Poverty Bay Herald PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE. SATURDAY, NOV. 9, 1907 PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 11122, 9 November 1907, Page 4

Poverty Bay Herald PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE. SATURDAY, NOV. 9, 1907 PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

The Public Works Statement is a plain, unvarnished tale of the expenditure of energy in various directions in developmental work by the State. It shows that good practical work is being done in extending the Dominion's communications, last year's operations having established a record for money expended, work done and miles of railway opened to traffic, whilst the roading completed and maintained, the number of public buildings constructed and the various other public services rendered by the Department make a very successful . showing. For .the. future the Government intend to maintain a prudent policy, so far as borrowing, is concerned,- and will not exceed the -limits that rhas . been set ; for some years: post, "a loan expenditure of one milh lion a year. With surplus funds from the general revenue and. other, sources of income the . amount available for • expenditure is just ever two. million pounds, and the current^ year's programme; attempts to make a ; very "v f aiiv distribution of this fund. ; . We should have -liked -to; have seen larger appropriations for this district, but have got neither more nor less- than- we expected,- and imtil the North Island Main, Trunk line is completed, ' into the construction of which the Government are putting praiseworthy, energy, we can hardly hope -for larger railway grants. Next iyear estimates should show a much more liberal allocation, for the GisbbrneRotorua.lihe. It is satisfactory to learn that a tender 'has at last -been accepted for the Waikohu bridges,' but it was needless for the . Minister to dwell on the difficulties of the., line beyond,; for we : understand that' a very practicable^. route, to Motur has been pegged off. The Statement makes an important announcement regarding the proposed -purchase of the Manawatu railway, which will be received >with. approval; from one end of New Zealand to , the other, and it is satisfactory also to find the Government are .relaxing their dog-in-the-mahger policy : in regard to the utilisation of water power for electrical purposes, and .propose to permit the utilisation of some of the power available y by . private enterprise. This may open the way to the development of a great national asset. An important step has been taken in the letting of the Arthur's Pass tunnel contract, one of the greatest railway works south of the Line, and -whatever views we may hold regarding the policy of Midland railway we can only, hope that the contractors will have success with their en-

terprise, and that within a few years we may see the East and West Coasts linked together. The Government deserve credit for their courage and firmness in declining to go further with the Otago Central railway, an expensive Avork that has yet to justify its existence. Altogether the statement shows that the public works policy of Sir Joseph Ward and his Ministry is safe and progressive.