PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2885, 24 October 1895, Page 4

PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

The Hod. R. J. Beddon, Minister of Public Works, delivered his Public Works Statement last Tuesday evening. He said there was very little to allocate, as only £150,000 could be transf rred from the consolidated revenue Owing to the contraction in public works expenditure, and also in private employers not being able to spend much money in wages, the unemployed difficulty was accute, and though public bodies and the public generally rendered praiseworthy assistance the demands on the Government were very great. THE PAST. When the present Government took office in 1801 there was £718,090 of an unexpended balance of loan money with a liability of £240,387, leaving £477,710 unexpended ; but as some of this was earmarked for the North Island trunk line, the amount available for general purposes was £361,909, against which there was a liability of £196,484, leaving a balance of only £165,485 at the disposal of the present Government. With only this £105,485 to begin with, the Government have spent on public works at the rate of £319,282 on average for the past live years without borrowing. They opened 152 miles of new railways, constructed 1711 miles of roads, and purchased 1,159,081 acres of native laud. They spent £617,004 on railways, £235,842 on roads, £118,573 on school buildings, £164,104 on public buildings, £92,374 on telegraph extension, £84,454 on goldfield roads, £28,275 on lighthouses and harbor works, £26,472 departmental, £17,841 ou native lands, £10,744 Miscellaneous, or a total of £1,277,130. Uf this sum £473,000 was raised by taxation. THE PRESENT. The brightening prospects gave hope of more general employment, but he could not reduce the expenditure under Part 1 of the public works uuder £300,000, as it was necessary to push settlement ahead, and surveys wanted to be completed, and roads to open up the land required. He proposed to ask for an appropriation of £425,253 for Part 1 public works account, or £152,277 less than last year. CO-OPERATIVE SYSTEM. The co-operative system of public works has proved a great success. In the beginning it was asserted that it would be a failure because it would be made use of for political purposes, and that the cost of the works would be too high. The cry now was that the wages were too low. The fact was that the happy medium had been reached as near as possible, and that fair wages had been earned. The work was better done. The auxiliary Auckland asylum was going to be built ou this system, and it would be found better done than the Porirna asylum, which was erected by contract. It was intended to extend this system so as to settle married men ou laud near where work could be obtained, so as to lead to permanent settlement and train the people to co-operation. The number of men employed under the co-operative system during the last twelve mouths had been as follows: -

Mr Seddon then suggested that local bodies should adopt the co-operative system of work so as to ousure the living wage to workmen. He also suggested that public work should be so arranged that it should be done iu times wheu private employers had no work to give. PUBLIC WORKS FUND. The following table shows the state of the Public Works Fund on 31st March last, inclusive of a small asset of £BO due to Part I. under the Government Loans to Local Bodies Act, 1886 : Parti. Partll. Totals. £ £ £ Unexpended balance on March 31, 1891 263,738 79,197 312,935 Receipts during 1891-95 360,019 12 360,061 Totals 623,787 79.209 702,996 Expenditure year ended March, 1895 355,182 52,605 107,737 Balances remaining on March 31,1895 268,605 26,601 295,209 Liabilities existing on March 31,1895 229,076 11,097 213,17.3 Net balances available on March 31, 1895 39,529 12,507 52,036

It would be observed that the receipts during the year on Fart I more that; mot the expenditure, so that that part of the fund was actually iu a better position to the extent of £4807 at tho close of the year than it was at the beginning, and the Public Works Fund as a whole was only £47,726 leas at tho end of the year than it was at tho commencement; this notwithstanding an expenditure during the year of £407,787. Tho receipts under Part 1 consisted of £250,006, transferred from tho Consolidated Fund, £44,081 of released, sinking funds, £BB6B of miscellaneous receipts, and £48,000 of the Railiti Valley railway debentures entered on both sides of tho accounts as explained iu the Financial Statement. LANDS IMPROVEMENT AND NATIVE LANDS X’UJiOU AS I! i.' l.'O'l-MS. Tho expenditure on the lauds improvement account during the year amounted to £84,207, leaving a balance of £160,703 to the credit of that; account at theciocoof the year. V/n tho native lands purchase accounts the expenditure was £101,009, leaving a balance at the end of the year of £1,988,091, inclusive of tho £50,000 worth of ’debentures issued under 'The Native Lauds Purchase Act, 1893. TOTAL KXPENDXTUKE POK THE YEAR. The to?al expoudiuro on public works and purchase oi native lands during the year, exclusive of the £48,000 entered -gaiiist tho Kaihu Valley Railway, but in of which there was no disbursement p’f cash, amounted to £osd 000 namely," £307,182; 'Tiblte Works l> un>. *■ iir! - * • £52,695; Lands .Imppoyi'nioni AccolT" 1 * ■, 19/207; Native Lands Parch iso Account, £101,009; total, £550,008, TOTAL WAVS AND M1'..4 lls' AVA IL A l;L I-.,. in addition to tho balance.: a, 1 ready mentioned wo shall have the £loo,ooo pro puaid to bo transferred fr mi tho Co:isolioalvvi Fund, £59 undo'- The Native Lands Purchase AC, 1892, and about £22,000 from mi.-xeilammua credits. Tho total ways ami moans avaif.iblo for public works purposes and native lan da pure ha so this year will, therefore, he as follow ■ :-jPnblie Works Fund, Part I—balance remaining on 81 si.Marcu, 1090, £2lj8,00o: transfer from Consolidated Fund, £j 50,000 : miscellaneous credits, £1.0,000 ; total, £128,005.

Public Works Fund. Part ll—Balance remaining on 31st March, 1895, £20,604 ; credits under Section 4 of The North Island Main Trunk Railway Loan Appropriation Act, 1889, £12,000; total, £38,604. Total Public Works Fund, £467,209. Landalmprovement Account, £160,793. Native Lauda Purchase Account, £198,991. Under the Native Lands Purchase Act, 1892, £50,000. Gross total ways and means, £870,093. APPROPRIATION S PROPOSED. The appropriations proposed mider these several heads are as follow :—Public Works Fund, Part 1., £425,253 ; Public Works Fuad, Part 11., £36,800; total Public Works Fund, £462,053. Under the Lauds Improvement Account, £160,581; under the Native Lands Purchase Account, £143,791. Gross total appropriations proposed, £766,425. This will leave an unappropriated balance of £5156 under the Public Works Fund, to be carried forward to next year, besides £212 on the Lands Improvement Account, and £105,200 on the Native Lands Purchase Account, or a total unappropriated balance of £110,568. TOTAL EXPENDITURE TO END OF 1894-95. The expenditure on all works and services throughout the colony out of the Public Works Fund up to the 31st March last, including the value of the provincial and the purchase price of the district railways, was as follows : ■JL Railways... ... ... ... 16,006,853 Roads ... ... ... ... 3,916,526 Immigration 2,146,654 Public Buildings 1,944,900 Purchase of native lands ... 1.297,854 Lighthouses. Harbor Works, and Harbor Defences ... ... 910,103 Telegraphs Extension 699,022 Development of Goldfields ... 578,306 Defence Works— General ... ... ... 429,719 Departmental ... ... 384,842 Cost and Discount of Raising Loans, and Other Charges 1,332,396

Total ... ... ... £29,647,175 RAILWAYS UNDER CONSTRUCTION. The Minister then proceeded to give a detailed account of all the railways under construction. The Kamo-Kamo—Kava-Kava section had been finished and handed over. Hik-urangi - Wakapara section is approaching completion. Kaihu Valley fell into the hands of the Govern raeut, owing to the company who were constructing failing. It was proposed to spend £3OOO on extending it. Very little progress had been made with Helensville North section, but £6OOO was asked for it for this year. The Grahamstown-Te Aroho would be about finished by the end of the year, but £7OOO would be asked for to complete to Paeroa. The line to Rotorua finished and handed over last December, £2OOO more would be required to close the account. The North Island Trunk line was progressing ; 11 miles 9 chains on the North end, and 22 miles 40 chains on the south end being practically fiinshed. The expenditure last year was £32,964, and £35,000 was asked for this year, which would practically absorb the whole of Part II of the Public Works Account. Good progress had been made with the line from Eketahuna to Woodville, and £25,000 was required for it this year. Jt was proposed to purchase the Fernhill Railway, Dunedin, for £llsO, the whole of the earthwork on the Gatlin’s River Railway was done, and £7OOO was required for it, and £BOOO for the Seaward beach line. OTAGO CENTRAL RAILWAY. The section of this railway between Middlemarch and Hyde was completed and opened for tiaffio during last financial year, but not sufficiently early in the year to be recorded in my last year’s statement. Work has bean energetically proceeded with on the Kyeburn .and Kyeburn-Eweburn sections. The whole of the former section is now under formation, and also a mile or two of the latter, and the excavation of the Hyde tunnel is completed and tho lining built for 6J chains. The Capburn bridge is well in hand, and the plans of ’.he 'i'aieri bridge have been completed ready for lithographing. The expenditure on this line last year amounted to £28,131, which was again the largest expenditure on any railways works in the colony, with the single exception of the North Island Main Trunk Railway. We ask for a vote this year of £25,000, which will enable the construction of this important work to go on with reasonable diligence. heriot-roxburoh. A detailed survey has been made of the first section of this railway 0 miles 25 chains in length, and careful trial surveys for a further length of 9 miles 50 chains, which bring the line to the banks of the Clutha river. It is proposed this year to comple tho survey, and a vote to defray the coot of the work has been included iu the estimates under the head of “ Surveys.” MIDLAND RAILWAY. The rejection by Parliament cf the BiP embodying the recommendations of the Select Committee appointed during last session to enquire into matters affecting this railway has prevented tho proposed new contract with tho company being entered into. In consequence of this the company gave notice iu January last of its intention to appeal to arbitration, and appointed Sir B. L. Burnside as its arbitrator. The Government object to arbitration on the ground that the company has broken its contract, and lias consequently disentitled itself to this remedy, but has under protest appointed the Hon. Sir Charles Ifilley, late Chief Justice of Queer jjnod, at; arbitrator on behalf of the Crown, without prejudice to the position taken up in tho matter. As the proceedings arc now tub jnilice it would not bo proper to say anything fuitho" in reference to this particularmatter. As, however, tho Government were advised that the compui.y had committed a wilful breach of its contract,ami had shown unreasonable and inexcusable delay in tho prosecution of the works connected with the railway, it was decid.-d to take possession of the lino under the Railway Construction and Land .Act, 1881, with the vie* of carrying on tho works on behalf and at the expanse of (lie company under tho powers contained in that Act, and formal possession was accordingly taken on the 251 h May last. •Sjnce possession was taken the construction of works has been resumed on the section batv/uc!) Jackson’s and the O'.ira, and 09 »ro now e;n ployed thereon. I repartitions (U 0 abo a c*t\o!y in progress for resuming work on the tet.'tmn, and ho imped to Lseo n number i f me” ut toe work in the cnur.-o of three or four weeks. 1110 ajipr rnyition ppop-mn-1 for this raila."' Ur the current year ./ r!o,<*ot>, which amount will be expended o. t-.e H 1grove and Otira .section. No appropiia-. tion is proposed for the Springfield suction this year, and no work can lie done at that end of tho line until full plans are in possession of tho Government. The company has so far declined to hand over its plans, and if it » eraists in that altitude it will bo necessary to make fresh surveys and complete now plans.

TOTAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR RAILWAYS.

The total appropriation proposed for railway works, iucludiug additions to open lines, surveys, permanent way and rolling stock, and also the Midland Railway, is £215,550. Last year the amount was £313,028, which was the smallest amount on record, but this year the amount is much smaller still. ROADS. After giving an interesting account of the roads uuder construction, most of which are in the North Islauud the Minister said the sum of £35,650 is asked for the mautenance of main aud miscellaneous roads; £160,581 for roads to open Crown lands aud improve the access thereto; £50,000 to construct district roads in blocks on which loans have been obtained, aud £52,862 to improve the access to native lauds recently purchased. OTHER APPROPRIATIONS. The hon. gentlemen then dwelt at some length on the questions relating to gold, fields, telegraphs, and so on, aud asked for the following appropriations : —Goldfields, £20,000 ; telegraph extension £30,000; public buildings, £143,905 ; school buildings, £46,000; lighthouses £2400. The Minister said, in CONCLUSION : The total appropriation proposed in the Estimates accompanying this Statement amounts to £766,425 as compared with £970,658 voted last year. The amount under the several different accounts being as follows : £ Public Works Fund, Part 1., ... 425,253 Public Works Fund, Part 11. ... 36,800 Lands Improvement Account ... 160,581 Native Lands Purchase Account... 143,791 Total 766,425 I again remind hon. members that the votes under Part I. of the Public Works Fund are to be for twelve months expenditure ouly, whereas last year’s vote had to cover fifteen months. The actual expenditure during the twelve mouths ending 31st March last on this part of the fund was £307,182, and should my prognostications in respect to being able to reduce the number of men employed, tfiore particularly on the railways, bo verified, it is estimated that our expenditure under Part I will not exceed that of last year. It will be seen from the amounts proposed to be voted that the expenditure in connection with the Lands Improvemen t Account will be somewhat increased. It may be possible that owing to the drastic reductions under Part I necessarily entailed by the limited ways and means at our disposal, several very desirable works have not been provided for, aud it may be necessary upon the Supplementary Estimates to make further provision to a limited amount. I have, however, endeavored to do the beat I could with the funds at my disposal, and when the circumstances of the several districts of the colony are fully considered 1 think the allocation of the funds proposed will be accepted as a fair and satisfactory one.

PublicWotks Lands DoMonth. Department, partment. Totals. 1891. September ... 821 1125 1916 October ... 781 1181 1962 November ... 718 1178 1926 December ... 866 1222 2088 1895, January ... 818 1133 1986 February ... 868 1381 2217 March... ... 893 1317 2210 April ... ... 888 1231 2117 May ... ... 875 1337 2212 June ... ... 881 1559 2510 July ... ... 806 - 1686 2192 Augu t ... 816 1768 2581 Monthly average 840 1311 2182