of the Lands Improvement Account and £5.920 to the credit of the Native Lands Purchase Account, and in addition to these amounts there was authority for the creation of further debentures on these two accounts to the extent of £21,200 on the former and £30,800 on the latter, so that the gross total ways and means available amounted to £134.418. It was well understood by all parties in the colony that an additional fund would be required in aid of public works, the only doubtful point being whether the Government would ask Parliament for a large sum sufficient to complete the North Island Trunk, the Otago Central, the Midland, the ThaniesTearoha and the Woodville-Eketahuna and other railways, or whether they would merely ask for aid toa limited amount so as to admit the several works to be proceeded with for the present at the existing rate of expenditure. All doubts were set at rest when my colleague, the Colonial Treasurer, brought* down the Financial Statement, in which it was set forth that aid to the extent of only one million was recommended ; and on the whole this proposal had been favorably received. There are some, I admit, who are opposed to extraneous aid in any shape being procured; but seeing that by the Public Works Appropriation Act of last session Parliament had authorised the expenditure on public works to proceed for three months of the current year at the same rate as that Toted for last year, it was disappointing to find any opposition to the- raising of the moneys required to pay for the works authorised or for their continuance, for it would have been unreasonable to expect that all work should be stopped on the 30th of June, thus throwing out of work in the dead of winter some two or three thousand men. It is my pleasure now. however, to be able to congratulate the House on having made adequate provision for the present for carrying on the important aids to colonisation provided for under our public works policy. I nder the legislation of the present session tiie following additional sums will be made available, namely,—

It is also proposed to transfer from the revenue to the credit of the Public Works Fund .£150,000, and about j£20.000 will also probablv come to credit from other sources. Adding to thc.se amounts the balances remaining on the 31st March last—namelv. ,£134,41.) —there will be a gross total sum available of X 1.504.418. The liabilities on the 31st March last were JE820.636. After providing for the same there is left the sum of X983.i8"2, being the largest sunt available for public works during the last live years may lead to exMCtations being raised that an in- > expenditure on public works will eventuate. Those who expect this will be doomed to disappointment, inasmuch as the Government have no intention whatever to largely increase the expenditure on pnblie works. On the contrary, when the Eketahvma railway is finished and other pressing works in connection with lands improvement, roads to open lands lor settlement, drainage of Kotorua. development of our Thermal springs, goldfields, and making of our natural scenery accessible to the world. we deem it desirable in the interest of the colony that the expenditure on public works should be reduced to the lowest possible limit. Considerable further progress has been puuie with the worka corthwarda of Ma-

ngaonuho. operations now ext -nding as far as tO miles -10 chains namely, nearly as far as the township of Kiiikoura. In February last, tenders wore invited by adveriisfmerit in the principal towns of the colony for the construction of a viaduct over the Makohine ravine. Four Under.s were received for the woik, but Rs the lowest was largely in exee»s of the Govei nnient estimate it was ilec-med ad- \!•!«• to decline. I?ef erring to the Fkot:dmna-Yw;odvi:!e section of railway the Statement snys that the line between Eketidutna and Newman, 2 miles 4 chains in length, was hniukd over to the liailway Department in March last. A furtht r section between Newman and Mnngntainoko bridge, a distance of *2 miles 09 chains, has been completed. Goods traffic lias been regularly worked since -lime last. The contract for the Manga tninokn bridge has been completed. The contractors made a satisfactory job of the structure, but wore nearly five months behind incompleting the contract, which led to very unfortunate delay in the proceeding of the mil-laying on the line as it was impossible (without incurring great expense for cartage and badly damaging the main and district road.-t to lay the rails beyond the Mangataincka river until the bridge was available for the passage of locomotives. Since the completion of the bridge work beer, resumed and is actively progressing. The rails are already laid past Ilukamu and will reach Ttitaekara early next month and Makakahi later the same month. The ballasting will not. however, be completed until alter this. The section to Hukanui is already available for goods traffic. Further sections from Tutackara to Makakahi will be ready for working abouL December or .Janizary. The Ngawapurua bridge, .across the Manawatu between Woodviile and I'ahiatua, an erection which was commenced in 188 H. and which since completion has been regularly used for ordinary trallic, now needs extensive repairs and strengthening in order to unable it to accommodate the heavy traffic which will pass over this railway. The cost of this work will amount to several thousand pounds. The vote taken for the railway last year was £'"25.000. The whole amount would have been expended if the contractor of the Mangatainoko bridge had completed his work within the time. The actual expenditure within the year was £20,577.

Year Authorising Act. Amount. 1873 Immigration and Public Works Loan Act £-4,000.000 1873 Immigration and Public Works Loan Act 2.000.000 1873 General Purposes Loan Act 7">0,CG0 1874 Immigration and Public Work; Loan Act 4.000.000 1876 Ntw Zealand Loan Act 7 •")(). 000 1879 New Zealand Loan Act 5,000.000 1882 New Zealand Loan Act o.OoO.OOO 1882 North Island Main Trunk Railway Loan Act 1,000.000 1882 New Zealand Colonial Inscribed Stock Loan Act 250.000 1884 New Zealand Loan Act 1.500.000 1885 District Railways Pirtcliasing Act 470.487 1886 New Zealand Loan Act 1888 New Zealand Loan Act 1,000.000 Total £'27,2S4.487

For railways ••• X~2--»0.000 For development of goltlfielrts '2UO.OJO For development of thermal 50.000 springs and natural scenery For tbe land improvement ac-2--.0.000 count For the native lands purchase count •2." 0.000 Total £1,000,000