PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12074, 18 September 1902, Page 2 (Supplement)

PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

■ i i ny ■ - AUCKLAND RAILWAYS. £20,000 FOR HELENS VILLE NORTHWARDS. >.;:;■' PAKROA -WAIHI TO RECEIVE £25,000. ! THE NORTH ISLAND TRUNK LINK. A VOTE OF £250,000. ROADS AND BRIDGES AND OTHER ■ WORKS. [BT telegraph.] WETxrN-nTO.v, September 16. ■■'■ The Public Works Statement by the Hon. > iW Hall-Jonc=, Minister for livttlio Works, ■ * presented to too House of Representatives ■ r to-night, is as follows :~The work of railway construction has been carried on With con- ■ sidorablo vigour. My colleague, the Acting- .' Premier, has already drawn attention in his '.'•-■ financial Statement to the fart of last year having been a record one as regards the pro- ' portion of the tote expended within the year. Only £813 remained unexpended at the Close cf the year, and I kin not aware of any pre- | - ™us instance of the unexpended balance cf j • the vote having been so small. The railway i ' construction work in band since my last, : Statement was delivered has amounted to over 2CO miles, and during; the fame period 21 i- miles have been completed and handed ■ over to the Railway Department for ordinary i-traffic. In addition to this, 36£ miles is now ' ! being used for conveying settlers* produce ctnd merchandise, and rails are also laid upon -a further 26 miles still, leaving a considerable length of formation in hand. In the early part of the year the number of men 'employed was greater than in any previous ■period since tho inauguration of the co-opera-tive system of working, 'me reason for this -will be readily understood .when it is borne in mind that for the year 1900-1901 the total ::' vote for railway construction exceeded the ■mount for the previous year by #3»,SW. To enable full advantage to be taken of this A increased authority from Parliament during '/.'"• "the remaining months of-1900-1901 and the ■varlv part of 1901-190?. the number of men 'Was largely increased. The number employed in July, 1901. wag 3337. a-i compared ■.''/;.' -with 1742 ifi July of the previous year. As 'the summer of 1901 advanced it became necessary to make considerable reductions in order :, to keep within the vote authorised for the ■year 1901-1902. The present Government, while fully alive to the needs of the colony : ; in important matters of railway extension -and providing suitable and convenient build ings for the use of the several Department* and services of the State, lias lent a particularly attentive car to the ropiest of the back "blocks settlers for roads and bridges to open V the rural districts of the colony, the expend!-' ture on works of the character referred to •■•: . 'during tho rather more than 11 year.-- term . of office of the present Administration having excepted the past expenditure previously .- prevailing by over 17 per cent., notwithstanding that the total expenditure on public works of oil classes during the same period shows a decline of over 37 per cent. WAYS AND MEANS. At March. 31, 1901, -ways and means of the Public Works Fund amounted to £1,032,515, and further sums were provided. •-as under:—Of tho loan, 1901. £1,250,000. the :: * amount received was £1.062,667, and trans- .• ' ferred from revenue £50,000. There were also miscellaneous receipts to the amount of £2129, thus making a gross total of £2,597.311. : i The expenditure last year amounted to '», '£2,143,252, so that at the close of the year the balance remaining was £454.059, and it is proposed to provide additional funds as follows: —Balance of £901 loan, less cost of • v raising, say, £99,335; new loan, 1902, \ ,'tEl;750,000: further transfer from revenue, £200,000. Tin? will bring our total ways and means up to £2,503,392. The estimates of expenditure for the current year total to £2,193,052 (in addition to £45,000 under the . . 'Government; Loans to Local Bodies Account), .'thus leaving an unallocated balance of ; £310,350. _ ■ . ■ HALLWAYS UNDER CONSTRUCTION. I believe a feeling exists in tho minds of sorno persons that wo have gone and are going rather far in the matter of providing railway facilities for our settlers, or, at any ? rate, that our expenditure is out of proportion to the sniallness of our population. The Government dees not hold tins view. With the exception of Tasmania. New Zealand's expenditure on railway construction per head of the population is the lowest in the Australian or South African colonies. We must >; consider the necessities of our settlers and provide facilities for conveying the products of their labour to market at flic lowest possible cost. We cannot ignore the loss that _ has occurred in the past by the destruction of valuable timber owing to the absence of means of conveying that necessary article . ' to the centres of population, and instead of too hastily diminishing our expenditure we 5 -ought to complete our main lines of com- ■ , munication and steadily proceed with the other works now in hand. It wn4 .-•-/. "'this view of the case that in- •, duced the Government to propose '."•..larger appropriations for railway purposes ' during the last five or six years, and the -same view actuates me in submitting the present proposals. I will now give a brief • sketch of the several railway construction works which have- «been in progress since my ... last statement iv.as made. ■ , KAWAKAWA-GKAHAMTOWX. • : Work has been in hand at both ends of • thi«, lino, viz., at the north end between Kawalr.av/a and a point eight mile 3 south- - • wards, and in the south between Opo-u whntff and Grahamtown; while a survey party has also been at work locating jlio •"•■ position of the unconstructed section in the middle. Tho formation and bridges on the first five miles at the northern end aro finished and tile rails laid on four miles and -•a-half, viz., to the point where the ballast pit lino runs off. This latter line, which is ■ a mile and three-quarters long, has also 'been formed, and the laying of the rails ■upon it is now in progress. The formation of tho balance of the eight miles section of -tho main lino is about three-parts done. At ; the southern end earthworks have been "started, but no great progress hits been 'made, as there is no object in pushing the • earthworks at tin's end until the contractors tor Whangtirei bridge Lave made some headway with their work. The contract for this ■bridge/ was let in March last to Messrs. ■ cFraser and Co., Dunedin, for the sum of £6788. The total length of the structure is 970 ft, including one 30ft draw span, and tho dato for completing the works is April 18 next. The total expenditure on tho railway in the year, exclusive of the value of per- - manent way materials supplied, was £9327, , but allowing for permanent way materials it amounted to £16,825. For the current year a vote of £20,000 is proposed. HELESBVILIE-NORTHWaEDS. Work on the Kotaokoriki section lias been continued. The extension of the tunnel has been completed and tho lining of the same and the formation works are practically finished to Ahuroa, two miles 55 chains beyond the tunnel. Plate-laying has been resumed, and on completion the ballasting will bo taken in hand. A survey party has been engaged in locating the extension of the lino beyond Ahuroa. About 10 miles have now been finished and trial lines run tor two or three miles in addition. The question wan raised by some local residents as to whether the route by the Hoteo Valley would really bo the best for the construction of this railway, and with the view of setting this point at rest a careful examination was made of tho Dome Valley and tho western (or Green's Creek) routes, but both were found to be inferior to the origii nal surveyed route by the Huleo Valley, tuid the lino has accordingly been located | i across the Kaipara Flats to that valley and j on by that route towards Wellsford. The ■Railways Authorisation Act, 1901, na-nc-i , tioned the construction of this railway os far as Wellslord. Jt in ■ proposed to provide for the further extension to Maungaturoto, in the current year's 'Authorisation Bill. Owing to bad weather interfering with the. progress of the survey, field work had to be discontinued recently, but will shortly be resumed. The expenditure on this lino during the year considerably exceeded the* vote obtained for it last session, • having amounted to £18,218. For th-9 cur- ,' rent year a vote of £20,000 is proposed. rABROA-WAini. Work on this lino has been continued throughout the year, principally on the Karangahake tunnel. Some very heavy ground lias been met with and progress lias consei quently been slow. 'The rails are laid from the junction with the Thames line at Paeroa ; to Karangahake. A ballast pit has been ■opened out and a quantity of rock quarried, • ready for crushing iu the stono-breaker, which , has been procured for the purpose. Beyond tho tunnel the formation is about half done

for another mile and a-quarter. Tho contractors for tho Ohinemuri bridge, Messrs. J. and A. Anderson, have cast the cylinders in their foundry in Christchurch, and have started work in- connection with the abutments and piers at the site of the bridge. As soon as this bridge i 3 completed so as to connect the Karangahake station-yard With the main road oil the opposite side of the river, it will be possible to open this section of the line for traffic. The expenditure last year was £18,52?, or £24,993, allowing for the value of the permanent way materials used. For tho current year a vote of ha,\)JU is asked for, GISBOBNE-KABAKA. A considerable amount of work was done on this line during; the year, and the section from Gisborne Wharf toOrmond, 103 miles in length, was handed over to the Railway Department and opened for traffic on Juno 26 last. For two miles and a-quarter .beyond Ormond formation is complete and rails laid, and for .mother half mile the formation is about half done. This brings the line to the site of the Waipaoa bridge, tenders for which are now being invited. This bridge will be 560 ft in length, and its erection will probably occupy nearly a year and a half. Beyond the bridge site survey work has been undertaken, and the pegs are now in as far as Karaka, and the lands for the extension have been prepared. This line is only authorised as far as the left bank of the Waipaoa River, and it will therefore be. necessary to make provision in the Railways Authorisation Bill of rile present Session for the extension from that point to Karaka, The expenditure during hv-t year was somewhat heavy, having amounted "to £20,556. without permanent way materials or £21,381 inclusive of the latter. tor the current year a vote of £20,000 » provided. STB \TFORD-KAWAKAWA. The section of the above railway between Stratford and Toko, six miles 260 chains to length, the construction of which was ! only begun on April 1, 1901, was sufficiently advanced in June last- to admit of goods traffic being carried over it. It has since been completed, and handed over to the Railway Department for regular working, and was otien#d for public traffic- on Coronation Dav " Exploration of a number of alternative routes beyond the township ol Toko has resulted in the selection of a line, following the Ohurn route for about 11 miles. Beyond this point there is still 'a little doubt as "to the route to be adopted. As too construction of this railway is somewhat of a new departure, being a light line, but on the New Zealand standard gauge, it will be ot interest to hob. members to know what us cost has been. The expenditure to the 31st Hit. on the six miles 26 chains section to Toko has amounted to £23,929, but- some liabilities for laud claims and a few other unsettled matters have yet to be met, which will probably amount to about £5000. making a total cost of, say, £29.000. equal to £4594 per mile, exclusive of rolling stock, o- £5500 oer mile, including rolling stock. The average cost of the New Zealand railways at date, including rolling stock, is £84§9 per mile. The difference in tins rase is due partially to the easy country traversed, but largely, however, to the method of construction adopted. It is proposed that a further section of the line now to be undertaken between Toko and the end ot the Oiuru section shall be of the same character. For the current year a vote of £15,100 is provided. SOUTH ISLAND MAIN TRUNK. Very considerable work has been done on this line-, the exuenditure during the year having been the largest since the initiation of the work. As mentioned in last year s Statement, regular traffic is carried en by the Railway" Department at the northern end of the line as far as Poro-o-tarao tunnel From that point to Ongarue, a distance of rather more than 14 miles, the line is completed and all station buildings provided. Goods traffic has been carried on over the length for some months, and the Section is to be handed over to the Railway Department for regular working on the loth of next month. Some heavy slips took place on this section in the early part of ! the Vear. which delayed the work considerably. The ground, however, seems now to ! be 'becoming more stable, and the slips are Considerably less troublesome. The rails ore all laid for eight miles beyond Ongarue, ami tho earthworks are fully completed for a further distance cf five miles, and about half done on another section of two miles and a-half. which brings the line to Taumaratiui. The bridgework on this section is, however, much behind hand, due to the delay of the contractors for the manufacture of the iron and steel work. Formation work is in hand up to the point where the railway Will cross the Wanganui River, two miles " and a-quatter beyond Taumaramii. and a service road has been constructed for some -distance oil the south ride of the river, to facilitate the construction of the railway at the southern end of the line. The most notable event to record is the practical completion of the Makohine viaduct, which I had the pleasure of formally opening on June 17 last. I take this opportunity of complimenting the officials of the Department. Who designed and superintended the erection of the Work, oil the result of their labours. After very careful consideration, the Ideation of the railway across the gorge was decided uoon. involving a viaduct 755 ft long and 238 ft from the bed of the stream to the rail level. The height from the bottom of the foundation to the top of the handrail is 254 ft. There are 7430 cubic yards of concrete, about 1252 toils of steel and iron, and 26,560 superficial feet of timber in the structure. The viaduct is designed to carry locomotives Weighing up to 85 tons, followed by heavy trains. The cost of the Structure, including a due proportion of the plant and machinery, has oeen about £71,500, but as the painting has been left over for a time, and a few small finishing works have yet to be done, the total cost will probably reach £72.000. This includes a large amount of work in the foundations and superstructure over and above what was provided for when tenders were invited. The present position of the Work at the southern end of the railway is as follows:—Tub line to Mangawoka is practically finished, and will probably be handed over to the Railway Department for regular traffic during the present month. It has been in drily use for goods traffic since the Ist Inst. " Between Maogaweka station and the site of the viaduct over the MangaWekii stream, the formation is complete and the rails are bring laid, and will roach the viaduct site by the end of the present month, when the transportation of the iron and steel Work for the structure will be begun and the building up proceeded with. The abutments, pieces, and foundations are already built between MailgaWeka and Tailiape. The formation is nearly complete, except three unfinished tunnels, which are actually in progress. Beyond Taihape the formation is well advanced for about five miles, and ground ha l * been broken for another 11 miles, or as far ps 60 miles from Marton Junction. The total expenditure on the line last year was £155,969. or £184,561, allowing for the value of the permanent way materials issued. This constitutes a record, being the largest amount expended on the lino in any one year since its inception. For the current .year a vote of £250,000 is proposed. EI.ENHEIM-W.AIPAEA. The total expenditure on the BlenheimWaipara railway last, year, exclusive of the value of permanent way materials issued to the line, was £48,382, or, inclusive of the latter, £65,823. For the current- year an autliorisittion of £60,000 is proposed. MIDLAND. Operations in connection with the Midland railway were in progress in four different places la.st year. The total expenditure on the Midland railway last year amounted to £66,391, and this year a vote of £100.000 is proposed. The construction of a branch line, leaving the .Midland railway at Ngahero and running thence to the Blackball collieries, was authorised last session. The most, important work on the line is the large bridge over the Grey River, for which tenders have recently been accepted. This bridge will take at least 18 mouths to erect. A vote of £1000 was taken for this railway last year, hut only £117 was expended. This year a vote of £4000 is proposed. CKEYKOCTH-HOKITIKA EXTENSION TO BO9R. This line also was authorised in the Railways Authorisation Act of list session. The first and most important work to bo undertaken upon it is the erection of a bridge over tho Hokitika River, aud ft tender for its construction has recently been accepted. A vote of £2000 was takon for this lino last year, but only £355 was expended. For the current, year an appropriation of £10,000 is asked for. COAL CHEEK. This is the- lino which will connect the State colliery with tho port of Greymouth. Its construction was commenced " several years ago. The cost of completing this railway will be a charge on the State Coal Mines Account. OTAGO CENTRA!,. A {treat deal of work was done on Ibis railway la.st year, the total expenditure on the line having reached the very large sum of £103,283, which in the largest on record for this line. The Ida Valley section, 12 miles 24 chains in length, was completed and handed over to the Railway Department for regular working iu December last. This year -a vote of £100,000 is proposed, HEBIOT EXTKSSIOiV. The formation works on the first two miles and a-half of this railway are nearly finished. Tho vote for this line last year was- £5000, and £4056 was expended. For the current year we ask for a vote of £6000.

CATLIN'S KtVEK-SEAWAtID BUSH. Further progress has been made with the formation of the extension of this line. The appropriation for this railway last year was , £12.000, but only £8001 was expended. This year a vote of £15,000 is proposed. ( BIVEBSDALE-SWrrZEB'S. A contract for a combined road and railway bridge over the Mataura River was let in May last, and the bridge is to be finished within 12 months of that date. The vote for this railway last year was £1000, but only £23 was expended. This year a vote for ■ £3000 has been provided. . . . OtIEPUKI-WAIAXr. ' Considerable progress has been made with the formation works on this railway, the ; expenditure last year having exceeded the vote by £4456. The expenditure on the line ; for the past year was £16,456. j TOTAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR RAILWAYS. In addition to the sums already specially ; mentioned, smaller appropriations, totalling £4000, are proposed for old land claims and i surveys of new lines, and £76,000 for per- ; manent way materials, (litis bringing the i total appropriations for railway construction < purposes up to £743,000.' 1 ROADS AND OTHER WORKS. j The total amount authorised for the con- \ struction and maintenance of roads and ; bridges for the past year was £644,272, and J sums voted for expenditure £337,644. The ( net expenditure amounted to £535,347, with which sum 409 miles of engineering surveys " was made, 471 miles of dray road", 206 miles of bridle tracks, and 127 bridges were con- J structcd. Seven hundred and eighty-five miles of dray roads and 80 miles of bridle , toads were improved, and 2535 miles of dray roads and 1047 miles of bridle roads Were maintained. It will be seen from the above figures that the Department expended within £2296 of the amount voted, but as this small balance was more than covered by ac- , counts in course of liquidation, tho rote , was practically exhausted, and if the works , had not been reduced in December and | January last it would have beeu largely ex- • ceeded. The total amount authorised and voted under the Government Loans to Local , Bodies Account was £46,577, and the net expenditure was £41.970, for which 170 ] miles of engineering survey was made and , 42 miles of dray roads, 6.1 miles of bridle roads, and" 56 bridges were con- . structed. There were also 63 milfs of ) dray roads and 203 miles of bridge ( roads improved or maintained. It v.iii ( be seen that the balance unspent on this vote was £14.599, but the moneys under it cannot , be expended until they have first been raised . under the Government Loans to Local Bodies ' Act, and it is not possible to do this until the . lends have been set apart for settlement and other formalities observed. Taking these two accounts together there Was expended £62,611 more than in the previous year. The greatest expenditure was in the Auckland district, amounting to £97,920. Wei- ( linotou district came next with £94.939: th«m Hawkfe's Bay with. £39.357: Taranaki, ; £35.785 : Southland, £29,196 : Otago, £22.078 ; ■ Marlborough. £17,474: Westland, £14,235: ; Nelson. £12,098; and Canterbury, £5444. The expenditure has mostly been upon a very large number of Small, scattered works. the items on the appropriations representing 2257 different works. The authorisations submitted for the current year (including £49.900 . under the Government Loans to Local Bodies Account) total £598.612, on account of which votes are proposed as under:— Roads Department, £2.4,265; roads and bridges, etc., '■ £325.000: tourist roads, £10.000: Govern- : meat Loans to Local Bodies Account. £45,000. Votes for £4995 and £5612 are also proposed for improved farm settlements and lands. ROADS OX nOLDFfELDS (MINES DEPARTMENT). The vote last year under this head amounted to £34,783, the expenditure being £47,573, with liabilities at the end of the year amounting to £37,864. The sum proposed to be authorised for the current year is £120,719, en account of which a vote of £84.000 is asked for. DEVELOPMENT OF GOLDFIELDS AND MINING. As anticipated in the Statement of last year, the gold exported during the year 1901 exceeded that of the previous year, and Was the highest for any corresponding period since 1573. The value of gold entered for export ! during 1901 was £1.753.783. being en increase on the previous year 0f.£31.4,181. The quantity of gold entered for export during 1901 Was 455,5610z, valued at £1,753,783, and of silver 571,1310z, valued at £65,258, as compared With 373,0160E of gold, valued at £1.459.602. and of .rilver 326.4570z, valued at. £38,879 for 1900, being an increase of 81,9450z of gold, valued at £314,181, and 244,6770z of silver, valued at £25,379. The amount expended last financial year on works for the development of tho gOldfields was £15,325, while the liabilities amounted to £8116. It is proposed to take a vote of £50.000 for the current vear. CONCLUSION. In compiling this Statement and the Estimates which accompany it. every endeavour has been made to meet the necessary requirements of the colony. The total appropriations proposed for nil purposes, exclusive of Government loans to local bodies, amount to £2.193.052. Every reasonable effort will be made to put i-i hand new work": authorised as soon as the votes are passed, and to have them pushed forward as rapidly as circumstances will permit. _ I trust the foregoing information concerning public works expenditure and the allocations for the present year will commend itself to lion, members. " The progressive development of the colony is such that it is impossible to deal within a limited period with all the requirements which are placed before the Government, but the proposals now submitted will, I feel sure, be recognised as sufficient to meet the requirements for the current year.