PUBLIC WORKS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16285, 19 July 1916, Page 9

PUBLIC WORKS.

ANNUAL SUMMARY

WAR TIME ECONOMY.

LESS MONEY FOE RAILWAYS.

NOETH ISLAND £322,300. SOUTH ISLAND £132,900. [BT TELEGRAPH. —SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.] WELLINGTON. Tuesday The Public Works Statement was laid on the table of the House of Representatives to-day by the Minister for Public Works, Jhe Hon. W. Fraser.

In his introductory remarks, Mr. Fraser said that when the Public Works Statement of 1915-16 was being discussed by the House he made it quite clear that he had no intention of expending, during the financial year, the whole of the money he was asking Parliament to entrust to him. On the contrary he expressed his determination to endeavour to distribute the ißipenditure of the money over a period of two years, instead of over one year. That he had succeeded in that endeavour ■ was proved by the fact that, after expending £2.344,944inc1u5ive of the cost of raising the loanout of the Public Works Fund he had still to the credit of j that fund on March 31, 1916, the sum of £1,838,201. Of this £1,293.101 was in cash and the balance of the authorised loan money still to be raised was £545,100. Mr. Fraser said he felt confident that he was expressing the opinion of the whole community in saying that this sum of ' £1,838,201 should suffice for the needs of the current year, as far as public works | were concerned, and the Estimates were | framed on that basis. To prevent mis- i apprehension, he pointed cut that the : Public Works Loan of £1,000,000, author- j jsed under the Finance Bill now before : the House, was not intended to provide j any further money for roads, bridges, railways, etc., during the current year. Some portion of it would, however, be available, if necessary, to continue expenditure on such works from March 31. 1917, until Parliament met again, by which time all hoped and trusted that peace would have been proclaimed. The provision he was making for roads and bridges was only about £4500 less than, what he expended last year, said the Minister, but the provision for railway j expenditure had in consequence had to be reduced by £200,000. Owing to the fore- j going reasons he had been unable to make | any provision on the Estimates for appli- j cations for new grants for roads and bridges. He proposed, however, to partially overcome this difficulty in the following manner. He was taking power in the Appropriation Act to transfer the sums now allocated on this year's Estimates for such roads and bridges which a local body might deem of minor importance to other more urgently needed works, which did not appear on the said Estimates, but were situated in the same county, thus in reality providine' money for new works. j This would, he felt confident, help to meet the views of many local bodies. Total Expenditure for Financial Year. The expenditure from the Public Works Fund for the financial year ended March 31 last was as follows, — £ Con'traction of new railways . . 6*2.919 Additions to ooen lines . . . . 402.952 Roads . . 424 494 i Public buildings 3?5...4 Immisrration . •_ . . .... 10.010 Purchase of native lands. lighthouse!' harbour works, and harbour defences 13.<?? a Tourist and health resorts . . . . 5.1fi7 Teleeraph extension • . ■. . . . 249 F54 Development of mining' . . . . fi.fiOiDefence works, general . . . . 37,619 Departmental 111,439 Development of water power, irrigation s"d water pup*>ly. payment to Midland Railway bondholders, and lands improvement 5,936 Minor works and services, plant, material, and stores . . .. 74,418 Cost and discount, raisins loans. «*c- "-. . . 5.037 Total from Public Works Fund . . £2.344.944 Expenditure out of Separate Funds. The following sums were expended out of the separate accounts named:— £ Wellington-Hutt Railway and Road Improvement. Railway Road Account 142 Railways Improvement Authorisation Act, 1914 Account 139,754 Loans to Local Bodies Account, Roads to Open up Crown Lands, Opening up Crown Lands for Settlement Account, Roads to Open up Crown Lands, and Lands for Settlement Account, Roads to Open up Crown Lands ... 47,974 National Endowment Account. Roads to Open up Endowment Lands 13.344 Aid to Water Power Works Account 55,410 Irrigation and Water Supply Account ... _. 29.874 Waihou and Ohinemuri Rivers Improvement Account 9,225 £295,723 Leas credit on Railways Improvement Account ... ... 4 Total „. £295.719 Total expenditure, all accounts £2,640,663 Ways and Means Account. On April 1, 1915. the available ways and means for public works purposes were £695.762, and further funds were received as follows :— Under the Aid to Public Works and Land Settlement Act, 1914, i^29,900; under the Finance Art of 1915. £2.000 000 : under the Finance Act, to cover expenses of raising loans. £5030 : other receipts and recoveries, £7353; making a gross total of £3.638.015. The ordinary expenditure of the year amounted to £2.339 907, plus the expenses of raising loans, £5037, thus bringing the total disbursements up to £2.344 944. This left a balance to the credit of the Ways and Means Account at the end of the yeaT of £1,293,103. For the current year it was proposed to provide an additional £545.100 from the balance of authorised loan money still to be raised, making the total wavs and means for 1916-17, £1,338,203. The estimated expenditure for public works for the current year, excluding separate accounts having their own ways and means, amounted to £1.838 000, leaving an e?'' ' 1 balance of £203 to be carried fcrv- :<] to the year 1917-18. In addition to the amounts described above, there was authority to raise outside the Public Works Fund the following sums : — Under the Aid to Water Power Act. 1910, £191.000: under the Waihou and Ohmemuri Rivers Improvement Act, 1910, £50,000. • Comparative Tables. The following table shows the amount proposed to be charged to the Public Works Fund during the year, and the amount expended on the same service during the past year— Spent Service. New Vote. 1915-16. £ £ Departmental . . .. 114.000 111,422 Railways .. .. .. 800.000 1.065.171 Buildings 564.0C0 335.774 Harbours 14,000 13,673 Tourist Resorts . . . , 5.000 5,167 Immigration . . . . 15,000 10.010 Roads and Bridges . . 420.000 424.494 Mining 6,000 6.602 Telegraphs 300.000 249.554 Contingent Defence . . 30.000 37,619 Lands 10.000 5,936 Irrigation and Water . . 40.000 — Plant, stores, etc . . . . 20.000 74,518 The £800.000 voted for railways comprises £500,000 for new railways and £300,000 for additions to open lines. Railway Works and Public Buildings. Two lengths of railway were opened for regular traffic daring the financial year, namely, Huntly to Awaxoa, and Ward to

Wharanui. The total expenditure on railway construction and improvement work during the year was £1,204,921, as follows :—

£ New lines .. 662,919 Additions to open lines .. -. 402,252 .Railways improvement accounts 139,750

During the year important bridge works on several lines were delayed owing to the impossibility of obtaining steel material from England. Expenditure on public buildings during the past financial year totalled £335,774. The appropriation proposed for the current year was £364,000. The principal items of expenditure were on the new Parliament buildings, police headquarters and Government Printing Office, Wellington. Votes for the North Island. The following are the proposed votes for North Island railways, together with last year's vote and the expenditure in each case—

Development of Water Power. The Lake Coleridge power scheme, now in operation, had attained results beyond anticipation. Three units of generating power capable of an output of 5000-horse power were originally installed. The demand for current warranted the installation of two further units, which would bring the output to 10,000-horse power. Arrangements were in train for utilising the current for tramway traction, and for the operation of machinery in meat works, flour mills, tanneries, dairy factories, and other established industries in and around Christchurch. The total expenditure to March 31 was £"329,719. Survey and investigation for a comprehensive scheme to serve the North Island had been in progress. There, were several schemes showing promise. Irrigation and Dredging Works. Irrigation works to serve Ida Valley, Central Otago, had been advanced considerably, and would be continued. Two contracts for the main race from the Manuherikia River towards Alexandria were in progress. Dredging work for the improvement of the Waihou and Ohinemuri Rivers was being effectively carried out by the Government dredge. Two new contracts for stop-bank construction had been let", and much more of this class of work remained to be done before the improvement scheme was carried to completion. Goldfields and Other Votes. The sum of £100' was voted last year for testing the Thames deep levels, "and £91 was expended. There is no vote for this purpose this year. The subsidy to the Thames Deep Levels Board is also j discontinued. The vote for the Waihou and Ohinemuri Rivers improvement scheme is £20,000. There was a liability of £283 at the end of March. The sum of £2000 was voted ' last year, and £9225 was expended. Tire votes include passage-money in payment of reduced fares for nominated immigrants, £32,000. Necessity for Economy During War. In conclusion, the Minister expressed his great regret at the necessity that existed during the continuance of the war to curtail expenditure on roads, bridges, and railways. Much had been done in the past in regard to roading, but much more still required to be done, in order to enable the produce of the land to be brought to market, especially as settlement was progressing so rapidly. New Zealand wis incurring enormous responsibilities in connection with the war, and the only way in which the consequent burden of taxation could be borne would be by increasing the quantity of the products from the land, and the facilities for their transport to ports of shipment. This would have to be the chief consideration after peace had been proclaimed. "Meantime everything must give way," said the Minister, "to the imperative necessity for assisting the Empire to emerge victorious from the present gigantic struggle to maintain our freedom untrammelled by German domination."

i Exi pended ' Vote, last New vote. 1915. year. £ £ £ Kaihu ... ... 1,000 8,000 12,858 Hokianga 10,000 26.000 18,639 -Kirikopuni South ... 1,000 ) 8,000 ( 6,301 Xaiwaka North ... 30,000 ) ( 40,648 1, . " 'arei 50.000 60.000 64,321 Waipu 1,000 2.000 289 AVatuku 15,000 20,000 20.301 Awaroa 2,000 20,000 14,590 East Coast— Waihi-Tauranga 10,000 20,000 14,356 Tauranga - Je Maunga ... 10.000 20,000 6,199 Maunganui - Taneatua ... 25,000 40.000 41.801 _Gisborne-Moin ... 6,000 12,000 4,827 Napier-Gisborne— Gisborne 20.000 23.000 47.316 Wairoa-Gisborne 10.000 12.000 990 Wairoa-Napier ... 1,000 5,000 — Napier-Wa:roa ... 20.000 20.000 17,249 Mount Egmont ... 100 1,000 — Opunake 25,000 40,000 25.205 Stratford, east end 50.000 ) 80.000 ( 71.628 Stratford, west end 20,000 ) ( Raetihi 15,000 20.000 20.314 Rangitikei 100 3,000 — Martinborough ... 100 5,000 — Total ...£322.300 £444.000 £426,830 Votes for South Island Lines. The following are the corresponding vote* and expenditures for the South Island lines : — Expended New 1915 last Vote. Vote. year. £ £ £ Main Trunk . . 10.000 15,000 13.692 Midland— Kelson . . . . 8,000 15,000 S,382 Reefton . . . . 1,000 2,000 196 Otira . . . . 60,000 70.000 74.173 Broken River . . 1.000 6,000 — Inangahua . . . . 2.0CO 10,000 9.034 Point Elizabeth . . 1,000 1,000 76 Waiau . . .. 20.000 15.000 9,653 Waimate . . . . 2,000 10.000 9,355 Roxburgh . . . . 500 4,000 1.000 Otago Central . . 15,000 15.000 14.584 Tuaoeka Mouth . . 200 5.000 41 Catlins . . . . 200 2,000 1,223 Heddon Bush .. 6,000 8.000 — Orepuki . . . . 6,000 10,000 5.713 132.900 ISS.000 147.152 Additions to Open Lines. The following are the figures in regard to additions to open lines:— New Spent, vote. 1915-6. £ £ Way and works branch ... 60,750 43,783 North Island main lines and branches 16,200 14,868 Whangarei Section — 43 Gisbome. Section 6,500 113 Nelson Section 150 389 Picton Section ... ... 6.400 59 Westland Section — 830 Interlocking signal gear. fixed signals, tablet installation, telegraphs and telephones 10.000 11.616 Loco, branch rolling stock 240.000 316.725 Workshops, machinery ... 10,000 13,826 Totals £350,000 £402,252