17

D— 1

It will thus be seen that the total amount granted for the year has been ,£138,301. As several local bodies have, however, since decided to deal with their grants under different sections of the Act to those under which the grants were originally made, the amount finally granted has been thereby reduced to £108,678 for main roads and £25,274 for district roads and river works, so that the grand total for the year, as revised up to 31st March, has been £133,952. EOADS AND TEACKS, ETC., FOE THE DEVELOPMENT OF GOLDFIELDS AND OTHEE MINING DISTEICTS. It has hitherto been usual for these works to be described in the Public Works Statement, but as my honourable colleague the Minister of Mines has already made a statement to the House dealing with the whole question of miningworks, it will only be necessary for me to allude to them very briefly. I may , state, however, from my previous knowledge of such works, that the rough and mountainous character of the country where gold and other minerals exist renders the construction of roads and tracks imperative before the mineral resources of the colony can be developed, and that it is impossible to expect that individual miners, or even mining companies, can do this work without considerable aid from the Government. The expenditure during the year on works of this character has been £15,630, and the liabilities at the end of the year £33,122. Of these amounts a considerable portion is represented by subsidies to local bodies, who have undertaken to do the works required on the principle of receiving £2 to £1 ©n the cost of construction. Further details on this subject will be found in Table No. 5. WATEEWOEKS ON GOLDFIELDS. These works are also under the control of the Minister of Mines, so that I need only state with respect to them that the expenditure on the construction of water-races during the year has been £8,029, and the liabilities at the end of the year £7,369. The principal portion of the expenditure during the year has been on the Mikonui Water-race in Westland, and the Mount Ida Water-race in Otago. Further particulars will, if required, be found in Table No. 7 attached to this Statement. PUECHASE OF NATIVE LANDS, NOETH ISLAND. Through the operations of the Native Land Purchase Department during the past year sixteen negotiations, some of which were open for the last thirteen years, have been brought to a close, thus increasing the public estate of the colony by an area of over 70,000 acres. This includes the bulk of the Mangatainoka Block in the Forty-mile Bush, which will form a very valuable addition to the lands available for settlement between Wellington and Hawke's Bay. 3-D. 1.

Provincial Districts. Applications. Grants. Auckland £ s. d. 10,880 0 0 £ s. d. 5,314 0 0 Hawke's Bay Taranaki 250 0 0 800 0 0 250 0 0 800 0 0 Wellington 15,958 0 0 15,958 0 0 Nelson Marlborough .. 600 0 0 600 0 0 Westland Canterbury 2,101 0 0 451 0 0 Otago 4,004 0 0 2,629 0 0 Totals 34,593 0 0 26,002 0 0