PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 61, 9 November 1907, Page 5

PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT

> (By Telegraph from Wellington). Tlx Acting - Minister for l'ubli Works, the Hon. J. JlcGowan, presentc his Public Works Statement to th Boom last night. After referring t the illness of the Minister for l'ubli Worts (the Hon. W. Hall-Jones), an his absence from the Dominion in searcl of health, the wish is expressed that may return enabled to resume thi duties of his high position. EXPENDITURE. The total expenditure on works am Services "'borne upon the Public Works Estimates amounted to no less thar £2,208,605, or, if special accounts having their own ways and means are fx eluded, the total charges against the Public Works Fund total £2,040,31!) The amount spent on new railways during the year and the total amount expended since the inauguration of tiie Public Works Policy was as follows: Past Gross Year. Exp'diture

£ £ New railways 919,730 19,591,00 Addition to ppen lines 309,150 3.528,45 Water po-er .. 4,044 B,or, Roads .. 347,470 7,537,72 Public buildings .. 227,0!) 3.578.5# Immigration 14,353 2_.177.5S Purchase Native Lands .. 9,135 Lighthouses, harbor works, and liarbor defences 4,504 1.017,65; Tourist and health resorts .. 42,272 113,-,2< Telegraph extenaion 114,008 1,324,241 Coldfields development .. 11,004 778,025 Defence works .. 14374 869.504 Departmental 16,710 550,117 Works and services .. .. 6,100 326,757 Obit raising loans 5,174 1.244,128 Totals £2,035,145 £44.829,011 The total expenditure from the inauguration of the Public Works Policv to 31st December, 1890, was £28,898!145; and the expenditure from Ist January, 1801, to 31st March, 1907, totalled [£17,930,865. WAYS AND MEANS. At the 31st March, 1906, tie available of ways and means for public Works purposes was £492,298; and further funds were received as under:—Balance of £1,000,000 raised under tlif Loan Act of 1905, £182,036; amount raised under the similar Act, 1906, £943,600; premiums received on sales and renewals Of debentures, £15,834; transferred from revenue, £775,000; miscellaneous receipts, £1560. Keceipts—Gross total, £2,410.378. The ordinary expenditure of the vear •mounted to £2,040,319, and charges and expenses in connection with financing •mounted to £10,659, thus bringing the total disbursements up to £2,105,978, leaving a credit balance at the end of (he year of £359,400. THE CURRENT TEAR. Tor the current year it is proposed to provide additional funds as under:— Bailee of 1906 loan, £56,400; new loan of 1907, £1,000,000; transfer from Consolidated Fund, £BOO,OOO total, £2,215,800. The estimated expenditure for Public Works for the current year, excluding separate accounts having their own ways and means, amounts to £■? - 104951, thus leaving a balance of f £loß*9 to be carried forward to the I lew year. KAHWAY CONSTRUCTION. The gross total expenditure on works for the year amounted to £1,345,795. On the MA IN TRUNK last year, including the value of permanent way materials, there was expended £4oo.o(j(i, and for the current year £330,000 ;* proposed. Next year will see the completion of this great work. Since last Statement 60 miles of railway have been completed and_ opened, and rails •re laid and ballast trains running < .1 •a additional 80 miles. The following table shows the expenditure on liues last year and jhe Government proposals lor the current year:— Past Van Year. P'posel „ £ £ Kawakawa - Grahamstown .. 10,624 15,000 Setauville (North) .. 46,004 40,000 IWaihi - Tauranga .. 18,428 20,"09 -Hew Plymoath-Sentry Hill deviation .. 24,243 15.000 Stratford - Ongarue .. 12,881 20.099 Mount Egmont branch 17,258 15.000 Mam Trunk (exclusive permanent way material) .. 362,101 330.0f0 Blenheim-Waipara 46,076 40/ ik) Midland .. 129.019 60..100 Westport-Inangahua 8,575 10.009 Ngahere-Blaekbc.il 11,596 15.000 Bokitika-Ross .. 21,628 20,000 Culverden-Hanmer .. Otago Central.. .. 38,274 10.900 Isiwrenee-Roxburgh .. 15,959 . 20.000 CKtlins 18,145 40,000 Kirersdale - Switzera 3,551 • 8,010 Orepuki-Waiau 9,955 20.*3) In addition to the amounts alreadv ■rationed for railway construction, I '£70,000 18 proposed for permanent way Materials, £2OOO for surveys of new lines, and £IOOO for land claims. These items bring the total proposed appropriations for construction purposes, e.vefasire of Waikaka branch (being bni't by debenture under special Act), to t£775,000. TARANAKI LINES. - New Plymouth-Sentry Hill Deviation. •—The deviation of the New PlymouthBentry Hill line commenoes near Waimkaiho bridge, and extends to the New Plymouth station, covering about one Bile and three-quarters. The work was VaderUken with a view to reducing the ■fades on the existing route, some of Wrich are as steep as 1 in 40, and also fat the purpose of avoiding the riumer00* level crossings at present existing, more particularly that of Devon-street, which is tEe main thoroughfare of the town. The new line is approaching Completion, and will be ready for traffic •t an early date. The expenditure last l year amounted to £24,243, and the vote year is £15,000. Stratford-Ongarue. The section as far as Huiroa, nearly sixteen miles from Btratford, is nearing completion, and will ■hortly be available for traffic, and a commencement made with the Tewera section. The new section is an important one, is it will bring the line into touch with the main road from Whangamomona, and will thus be the means of drawing a largely increased traffic to the railway. Pet Ft ion? have been pretested to Parliament praying for a commencement with works at the Ongarue end of the line, and ou the completion of the Main Trunk it would be convenient to transfer to this work a portion of the Departmental staff and plant tad a number of workmen at presenl employed on the larger undertaking Before this can be done however, it will ,I>e necessary to have surveys made tc definitely determine the point on th< main line that will l>est serve for a junction, and to exactly define the routi Of the first few miles of the brand line which has not been definitely fixei •t present. It is possible that Puketntu In the Mokau Valley, may prove to t> the better point of junction, and I prn pose to put the necessary surveys i Band to determine this question as soo 12 » suitable officer is at liberty. Th expenditure 0 n the StratJT-rd-Ongani railway during the late financial yea Was £12381, and '£20,000 is propose for this year. Mount Egmont Branch-The wort on this railway up to rnd including tl Crushnyr-statfcm are aearing compjetio and it is expected that this portion i the line will be handed over to the Ra way Department and regular crushii of stone nmmenced by Christmas nej

T l . .\penditurc nn the line last year sniuiintw! to Cl7i.iß. and for the curicnt year £15,000 is proposed. ADDITIONS TO LIXES. The amount pxpended on addition* lo Hues during the year was C3MS.ISQ. the bulk on rolling stock. For the jiirlent year £350.000 is required. I hp vote proposed for the llutt Raiiw.ir duplication is £70,000. The total expenditure out of the Railways Improvements Authorisation Act Account last year amounted to For the current year provision has been made on the Estimates fr.r the following Supination works:— £ J&uckland-Penrose . > .. fio.oof AddingtOnßolleston .. .. 40 OOf Dnnedin-Mosgiel .. .. .. loo.C'tf KELLIXGTOX-MAXAWATU RAILWAY. Ju the Main Trunk is expected to I>. Completed by the end of next year, i ia desirable that thp question of tn purchase of the Wellington-Ma nnwati Railway should again receive attenthr as if it is decided to purchase m term of the Railways Construction and I-n Art, 1881. it will be necessary to pit' twelve month"' notice to the compan; Fueh notice should therefore lie give |t M early date if it U to mature liefoi

T the Main Trunk is finisSied. Ilavi ■ given the matter careful eonsiderati the Government tins decided to at oi g»e notice to the company of its inl< tion to take over the railway in twji j months' time. Ie UTILISATION OF WATER-POWEr 0 _ The Government considers that t x- i t, ® Q for euibarkiug on these undt u tokings, involving verv, largd oxpori« b t . ure ' has hardly yet arrived. As soo 0 '""'ever, as Uie expenditure on tl c -North Island M.mi Trunk ceases, i> the demands on the Public Works Fin are generally less pressing, it won doubtless be advantageous to tal action in the matter of developing ni • or more of the most promising of tl 1 schemes outlined. In the meantime is proposed to lease some of the wate power available for actual use by pr ' "><■ enterprise. C 4664 was cxp'ende la.it year, ami for tlie current wi €2OOO is proposed. j _ IRRIGATION. Provision is made "for £3OOO (on a count of £IOO,OOO proposed to be pr< , >'(led for the purpose) for irrigatio ' . . water-supply in agricultural .in mining districts. Some prcliminai. work in the shape of explorations an surveys lias already been done, but du' ing the ap|iroaching summer season i is hoped to proceed with actual con struct ion operation?. PUBLIC BUILDINGS. The total expenditure on public ImiM ings out of voles controlled bv l'ubli' Works amounted last linanrial'ycar tr t2.s9.ti3l—namely. £32,713 under th, Consolidated Fund and t'22i1.91,s undei the Public Works Fund. Tliis i s in e>-. cess_ by over £70.000 of the previ-.us year's figure", and by over fIIIO.OOO of the figures for 1!»14 5. For the current year, votes totalling £311.000 under the Consolidated Fund ami £251,800 under the Public Works Fund are proposed, iwis is in addition to the substantia.! provision for school buildings under the Consolidated Fund in the votes under the control of the Minister of Edueition. GENERAL, The buildings under this head are in creasing. During 1905-0 expenditure amounted to £2303, whereas last year £15,263 was expended, and for the 'current year n vote of £30.000 is COURTHOUSES. The expenditure under this head \v;inot exceptionally heavy. The present year's votes provides for new buildin - and site at Auckland, and new buildings, amongst other places, at Waitara an] Eithani. POLICE STATIONS. The current year's vote provides for new stations, amongst other places, at New Plymouth. TOST AN'I) TELEGRAPH. During the year the expenditure amounted to £43,800, the chief items being new offices. The vote proposed for the current year provides for forty-two new offices (enumerated), no provision being made for TaranaE. SCHOOLS. The total expenditure on sch.iol buildings during la=t year was £195,835, of which £80,376 wa.s debited to revenue and £109,459 to the Public Works Fund. The principal works carried out directly under the control of the Government were the erection of additional buildings at the Boys Training Farm, u eraroa. and completion of the mm building and south wing of the n,rv school for deaf iautes at Sumner, niso the erection of Native school buildings it Tokikuku (Rawliitiroa), near l!a<'l:in, additions to existing schools at Waim.i Hauaroa (Taumaninui), Oruanui, ini IVaitahanui, and a residence at Jl'ataca. For the current year, in addition to the rote under tlie Consolidated Fund an ippropriation of £IOO.IHK3 is asked' for >ut of the Public Works Fund to wo fide for school buildings generally, aho wildings for Native and industrial 'chools, reformatories, home for defe:lives, the public institute for the blind it Auckland and the School for deaf mutes, also grants for providing techlical schools and training colleges iiad ror buildings for the Victoria College, ind for ten secondary schools. c OTHER BUILDINGS. Hospitals.—Under the head of general hospitals, there was an expenditure of £10,259 for new buildings and improvenents during the year. The Jlangonui md Stratford hospitals were finished ind are now open. The vote for the ■urrent year is to a large extent a re- ; •ote of the unexpended balance on last •ears appropriations, but provides alio or further a'dditions at Rawene, C'on nan,lei. and Ilokitika, also for St. ■Wen's hospital at Wellington, and the mruhase of property for a similar h >sjital at Dunedin, and a small new linslital for emergency cases at Te Arohn. ilso for special cases at each of the four centres. AGRICULTURE. For tlie current year a vote of £300) IS proposed to provide additional buildings at experimental farms at Raukuri, Ar.itaki. and Weraroa, accommoda'i oi for cadets at Raukura, also some further buildings at Wallaecville. Provision is made for offices at Gisborii". Wairoa, New Plymouth, and Palm -r----ton and additions to the office in Au.-k----land. PUBLIC lIEALTn. The vote for the current year provides for a new wharf at the ouarantinii station at Auckland, and lor Cue completion of the wharf at a similar station in Wellington and other work at the quarantine stations at Lyttelton and Bluff. A considerable vote is also proposed under the head of sub sidies to local authorities on the cos: of erecting infectious diseases hospitals and sanatoria and annexes for consumptives. ROADS, BRIDGES, ETC. It is true, says the Minister, that the construction of railways has rendered immense areas of land available I.i; settlement in comparatively small hoi-l-ings whidi otherwise couid only have been profitably occupied in large areas as stock or sheep runs, but for the closer settlement, which is what should b» aimed at, roads must be supplied, and as closer settlement involves a denser population and greater output per acre, it means not only more miles of road, but also to carry greater traffic a be'" let' class of road than was necessary when land was held in larger areas. Most of the land available for settlement is of a more or less broken or hilly nature, which entails more circuitous roals. I owing to gullies and ridges which have [to lie crossed, or alongside which iuhN must be taken to obtain reasonable grades. In hilly country there is a'so usually more hard material to excavate and more culverts are required than oa comparatively flat land. All the foregoing circumstances tenii to increase the cost per acre of roading lands. In view of the great necessity for roads and tneir maintenance both in new and recentlysettled lands, it is proposed to provi'le as large a sum as possible this year for their construction and maintenance. Tiu total net expenditure for the late ye.i" by the Road" Department upon roads work-, etc.. Wil- C 115.037. Tim work during the year was as under:—Dray roads made. (i:l7 mile>: dray road- main tained 2722 mile-: bridle road- made 512 ir.iies; bridle roads maintained. IS:)I mile-: engineering surveys made, 012 dray bridges built (over 30ft span) r 17.500 lineal feet. The average nntniie 1 of men employed duing the year o> ' road works was 2392. The appropna ' tions propo-ed for the current year ar a- follow-: Roads Department » £2O s."0: roads generally. £390.2"S 5 tourist road-. £27.463: Loans to T»-f , Bodies Account. £sooo total, ,£455,55 f This amount K of course, in additio - to £25.000 voted for the niaintcna.i E of roads on the Consolidated Fund Est mates. ' r ROADS ON GOLOFIELDS

P (Mines Department). The precious metals and other minerals are very widely distributed in New f Zealand, and owing to the ruggediifss of much of the back country, large areas still remain comparatively unix- :i plored. Their ilevelopment must always t l>e regarded as a paramount considprati.lll l.v the State, and the Oovcrnimtit t the In--t way of aiding the <■ ] »i - ' is pert iir niiii'T. and mall who provides j tl'e I'.ipital i- In- cutting tracks and < in iking r<»ad- into innreessible trap's j o! country hlicp' mineral discovcrirs , have boon or art- likely to I>p made. I'i" expenditure la>t year under this bend 1 amounted to C3S.;i7o. and fhe am proposed to lie authorised for (he current year is C77.1V21. on ;;ecounf or wbifh a vote of t. 11.000 is ] iriino-cd. TOT AI. Al'l'Ki 'IT'IA i'IO\S fO|; ROADS. ll>iad« Depart meiir (under Pub.i- , Works TMimate=). CISS..mI : "Runds Drpartiuent (under Consolidated Fund), j ti.i.ooii; Mir-s Department. Cll.onil; ] -iii-s |,,ial appropriation prop.. el, | , €.m4..M1. I DEVKLOPMEN'T «>K fior.DFTETJV? I i A>'i) MIXIXO. ! C «1 precious metals an>]

.•jujr minerals produced during the past yes i mlj amounted to £3,871,811, being an it >nce' crease o! £249,025 compared with tii Len- }' oal ' During the past year 503,81 ; i ve j ounces of gold valued at £2,270 00 was exported, and 1.31)0,530 ounces c silver valued at £143,572, these tw 1 ' items showing an increase of £199.011 10 compared with the preceding year. Th output of coal also shows a substantia W '* '""rase of 143,780 tons over the n- 0 ' *ious year. Additional collieries wil n= shortly be opened, up near Greymoull "'{ "cstport on the West Coast. r,n; Ilikurangi in the Auckland district while considerable developments are con templatcd in connection with the Sti'.coal mines. Ibe three diamond driio -lie recently imported, with a boring eaptcit\ of loooft, 1500 ft, and 2000 ft respective!v cr- are now available for hire. It lias been !' i" decided to reduce the rates for hire led very considerably, in order to aid the development of our mineral resources ihe amount expended last financial vear nr works for the devidopment of goldfields wis £11.005. Tt is proposed to ro . take a vote of .£33.000 for the current on ."ar. nd PETROLEUM PROSPECTS. iy lloring for jietioleum still continues n 1 near New Plymouth, and also near Lake ;r- Bruiiper on the West Coast. The deIt velopiiient of the. oil industrv is a matter ol nun h conseijuenee to the' communitj as if oil can be produced in sufficient quantity ami suitable quality to make the enterprise a commercial s;iccess the efl'ect on the industrial life ot the Dominion would be very marked v TOURIST AND HEALTH RESORTS.' The expenditure last year amounted to £J2.2il. The Estimates for the curls "'"V-™"' inHu,l( ' £20,000 for new butli if buildings at Rotorna, £-1(100 l'„ r Rotorua |t drainage, and £9OOO for llotorua wat'r--0 works which sums should complete ' ' undertakings. The gross aitthoi'- ! isattoii asked for is £01,233. on aceonr.i j »t «•].:-!, a vote of £32.000 is proposed. e I'M.KGUAI'II EXTENSION. r During the financial year £ll4 008 _ was expended oil telegraph ami telepluur extensions. The new lines erected and under erection totalled no less than -•j1 miles. Telegraph offices were , opened at 140 townships, while 20/0 new - subscribers were added to the telephone exchange system. The sum asked fotins year is £105,000. This includes .£<5,110 of liabilities, principally for material under order. 1 GROSS TOTAL APPROPRIATIONS. ; In addition to the votes already meu- • tioned, the Estimates include the foi- | lowing charges:—Public Works Depart - ment, ,£21,000; Immigration, £lO 000; purchase of native lands, £7000; rates on native lands, £1000; contingent dc lence. .£ 10,000; lands improvement. £17,500; thus bringing the total amount of the proposed appropriations to £2,100,951. as against £2,352,789 lust year. , CONCLUSION. In conclusion, the Statement savs, the 1 present rate of our public works expenditure is undoubtedly high, but tlie continued and well-cstabiislied prosperity of the Dominion fully justifies it. There are, indeed many persons, and some t members of Parliament amongst them, l who would approve an even higher rat l . 1 but our borrowing for public works' t purposes is to be limited to one million per annum. It is impossible to do more I than we are doing. I claim the proposals submitted to the House are of a ,■ thoroughly progressive nature, and it the same time are fair and equitable ) as regards distribution. The needs of each mill every part of the country have _ been carefully considered, and it will. 1 think, be conceded that an honest elTort j has been made to apportion tlie funds available with even-handed justice, and j, in the best interests of the people as a whole. ( j