MONEY FOR STATE WORKS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19124, 16 September 1925, Page 13

MONEY FOR STATE WORKS.

VOTES TOTAL £7,598,500. OVER £2,000,000 FOR RAILWAYS. ' MILLION FROM SURPLUSES. LOAN OF £4,000,000 PROPOSED, t 1 [BY TELEGRAPH. —SPECUL REPORTER.] * WELLINGTON, Tuesday. The total net expenditure under all votes and accounts appearing on the Publie Works Estimates for the financial year ended March 31, was £6,258,952, Of this sum £4,373,370 was expended out of gen- • eral purposes account, and £1,885,582 out 3 of special accounts. Appropriation!-, proJ posed for the current financial year, underall heads, total £7,598,500, as cou pared ? with a total of £8,143,235 voted last year. Following are details of the votes pro- •> posed, less estimated credits-in-aid, coraj pared with last year's expenditure: — The expenditure from the general pur--1 poses account shown above does not in--5 elude charges and expenses of raising loans, £241,930. | GENERAL PURPOSES ACCOUNT. Vote,. Expended. > 19-25-26. 1924-25. Departmental r.. 134,000 127,493 Railways— , Railway construction 1,150,000 1,13a,807 Additions to open lines 900,000 742,922 Public buildings .. 303,000 245,818 Timber-supply and sawmills . •. .. 3,000 20.537 Quarries .. • • 20,000 1,815 Lighthouses and harbour works .. .. 17,000 3,275 Tourist resorts .. 50,000 12,343 Immigration .. •. 200,000 136,353 Roads, bridges and other works .. . • 689,500 606,723 Telegraph extension .. 995,000 957,294 Motor transport . .. 5,000 5,000 Contingent defence .. 45,000 27,133 Lands improvement .. 72,000 34,172 Irrigation, water-supply i and .. 100,000 127,995 Plant, material and ; stores .. .. 35,000 *12,229 Total—General purposes .. . £4,718,500 £4,131,377 Transfer to Main Highways Construction Fund 200,000 Electric supply account 1,045,000 847,478 , Waihou and Ohinemuri Rivera account .. 70,000 53,887 Total Public Works Fund .. .. £6,033,500 £5,032,742 SEPARATE ACCOUNTS. Land for settlements .. 30,000 23,144 Main highways construction +435,000 225,454 Railways improvement 820,000 273,407 Education loans ..■ 480,000 462,212 "Credit. above £200,000 transferred from Public Works Fund. New Railway Works. Following are the votes for railway construction. together with the expenditure coring 1924-25 RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION. Vote. Expended. 1925-26. 1924-25. Kaihu Extension .. North Auckland Main Trunk— Huarau, northwards .. 270,000 316,622 Whangarei branch .. 15,000 31,862 Wiypu branch* .. DargaVille branih 10,000 Huntly branch .. East Coast Main Trunk— Paeroa-Pokeno ~ 2,000 2,097 Waihi-Taneatua 300,000 235,161 Gisborne-Napier „. 200,000 152,359 Waikokopu branch .. 50,000 57,918 Opunake branch . .. 60,000 72,392 Stratford-Main Trunk . 100.000 72,389 Paekakariki deviation . Midland— Glenhope-Murchison . 30,000 24,636 Otira-Bealey ~ - Westport-Inanguhua .. 30,000 14,837 Greymouth-Pt. Elizabeth Orepuki-Waiau . .. 10,000 19,545 Lawrence-Roxburgh .. 50,000 49,867 Land claims, etc. .. 1,000 51 Surveys (now lines) .. 3,000 2,979 Permanent-way materials 19,000 52,606 Totals .. ..£1,150,000 £1,135,807 ♦Transferred to vote "roads, etc." +Credit. ADDITIONS TO OPEN LINES. Vote. Expended. 1925-26. 1924-25. Way and Works branch— North Island .. 80,000 77,123 South Island .. 63,500 37,386 Frankton honse factory 200,000 229,586 Land for housing .. 35,000 38,965 Signal gear, telegraphs, and telephones .. 1,200 57,886 Locomotive Branch— Workshops machinery 35,000 43,809 Rolling stock— Locomotives, carriages & waggons 300,000 202,058 Locomotives constructed in United Kingdom 215,000 Locomotives constructed in New Zealand .. 70,000 59,287 999,700* 746,100 Credits-in-aid »i- 99,700 3,178 Totals v* .. £900,000 £742,922 The total vote for railways is £2,050,000, which is £50,000 more than last year's vote, of which £1,878,729 was expended. The Department's Finances. Including £1,000,000 transferred from the Consolidated Fund, loan money and sundry receipts, the department's resources during the past year were £4,753,248, excluding £2216,000 transferred to the main highways construction fund. The net expenditure was £4,373,809, leaving a credit balance in the account for general purposes at March. 31, of £379,439. Legisla-. tive authority exists for raising £4,000,920. It is proposed to transfer from accumulated surplus to capital purposes (if required) to the extent of £1,000,000, and to ask for further authority to borrow, when required, £4,000,000, thus making available for public works general purposes, a total of £9,380,359. In addition the balance in respect of some of the more important public works under special accounts, plus legislative authority to raise additional loans, amounted to £11,936,968, or a total of £21,317,327. Details of the votes proposed for roads and bridges are given on page 15. REPAIRING FLOOD DAMAGE. HEAVY OUTLAY LAST YEAR. SPECIAL RESERVES PROPOSED. [BY TELEGRAPH.—SPECUL REPORTER.} WELLINGTON. Tuesday. Expenditure by the Public Works Department arising from flood damage to roads and bridges unfortunately constituted a record during last year. In very many cases the cost of restoration was beyond the resources of the local bodies, and the Government was appealed to for liberal assistance. "I desire to point out in this connection that the granting of Government assistance for restoration of flood damage is very closely controlled," the Minister states. ''Every application for Government aid is very carefully investigated by the department, and before any subsidy is approved the local body's ability to meet the cost of restoration from its own financial resources, and the question whether any or all of the damage can be attributed to neglected maintenance, illconsidered design, faulty constructional work, or to causes beyond the reasonable provision of the local authority, is careulJv examined." The Minister considers a better method of financing the repair of flood damage is necessary. "The expenditure may be a serious drain on the Government's financial resources, but it is crippling on the local authorities," he says. "I am of the opinion that local authorities should be empowered, and required by legislation, to set up reserve funds to provide for such exceptional occurrences. This proposal is being investigated by departmental officers, and it is hoped that a means may be evolved whereby the revenue of any one : year should be relieved of the heavy > drain due to those .spasmodic occurrences. ** >