PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXIX, Issue 122, 15 July 1911, Page 5

PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME.

DETAILED SCHEDULE. An important outline of the Dominion’s future public works programme was given by the Minister for Public Works, the Hon. 11. McKon/'e, at Wakefield, Nelson, on Wednesday night. In detailing, approximately, what ho considered would be required to complete the Main Trunk system of both Islands, the Minister specified the following items: —

PUBLIC WORKS PDROGRAMMEP This amount of expenditure would provide a fairly complete system of public buildings, roads and railways, thoroughly woll-equippcd, together with a complete telephone and telegraphic system, and a large proportion of hydro-electric power.

FINDING THE MONEY. There were only two solutions to the problem of how to find the wherewithal, namely, ley borrowing or by surplus borrowing ; but probably the best, soundest, and safest was by a combination of both—that was, partly from surplus revenue and partly by loan. So long as the money was invested in reproductive works and investments that would pay their way he was strongly of opinion that these works should be undertaken and completed within a reasonable period. He would, therefore, provide a third of the cost—-or, say, £500,000 a year —out of surplus revenue and profits made from those undertakings themselves, and the balance out of loan money, which would be raised at the rate of about a million storing per annum. SELF-RELIANCE. It has been suggested by Mr Massey that the self-relant policy had been abandoned by the Liberal party, but he could show that it was being carried out more vigorously than ever. The total amount, transferred to the Public Works fund out of revenue by tli© Liberal Government has been £8,030,000 making the total amount of loans since Sir Julius Vogel’s borrowing policy *was inaugurated as amounting to £81,030,000. Conserva-

tive Governments had been responsible for £38,000,000 of the total during twenty years of the time they had been in power, and the Liberals had raised £42,000,000 during a similar period.

COST OF RAISING LOANS. It was important to turn to the question of how much it had cost to raise these moneys. The Conservative party had no less than seven millions in revenue deficiencies and the cost of conversion and flotation of its 33 millions. The Liberal pa-ty raised a larger sum at a cost of kss than two millions, so that there vtas no comparison between the business methods of the two parties in regard to loan flotations.

North Auckland (Kaiwaka to Kaikohe), 70 miles East Coast Main Trunk, ■ Waihi-Tauranga 45 miles Tauranga-Opotiki, 80 miles Opotiki-Gisborne, 60 miles Gisborne-N apier, 116 miles £ 700.000 350.000 600.000 900,000 1,200,000 Total, East Coast 3,050,000 Stratford-Ongarue (Poho-kura-Ongarue), 76 miles South Island Main Trunk (Ward-Domett), 100 miles Mictland-Glcnhopa landing, Tadmor-Inangahua, 60 'miles Cronaduu-Inangahua, 10 miles Otira-Bealey, 9 miles Cass-Bealey, 15 miles 740.000 1,000,000 750.000 30,000 450.000 100.000 Total Midland 1,330,000 Westport-Inangahua, 20 miles Oatlin’s-Waimahaka (Honi-papa-Waimahaka), 50 miles 280,000 500,000 Total Gatlins 7,600,000 Branch railways (say) another Public buildings and schools Roads ... Additions to open lines Hydro-electric power and migration Telegraph extension and harbours 7,400,000 3.000. 4.000. 3.000. 2.000. 1,000,000 Grand total ... 28,000,000