Untitled

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4164, 25 July 1874, Page 2

The Hon. the Minister of Public Works made his Annual Statement to the House of Representatives last night. Considerable interest appeared to be manifested in the subject, the galleries being full, and the House itself remarkably well attended. The Statement will be found on another page. The appendices are numerous, and some of the tables remarkably full and minute. These include a classified account of the expenditure and liabilities to June 30 last on railways, bridges, plant, and rolling-stock. From it we observe that the expenditure in tho North Island up to the date mentioned was £550,558 ; in the Middle Island, £1,315,728 ; unapportionable, £641; and for material, £93,479; total, £1,960,407. That was as regards land, surveys, and preliminary workings, grading, bridges, and culverts, fencing, permanent way in New Zealand, permanent way in England, rolling-stock, stations, engineering, and office expenses, incidental, &c. The expenses and liabilities for survey and construction amounted to £3,660,881, the summary being—Auckland, £518,634 ; Hawke's Bay, £159,668 ; Wellington, £325,862 ; Taranaki, £68,316 ; General Contingencies, £184; Westland, £73,223 ; Nelson, £108,392; Marlborough, £120,401; Canterbury, £786,284 ; Waitaki Bridge, £70,093 ; Otago, £1,244,495 ; unapportionable, £641; sleepers, £91,202; material, insurance, &c, £93,479. Dipping into the other tables, we see that on roads and tramways in Bay of Islands district of the Province of Auckland the exDenditure last year was £16,730; on Shoal Bay and roads north of Auckland, £9199 ; on Mangare bridge, £9409 ; in Waikato, £7451; in Bay of Plenty, £12,713 ; Poverty Bay, £4539 ; Taupo, £1225 ; Hawke'3 Bay (Napier district), £3645 ; Seventy-Mile Bush (Takapau and the Gorge), £23,412 ; Wairoa, £124; Wellington (Wanganui and Patea), £9885; and a sum of £1968 in other localities ; in Manawatu, £9376, the expenditure on the Gorge alone representing £9042 ; on the Manawatu tramway (Foxton to Palmerston), £7748 ; on the Opoki Gorge, £10,331; in Taranaki, at Patea-Waiti, £13,534 ; at New Plymouth, £1025 ; and at Hawera-Waitara, £10,516. Roads in the Middlo Island cost as follows: Westland, £74,203; Nelson, £56,475. The total expenditure and liabilities in connection with water-races was £297,391, of which £60,098 was duo to the Thames ; £103,000 to tho Waimea works ; £IO,OOI to the Kanieri; £51,417 to Nelson Creek ; £40,000 to Mount Ida ; and £12,996 to Waipori. In the prospecting and development of coalfields £5253 had been expended, £2039 of which was in Nelson, and £1417 in Auckland.