PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLII, Issue 10105, 12 October 1917, Page 7

PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT

DELIVERED IN THE HOUSE LAST NIGHT.

In his statement to tlio House last evening the Minister .for Public Works said: When I prepared my Public Works Statement last year I was under the impression that 1 would be able 1o expend within llic financial year the most of the money 1 was asking Parliament to vote for roads and bridges. Acting on this belief. 1 authorised for expenditure the whole oi this sum to either local bodies or to my district engineers on thebbassi s of one-half of the authorised items on the estimates for each county. Owing, however, to the impossibility of ob taming sufficient labour, I was unable in secure the expenditure of much more than one half of Ho- sum so authorised. '1 he result is thai from the sum 1 now propose asking Parliami nl to vole foj roads and bridges— viz,., £420,000—1 have first to deduct £160,000 for the flood damage vole, and then the unexpended authorities issuod prior to the 31st March, 1917, amounting to £195.000, This will leave £165,000, which will be only sufficient to provide for about one-half of those items on last year's estimates which were not authorised, and also enable a few of the most urgent new applications to be dealt with. II the war continues for another twelve months, it. can hardly be expected of me that 1 shall be able to expend the whole of ihe money proposed to be appropriated for roads and bridges; still, I consider it advisable that 1 should be empowered to meet any contingency that may arise. The extraordinary and continuous' rainfall thai has been experienced over the greater part <,l the North Island (hiring the last, twelve months has caused an enormous amount of damage io road s and bridges. The country became waterlogged, and wherever the roads had not been"metalled they were quite unable to bear any traffic, and soon became quagmires, causing .serious inconvenience. 1 have endeavoured, as far as it lay in my power, to as-i.-t. in repairing this damage, but. the loss accruing from this deluge ol rain has been very serious. EXPENDITURE FOR THE YEAR. Tre following table shows the brief particulars of the expenditure of the year, and also the total under each class of work from the inauguration of the public works policy up to the 31st March last: Rail-ways-New construction £325,404, additions to open lines £285.543; mads £220.345. public buildings £256,131, immigration £6533, lighthouses, harbour work-, and liar, bom- defences £3767, tourist and health resorts £IOO4. development of mining £4592, defence works (general) £9742, departmental £131,701, irrigation and water supply £16,049, lands improvement (cr.) £2731, plant, material, and stores £9778. cost, of discount, raising loans, etc., £35, Railways Improvement Authorisation Act, 1914, account £225.597. land for settlement account —roads to open up Crown lands £24,730, National Endowment account—roads to open up endowment lands £6787, aid to water-power work account £49.032. irrigation and wale,- supply account £4745, Waihou and Ohinemuri Rivers improvement account £1(1407 Telegraph Extension Account £203.311; total, £1.803,092. WAYS AND MEANS.

Oil the Ist April, 1916, the available way? I and means for public works pur'poses were £1,293,102; and further funds were received as under: Under the Aid to Public Works and Land Settlement Act 1914 £500,000, other receipts and recoveries £6906, making a. gross total ol £1.800.008. The ordinary expenditure for the year amounted to £1,278,448, plus the expenses of raising loans, £35, thus bunging the total disbursements up to £1.278,483. This leaves a balance to the credit ol tlic ways and means account at the end of the year of £521,525. ]-V 'the current year it is proposed to provide additional funds as under: Balance of authorised loan money still to be raised—under the Aid to Public Works and Laud for Settlements Act, 1914, £45,100; under the Finance Act, 1916. section 49 (Public Works) £700.000; under the Finance Act, 1917 £850,000; making a total ways and means for 1917-18, £2,116.625. The estimated expenditure for public works for the current year (excluding separate accounts having their own ,ways and means) amounts to £1.881.715. leaving an estimated balance of £234.910 to be carried forward to next year (1918-19). In addition to the amounts described above, we have authority to raise the following sums:—Under the Aid to Water Power Act, 1910. £136,000; under the Waihou and Ohinemuri Rivers Improvement Act, 1910, CONSTRUCTION. No sections of railway were opened for regular traffic during the financial year. Several sections are, however, almost complete, as far as construction is concerned, and en some, of them the Public Works Department is running a goods and passenger service. The total expenditure on railway const met ion and improvement work during the iast financial year amounted to_ £846.544, us under:—Construction of new lines, £335.404: addition to open lines. £285.543; railway imniovement accounts. £225,597. RAILWAY WORKS.

Tin- expenditure out of the Public Works. Fund, undi'v the heading "addition to open iin ■.-"' amounted to £285,543. Of this sum £250 521 was expended in the provision of additional rolling stock, Westinghouse biake. steam heating gear, electric light for cars and workshop machinery. The balance covered expenditure on improvements to

station accommodation end yards, ins.!hilation of tablet, telegnipl, and telephone facilities, signalling, and interlocking, improvements to wharves, and purchase of .land. ROADS ON GOLDFIELDS. The total allocations'.under this head last year amounted to £41,766, on account of which a vote for £30.000 Was taken. The expenditure during the year was £17,099, and the sum proposed to be allocated for the current year i< £28,258, on account of which a vote of £20.000 is asked for. DEVELOPMENT OF MINING. The value of the mineral output f ()i - ( )i 0 . yiar was £2.978.436, being a u. cease, ol £396,037 when compared with the output luring the previous year. In addi ion to the mineral output 1,331,003 ion., ol ~,one >-.a.s obtained horn quarriiS subject to in i sj.eclion under the Stone-quarries Act. | The expenditure under the heading of ' "Development, of Mining" during las!, year ' was £4592. A vote of £145(1 is proposed to ■ be taken this year. I'l ll'l.lO 111 ILDINGS. The total annum voted and expended on construction of public buildings miring the last financial year amounted to: New build ' mgs (class XVIII. Works Fund), voted £364.000. expended £251,431. For the current year the following appropriation is proposed : —New buildings, ! £510.000. I GENERAL. Under this heading the new Parliament building-, still accounts for the heaviest item of expenditure Considering the unfavourable labour condition., ruling at present, fair progress has been made with the ' work during the past year. Substantial ' addition.- to the Government Printing Office have been completed. POST AND TELEGRAPH. Owing to the war conditions, expenditure .in new buildings and addition* and alterations to existing buildings lias been kept down as much a- possible. During the < ear small post offices were erected at Kabul,e, iluatorea, Mohan, and Wait una West; and automatic exchanges built al Sf. Albans and South Dune.din., Additions were math to the office building.-, at 'J e A wan ~ Ilan.uer Springs. Waiiara. Whakaiaue. and Wanyaimi. MENTAL HOSPITALS. At Porirua the block of building.- designed for receiving anil hospital wards is 'nearly completed, and ill its "hospital" character, uilh case of administration and observation, marks a decided advance. A nurses' home is part of I his, building. At Sunnysifle a lecviving and hospital block on the same general plan a- at i'orirua is Hearing completion. An auxiliary farm of 338 acres has been acquired at Templeton. The current year's estimates provide for a substantial contribution to the (heme for further classification and increase of accommodation and other urgent works. AORK Tl.Tl'liF.. The expenditure under thio heading for the past year was not. large. Fur tin- current year some further necessary improvements at experimental farms, and quarantine station- are provided for, together with an item to cover the cost ol the purchasi if laud for an experimental farm in Westla ml. HOSPITALS. Considerable expenditure is required this year in order to provide Ihe necessary facilities at St. Helen's Hospitals. Land has been purchased joining St. Helen- Hospital, Auckland, on which it is proposed io erect new wards, utilising the ores' 'it building as an administrative bank and nuioes' quait-r.-s. It is proposed to proceed immediately uth the erection oi new buildings at ChristchuTeh, and to erect new wards at St. Iliiens Hospital, Dunedin, utilising the present hospital as an administrative block j tud muse.-' quarters, A suitable building | has been purchased for tile purpose ol a St. Helens Hospital at, Invercargilf, and provi- | sion is made for this expenditure, together | with thu necessary alterations thereto. Ad- j ditions are also required al Tovvnley St. Helens Hospital. Gisborne. Considerable extension is required to the accommodation at present available for consumptives. This has been more especially ' necessitated owing to institutional treatment having to be afforded to returned soldiers. Intensions' and improvements are required tor both Otaki and Te Waikato Sanatoria, and this is provided for. An item has also been renewed to enable grants to be made to Hospital Hoards to provide accommodation for consumptives. WORKERS' DWELLINGS. Of last year's vote of £50,000 only £35,437 was expended; there were also liabilities incurred of £295 for dwellings in course of erection and for land, the purchase of which was being arranged. For the current year a vote of only £20.000 is pro]>o.sed, as owing to the high cost of materials is is unlikely many dwellings will be erected. TOURIST AND HEALTH RESORTS. No public works of any importance were undertaken during the year. The total amount expended was £1094, compared with £5107 for the previous year, and more than half of this amount was expended on drainage and water supply works in Rototua, TELEGRAPH EXTENSION. During the past year the extension of telegraph and telephone lines has lesulted in the opening of forty new ofiiees cud ten new exchanges. The total expenditure amounted to £203,310. All construction work iras been considerably hampered on account of the short, supplies of materials and limited staffs. Among the larger works undertaken were the construction of the following lines:—Auckland - Dargaville M.C, Hamilton-Auckland .M.C.

Taiiraiiga-Whakalanei M.C., Gisborne-Opo-tiki telephone circuit, Wanganui-WeUington M.C, Olenavy-Chriatchurch M.C., Dunedinfilenavy M.C, Midcilemareh- Alexandra, Auckland-F'ukekohc, Stratford-] lawera, Wai-totara-Orangimea telephone extensions, and ("hris.tchureh-Kaiapoi, Two hundred and twelve miles of line and 2268 miles of wire were added to the telegraph system, and 460 miles of line and 13.944 miles of wire to the telephone exchange system. The number of telephone exchange connections increased by 3547. Underground •ables were put down in several of the larger towns, and arrangements are in hand to extend this method. Thirty-nine new -lot telephones were installed, bringing the total in use no to 237. LIGHTHOUSES.

The automatic light on Okuri Point, to indicate the position of the dangerous Hi el Barrel locks, near the French Pass, has been completed, and was first, exhibited on the 24th June, 1910. 'lhe light is giving satisfaction to mariners. Incandescent lights have been installed .it ('ape Foulwind and Manakau South Head. These lights are now installed at ' ' 'ape Maria van Diemcn. (ape Hrctf, Tiri:iii, Cuvier Island. Castle Point, Cape I'al-li.-,er, Pencarrow Head, Cape Fgmont, Profliers, Cape Campbell, Godley Head, Akaroa Head, .Pick's Point, Cape Saunders, Nugget, ' Point, Waipapapa Point, _ ( 'ontre Island, • 'uysegur Point, Kahurangi Point, Farewell ■'.pit. Stephen Island, Manukau lb-ad, and 'ape Foulwind. By their installation improved lights have been obtained, ami also i con.-.id' ruble saving in ihe expenditure for ■iil, as these lights burn kerosene, which is hi-aper than the paraffin used in the old ialils. The tower of the lighthouse al Dog , Island was found to be and it has boon decided to encase the existing maronry rower in concrete, and the necessary plans ie now iii course of preparation. It has |-o been decided to erect new dwellings or lite keepers at Puysegur Point LightVuise, ami some of the material required has been taken'to the station by the s.s. ilineiiK.il, but the erection of the buildings will not be put in hand until ihe summer. DEPARTMENTAL. The total number of permanent officers and employees in the Public Works Department on the 31st, March, 1917, was 680. and >; these ten have been discharged from the Expeditionary Forces as unfit for active service, and 150 are either in camp or serving aln-oad with the Expeditionary Forces, The total casualties sult'ered by the pcrmatu ni officers of the Department since tie* outbreak of war are as follows: —Died of sound.- 10; died of sickness*, 2: wounded. iO; gassed, 1. In place of permanent, officers and employees who have joined the Fore--, the department has taken on forty-eight officers, most of whom are employed in a temporary capacity. CONCLUSION. The Minister, in conclusion, said:--Let me -rate how greatly I appreciate the patriot i-o ot the.e local bodies and settlers hrougiiout the Dominion who have refiaiped from pressing their demands for expenditure during the war. on works which in normal times would be considered very important. 1 regret exceedingly that I have not been able to do more to relieve many cases of hardship, especially in the biiekblcoks; but as soon as the war is r-ver and our boy.- return, ample means will be then available to provide employment for all who need it. The const l lit lion of roads bridei s, and railways will be pushed ahead, and thus facilities will U- afforded for increased settlement and for increased production. It is on these two factors that" New Zealand lias to depend to enable it to bear the heavy burden it has so readily as--umed in aiding the Empire to win this appalling war. j