PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1525, 29 June 1886, Page 3

PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

The following is a condensed report of the balance of the Public Works Statement A RECONNAISANCE SURVEY of the country showed that a railway could bo made to the North of Gisborne, but that the country between that town and Napier was too broken, and only toads could be made. WOODVILLB. A contract to complete the WoodvilleNapier line would soon be let, and also a contract to construct the Gorge portion of the Woodville-Palmerston line. The latter would take two years t» construct. The line between Mauriceville and Peklataa oo the Woodville-Masterton line would be done. PIOTON-AWATERH. An addition of 100 feet had been made to the Picton wharf, and the railway bad been constructed 4£ miles southward of Blenheim. There were 3£ miles besides in course of construction, and he would aak authority for another Smiles. EAST AND WEST COAST AND NELSON RAILWAY. He bad caused Mr Blair to make a report on these lines, which would he submitted. Branch lines from Inangahua to Westport, and from the Topfaouse to Blenheim would have to be made, and be would ask for authority to survey them. HOKITIXI-ORRYUOUTH.

. Part of this line had been made by the unemployed, The question of ronte was atill undecided, it beieg suggested to take the line to Kumar a instead of along the Beach, and so a survey would be made. OTAGO CENTRAL. Two contracts on this line were finished and the railway from the main lime junction to Wingatui viaduct was finished.

There was some delay connected with the viaduct owing to hiving to sink found a* * tiona deeper, hut all the material waa bow In. the colony and rapid progreaa waa ex* . pacted. Mulloeky contrast waa finish ad but four other contracts were behind hand. The Hindoo section to give work to the unemployed hud been commenced aome yeara ago but it l,would, be let by contract now, and he hoped it would re lievo Government from giving relief employment in and around Dunedin. The expenditure on the line up to March 3let, 1886, waa £267,218, and there were liabilities than existing of £51,200. It is estimated that to complete this railway to Sutton, a distance of 33 miles, will require a further sum of £128,350, and that to take the line on to Taieri Lake, 43 miles further, will cost £IBO,OOO, or a total cost for the 67 miles of - £626,760. After reaching Sutton the country becomes comparatively easy, so that the average cost per mile beyond that point m»y be expected to be very much less than it has been throughout the portion hitherto undertaken. The authority which be now proposed to ask for on account of this railway, would provide for completion of the formation of bridges up to Sutton, including platelaying for a farther length of 5 miles beyond the end of 8 miles already laid, and also for a new formation contract between Sutton and Middleware!), a length of 7 miles. MOUNT SOMERS, He proposed to ask authority to extend this line four miles beyond Mount Somers to'Spr foghorn. LIVINGSTONE BRANCH. Four miles of this were finished and he would ask authority for the remaining 8 milMt

GATLIN’S RIVER BRANCH. Eight miles of this were finished and he would ask authority for a further length of 5 miles, TOI-TOIS LINE. Authority for constructing two miles on this line was asked for. WAIMEA-SWITZERS LINK. He asked for the coal of building a bridge and extending this line seven miles. SEAWARD BRANCH. Authority for extending line this 5 miles was asked for. INVBRCARGILL-KIHOSTON. Authority wns asked to complete this to Mossburo. 6£ milea of it wore open for traffic and 4 miles of it required to be made. PBOPOSBD EXPENDITURE. Last year £91,000 was spent in additions to open railways they propoaed to spend this year £93,000 as follows: — Auckland section, £20,000 ; NapierWoodville, £7OOO ; Wellington- ffoodville, £7000; Foxton-New Plymouth, £SOOO ; and Hurunui-Bluff and branches, and Inveroargill-Kingeton and branches, £50,000. PORTLAND CEMENT. He daafred to call the attention of local bodies to the fact that Portland cement of a good quality was now manufactured in the celony, and delivered to Government as cheaply as the imported article. WOBKINO RAILWAYS. On the 31st March last 1613 miles of railway which cost £12,472,814 were open for traffic. This included 77 miles purchased as district railways, costing £283,349. The total receipts were £1,047,418, expenditure £690,340, leaving a credit balance of £357,078, which amounted to interest at the rate of £2 ?7> 6d per cent on_ the cost of construction. There was altogether spent on railways opened and unopened £13,726,166, and the opened lines paid £2 12s per cent, on this. But for reductions £50,000 more would have been realised. Altogether 136 miles more had to be maintained and worked. The expenditure was io curtailed that only £314 more had been spent. The rates of profit hive, as in previous years, varied very much on the different lines, having amounted on the Grey mouth section to £5 9s 6d per cent ; or the Napier section to £4 18a 9d ; on the Hurunui-Bluff section to £3 5s 9d ; on the Wellington-Masterlort section to £2 11s 2d • on the Auckland section to £2 9s Id, and on the Wanganui section to 12a lOd. The total number of passengers carried on the railways was for the year 1883-84, 3,272,644; for 1884-85, 3,232,886 ; for the year 1885-86, 3,362,266, showing an increase over last year of 129,380. Tha total traffic on goods and live stock for the same year haa been ; GOODS TRAFFIC. Wool. Timber. Firewood, Grain. Year Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. 1883- 62,066 183,449 81,254 432,223 1884- 68,523 178,909 86,670 414,590 1885- 74,778 202,572 80,280 418,846 Merohan- Total Minerals, diie. Chaff, ko Goods. Year. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. 1883- 574,303 350,263 16,470 1,700,039 1884- 618,510 365,623 17,030 1,749,856 1885- 669,081 368,225 14,985 1,823,767 LITR STOCK, Bones. Cattle, Calves. Sheep. Pigs. Year. No. No. No. No. No, 1883- 9,555 26,393 8,282 627,090 29,522 1884- 10,358 29,963 2,775 666,522 30,268 1885- 9,518 34,107 2,527 781,470 40,558 These figures showed R substantial increase in the total quantity carried, and also in all of the important items except grain, and that had remained almost stationary. REPAIRS, ETC. Heavy repairs were required and the workshops at Fetooa and Hillside were to be largely increased with the View of being able to keep the stock in repair. Nearly everything was now made in the colony, and very little excepting raw material was imported. The contractors who undertook to manufacture ten locomotives were making fine progress. With regard to the material they had imported, the Government sooner than condemn it altogether, valued what it cost to work at Home, and the amount was deducted from the amount of the contract money. As the Harbors of Otago, Oamari, and Timam progress, so the railway revenue suffers ; and to such an extent have the works of the Otago Harbor—by which most classes of vessels can get up the harbor to Dun-edin-affected the revenue that it is estimated that the railway suffered this year a loss of folly £BOOO. ItOADS AND BRIDGES, Speaking still in round numbers, the amounts authorised for the last five years have been as follow ; —IBB3 84, £178,000 ; 1884-85, £164,000, and 1885-86, £119,000; and the amount which I propose to ask the House to authorise this year is £IOI,OOO. It would be seen, therefore, that the works of this class have been gradually of less and less magnitude. A brief summary of these worth mentioning is as followsln the North Island, the roads from Tauranga to the East Capo and from Cambridge and Taurangato Taupo, and from Taupo to Napter, and also tha Manawatu Gorge road, have been maintained during the year in fair order, and subsidies have been made to local bodies, as hitherto, towards the maintenance of the Seventy Mile Bush road,

Id the South Island, the Takaka bridge, in the Collingwood district, has been brought close to completion, The bridge over tb# Pelorus River, on the load between Nelson and Blenheim, was completed in August last, and this road has thus been made available for coach traffic. A contract has been let for the Motueka bridge, on the line of road from Nelson to Westport and Greymouth. Surveys qr a site for a bridge over the Buller, near Lyell, on the same road, have also been made, and the design, which will require to be of soipewhao exceptional character, is under consideration, A Contract has been let for the bridge for the leftdiaod branch of the [nangahna, nesr Reefton,. also on the same road, The Hokitika to Christchurch road bss also been maintained as usual, and the bridge over the Taipo, which has long been a great necessity on this road, has just been finished. The bridge over the Clarence river ? between Raikopra apd Blenheim, has been steadjly progressing, and it is hoopd that it will be finished in November next. The road between Raikonra and Waiau is also tending towards completion, extensive works hating been done upon it during last year, partly by aid of the unemployed and contracts for metalling some of the sections. Those formed hay© recently been let, and are

expect' d lo he completed about November. The Upper Waiau near Hannier Plains has been commenced, and it is expected to be finished about April next. The bridge over the Olutha at Beaumont and Roxburgh are in progress. The bridge over the Clulha at Cromwell has not bs yet been undertaken by the Council under the subsidy of £1 for £1 voted last year, but negotiations on the subject are still in progress. On the Haait Pass Track a party of men have been set to work lo render travelling practicable between the mouth of the river and the Haait Saddle. ROADS TO CROWN LANDS. It waa proposed to expend on these works the amount of £61,600, or £294 less than last year. PURCHASE OP NATIVE LANDS—NORTH ISLAND. During the past financial year the Native Land Purchase Department, under the Native Minister, ha* completed the purchase of some twenty blocks of land, containing an aggregate of over 100,000 acres. Good progress bas also been made in the acquisition of lands adjacent to the Northern Trunk line of the railway. The Waimarmo block of 490,000 acres has been passed through the Native Lands Court, and awarded to about JOOO owners, the majority of whom have already sold their interest to the Crown, Over 1,500,000 acres of land in the Taupo district have also recently passed the Court, and Government is negotiating the purchaao of several blocks within this district, which are continuous to the railway and otherwise suitable for settlement. Sketch maps and returns giving full details of the complete and incomplete tranaactions of this Department are in course of preparation, and will be shortly laid before the House by the Minister for Native Affairs. IMMIGRATION. Between the Ist of June, 1885, and the 30th April, 1886, 645 immigrants had been introduced. Regulations had been made requiring adults to pay £lO, and children £5, for their passage under the nominated system. Since the date of these regulations 658 nominations had been sent to the Agent-General, and from 50 to 60 nominations are being sent monthly, for which cash payments from £4OO to £SOO are made. This shows that people in the colony have faith in her by thus sending for their friends. TELEGRAPH. The sum spent last year on telegraphs was £36,009, and he would ask for £21,700 this year. PUBLIC BUILDINGS, The sum of £12,000 would be required for printing offices in Wellington ;• £I2OO for departmental buildings in Auckland. Additions wore needed to the Auckland, Sunnyside, and Seacliff lunatic asylums, and a new lunatic asylumns would be built at Forirua. . HARBOR DEFENCE. The total sum rtquired for carrying out these works would be £120,000 together with £72,000 left unexpended last year. PUBLIC WORKS FUND. The balance to the credit of the Public Works Fund on 3Jst March last, was £768,780, and in addition to this amount, and such other funds as may be required te be raised for the North Island Trunk Railway, we propose a loan of £1,600,000, as described in the Financial Statement. As against the credit balance of £768,780, existing at the end of March last, we had 1 liabilities then existing to the extent of nominally £1,094,590, but these liabilities include an item on account of the purchase of Native lands in the North Island, amounting in ali to £238,600, and of this amount £202,145 is for prospective liabilities, which will probably not come in for payment for a considerable time, and which may therefore for the present be disregarded. Deducting this £202,145 from the total liabilities above stated the actual liabilities which we have have to deal with amount to £892,445, of which £387,592 is on account of railways, the balance of £504,853 on account of works and undertakings other than railways. Of the £387,592, liabilities on railway, the sum of £376,740 is on account of items covered by the propoaed loan, as set forth in the Financial Statement, leaving £10,352 to be covered by other funde, The liabilities on account of works”and undertakings not covered by the propoaed loan schedule amount, therefore, to £892,445, less £376,740, namely, to £516,706. In connection with this question of liabilities, be proposed to to expend upon the purchase of Native lands during the next two years £IOO,OOO, of which about £BO,OOO would be expended this year, and the balance next year. The liabilities at present existing on account of land purchases along the railway, are estimated at about £20,000, out of the £36,455 of actual liabilities on account of Native land purchase, will become a charge against the North Island trqnk loan, and if this amount of £20,000 be deducted from the £515,705 of liabilities before-mentioned, it leaves £495,705 sa the amount of liabilities which will be chargeable to the funds available for general purposes,

ESTIMATE Of EXPENDITURE FOR THE CURRENT YEAR.

The amounts which we propose to ask the House to vote for expenditure during the current year are as follow For immigration, with liabilities at the end of March last of £IOOO, we ask for a vote of £19,200; for Departmental expenditure, with liabilities of £7l9* we ask a vote of £28,000 ; for railway works of all classes, with liabilities of £387,592, we ask for a vote of £709,490; details for the several classes of works being as follow : New works, construction and land, with liabilities £224,113, amount asked £433,400 ; addition to open lines, wi|b liabilities of £5Q,160, amount asked for £93,000 ; permanent way,[sleepers, and rolling stock, with liabilities of £112,072, amount saked for £150,000 ; surveys of new lines of railway, with liabilities of £1247, atnount aelced for £3OOO, For roads pf all clashes, with liabilities of £254,350, we ask for a vote of £327,600 (this includes various classes of roads as follows)Ronds noith of Auckland, with liabilities of £32,147, amount asked tor £34,600; main roads, liabilities £14,272, amount aske<j for £24,70,0; misgallaneona roasts and bridges,' liabilities, £34,83.1, amount asked for £52,600; grants in aid under the Roads apd Bridges Construction Act, apd subsidies to lopal Jodies, liabilities £66,884, amount asked for £97,000 ; roads to open Crown lands, liabilities £61,372, amount asked for £61,500 ; improvements of village special settlements, with no liabilities as yet, amount asked for £6000; roads on goldfields, liabilities £44,789, amount asked

f v £52 ; C00. Fur v.alerworka on goldfields, with liabilities of £14,963, we ask for a vote of £15,100. For purr’- ■-■■■> r f Nut''"' « It!» i•* > s ■. i i,, £36,453, we übK. loi payumuia wineh will become due during the current year, further prospective linbilities on tbie item, amounting to £202,145, being left out of consideration «s not applying to the present year. For telegraph extension, liabilities £3700, we ask for £21,700 ; for public buildings, liabilities £23,255, we ask for a vote of £112,000 (this includes school buildings,, £55,000, as against liabilities at the end of March last, £1400). For lighthouses and harbor works (in. eluding harbor defences), with liabilities £16,411, wo ask for a vote of £127,800 (amount included in this for harbor defences, £120,000, as against liabilities, at March 31st, £160,751, but as all liabilities will not mature this year, a vote of £120,000 will probably be sufficient). For charges and expenses of raising loans wo ask for a vote of £30,000. For contingent defence we ask for a role of £12,500 (this is for the purpose of supplementing the amount provided in the Consolidated Fund Estimates for the Armed Canstabulary field force, in consequence of their being employed in the construction of batteries). We also ask for a vote of £35,400 to cover payments in respect of rates payable to local bodies on Crown and native lands ; the total amount proposed to bo voted is thus £1,538,700, which includes liabilities (comprising £36,455, for natives ianda) amouming to £892,445, to spend this year, and about £646,255 on new works outside those included in the liabilities existing on March 31st last.