PUBLIC WORKS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVIII, Issue 201, 8 August 1928, Page 7

PUBLIC WORKS

LARGE UNDERTAKINGS SUBSTANTIAL PROGRESS MADE CAPITAL EXPENDITURE £6 825 • eoo. In the course of his Financial Statement presented in the House of Representatives last evening, the Minister of Finance, the Hon W. Downio Stewart, referred to the financing of public works. He said: “The programme of public works was proceeded with last year, and substantial pro gress was made towards completion of the large undertakings at present in hand.

‘' The expenditure on capital works for the last financial year may be summarised as follows:— £ Railway construction, nddi tions, and improvements 8,573,262 Main highways and roads 1,297’,141 Hydro-electric supply ~ I,’g7 r ,ujs Telegraphs and telephones Public buildings 605,747 litigation, and river imment 273,432 Other public works 177,9a3 £6,825,690 “The expenditure on public buildings includes £368,479 for schools, “In regard to expenditure on highways and roads, it was necessary to enlarge the scope of operations in the last two years in order to provide employment for additional men. Even to, the State expenditure for reading purposes out of both revenue and capita! has risen from about £7OO 000 in 1923 to £1.945,000 in 1928. The expenditure out of loan accounts, which as shown above, amounted to £1,297,099 for last year, has almost exactly doubled in this period. “The capital expenditure on electric supply last year amounted to £1,272,575, which is a record for the ar. count. It was, however, the peak year of the construction programme; and after the current financial year, when the large works at Arqpuni and Waikaremoana wil] be nearing completion, there should be a considerable decline in capital requirements, although a start is being made on a new scheme on the Waitaki river.”