PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

Colonist, Volume LVII, Issue 14142, 19 July 1916, Page 7

PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

AN ECONOMICAL POLICY

WORKING ON UNEXPENDED

VOTES

RAILWAY

EXPffiXDITURE

REDUCED

The Minister for Public Works (Hon, W. Fraser) delivered the Public Works Statement in the House of Representatives yesterday. In the course of the Statement he said:—

When the .Public Worl« Statoiaeut of 1915-16 "wa-3 beicg discasseii by the House I made it quite clear that I had no intention -of expending during the financial year the whole of the. moneys I was asking Parliament to entrust to me. On the contrary, 1 expressed my determination to endeavour to distribute the expenditure of these moneys over a period of two years instead of over one year. That I have succeeded in this endeavour is proved by the fact that after expending x inciusive cf the cost of raising loan^i £'2,3-l<y.U-l out of the Public Works Fund. I had still to the credit of that fund on March 31st, ]916, the sum of-£1,835,201 (cash £1,293,101). I feol conlic&nc that I c>m expiessing the opinion'of the whole community that this sum should suffice for the needs of the current year as far as'public works are concerned, and the Estimates are framed on that basis. ' To ensure this result the Estimates for roads and bridges for lklG-17 will consist only of the unespeiulotl votes on the Estimates for 1910-16. To irevent misapprehension let mo here state that the Public \YYorks loan of £-]~(}OG.----000 authorised under the Finance Bill now before tho House is not intended to provide any further money for roads, bridges, railways, etc., during the currenty year, but some portion of if will bo available, if necessary, to continue expenditure on such work-} from March 3Lst, 1917, . until Parl:.n went meets again, by which., time wu all liope aixi trust, that peace will have been proclaimed. ■;'■".

The provision I am. making for loads and bridges is only about, £4500 less than what I expended last year, but the provision for railway expenditure lias had in consequence to be reduced by £200,000. Owing to the foregoing rea■sons t 1 have been unable tcpmafce any provision on the Estimates for applications for new gra.Qt3 for r tails and bridges. I propose, however, to partially overcome this difficulty' in the following manner:—i a,n tan ing power in the Appropriation Act to transfer the sums now allocated r.n this year's' Estimates for such roads and bridges! which a local body may deem of iiiinorj importance to other more urgontfy! needed works, which do not appear on! the said Estimate.--, but :,rc situated! in the same county, thus in reality, providing' money for i.ew worts. This v ill, I feel confident help to meet the views of many local bodies. On April Ist, 19io. the available ways and means for Public Works purposes' were £695,762, and further funds were! received as under: Under the Aid toi Public Works and Lands Settlement ■ Act. 1914, £929.900: under the Finance' Act of 1915, £2,000.000; under the Finance Act to cover i of rais-l ang loan, £5030; other receipts and recoveries, £7353: making a gross total of £3,638,045. The ordinary expenditure of the year amounted to £2.339.:)07, p!us the' expenses of raising loans, A'-IW?, thus i bringing the total disbursements up to £2,344,944. This loaves a balance to the credit of the Wa>/s and iUeans Account at the end of xlw year of £1 293,----1101. For the current year it is proposed to provide additional funds as undf.r : —Balance of authorised loan money I still to be raised, .fiol-VlOO; nakingtlm total v/a.ys and means' for 1916-17 £1,838,201. i The estimated expenditure for publicj works for the current year ; excluding separate accounts having their own ways and me-ans) amounts to £1,838,000. leaving an estimated balance of £201 tr be carried forward to next year ',1917-18). In addition to the amounts- descrfbed above wo have authority To r •;.«<•) outride the Public Worko Fund the'following sums: Under the Aid to VWU-r-pnWivr Act, ll'lO, £191,000; under tho Waihou and Ghinomuri Rivers Iniprcnemont Act 1910, £50,000. RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION. Two lengths of railway ?;ore opened : for regular■'traffic during tho financial! year, namely, Huntly to Av.aroa, and Ward to Wharanui. The Lotal expenditure on railway construction and im-j provements works during the year was, £1,204,921. Details :^-NW lilies £»u2, (JIS,/additions to open lines jT-101,252, Railways .Improvement .'Account £139,----750. During the year construction work was completed on tlie BuntlyAwaroa line. Work was suspended on the Kajhu Valley extension, at Kaikoho, Kirikopuni, ani Motu, and on the Westport-Inangahua ;uid Waimate extensions and on the Waiau-Urawia j Ktction. Works are still in ])rogress at; sixteen points. '.-Important bridge works- on several lines are delayed: owing to the impossibiliny of obtaining; steel material from England. PUBLIC BUrtmNGS.-; The Expenditure during tise past financial year v»as £3H;' 7/ i.; The -appiopriation nroposoi for the. current Tear is £364,000. The principal i£'p:«s .of'ox-1 penditure were ji. m>w J'ailia.neutj Buildings,, Police i-Jawlqirnrtors, an-l! Gdvornmeiit Pi:;U-ing Oaico, Wollingtcn.!

IMPORTANCE OF ROAD&. .

The Minister expresses his great'regret at the. necessity that exists dur-~ ing the continuance of tho war to curtail expenditure,'on roads, budges, and railways. .Wuch las l;e<-n done iv tho past-in regari to roading. but rn'.-i more still inquires to be done m 01 tier1 to enable the pre<!.ce t>f the lnn:J to be brought 10 rnarkct^ t-spwiallv a^ settlement ;s iMo^rrfssi'ig rai»i;lly" New Zealand is nicuri'.'ig an ennniMJUb responsibility in conn«f;tif>n with the war and che otily way \n wSuch the •.•oivse^. quent burden ot laxm on "can lie l-.me will be by im-rei* •.»* tlio quantity ul our product? from the land and the facilities for transport of ilu- >:;:•' t . tn ports of shipai..-i.«L This Mill hnvo to be the chief ('i.;3«l.";it 0:1 :iu-i ]n\ir Q has been proei i'iiii»i]. Li tho n;enntn;,p everj-thing -.nust give way to the imperative necessity of assisting the Knipire to emerge victorious from the piosent gigantic struggle to maintain our freedom >intrammclled by German <lomination. ESTBLITES. j Expended. Current last 3'ear. vote. £ £ Departmental 111,422 114,000 Railway construction 1,065^171 800 000 Public buildings 335,774 364,000 Lighthouses/harbour works, and harbour defences 13,0,3 1-1,000 Tourist and health resorts 5,167 0.000 jlmmigration 10,010 15,00() Roads and..bridges 424,494 420,000 Development of mining 6602 6,0001 Telegraph extension 249,554 300^000 Contingent Defence 37,619 30,000 Lands improvement 5,936 10,000 Irrigation and water supply — 4 5 000 Plant, material, and stores. 7<J,418 20,000 ; The total of the votes for the current year is £1,838,000. Other proposed votes out of separate accounts arc: Railways improvement, £200,000- aid to water-power works, £55,000; irrigation and water Supply, £4745; Wailioa ™ Ohmemiin rivers improvement, £20,000; lands for settlement roads' £100,000; National Endowment roads, RAILWAY VOTES. Details of the vote for railway construction for the current year arc-— Kaihu extension, £1000; * KawakawaRok.la.nga, £10,000; North Auckland *u£n t""^ , Kilik °I jUJ" southwards t-lOtX), Ivaiwaka nortlnvards £30 000Vv hangarei-North Auckland Main Trunk, £50,000; Waipu branch, £1000- - £15,000; Hur.tlv-Awa- \™>., .^«>; Coast Main Trunk Waihi-lauranga JBJO,IKK), Tauranga-Te "^SS? P" V 3O0 * M^nganui-Tan^tua £2o 000, Gisborne-Motu £6000; JVapier-ta-isborne, Gisborne-Wairoa £20,000 Wairoa-Gisborne £10,000, Wairoa-Na-pier £10,000, Napier-Wairoa £20,000; Mount Eigmont branch, £100; Opunake branch, £25,000; Sti atford Main £20,000; Raetihi-Main Trank, £15 000----j stone quarry line, Rangitfkei river,' 1 A S; a ea*?" erfitoii " . £100; South Island Main Trunk £X) - jUUU; Midland, Kelson end £8000, Reefton end £100,* ■ Otira-Bealey £60 000 I Broken River-Bealey £1000; j Inang.nhi ia , £200, Greymouth-Point SW^Sx- 1000; C^-erclcn-Waiau, s.™&)0; } Vaimata branch extension m ; o Lawrence-Roxbvrgh, £500, Ota SO Central, £] 5,000 ; Balchuha-Tua-l>eka Mouth, £200; Catliiu-Waima-Sn?, £2(S-; Winion-Heddon Bush, r?SS?' 1 Orcpuki-Waiau .extension, ±1200: land claims, damages, or losses °^r^ ods in trailsit- and other liabilities rS?: surveys new lines of railway, 200 IX)ma:uont V™Y materials, £70,-