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Inangahua Times, Issue 76, 30 August 1878, Page 2

Tun Public Works Statomonb renched ua too lato on Tuesday night for insertion in our Wednesday's issue, and is of itself, too bulky ft document for publication in i'a entirety, moro especially a« a largo part of it is taken up with gonoral references to public works in tho North Island, which can hnvo no special interest hem Wo purpose, therefore, merely Bummnrising its con-' tents in a very brief way. The Minister opened by referring to the changes mado in tho department, chiefly in regard to tho appointment of a separate Commiosioner of Railways for each isluiid. Although ono or two small linefl had not paid working expenses, tho recoipls on the wholo wore satisfactory ; 0.1) miles of railwny had been opened in tho Middlo Island durinc; tho. past year, making a total of 741. miles now opened in this island. The nett balance of receipts over expenditure available for payment of interest was £145,000, against £118,000 last yoar, showing a percentage on the construction of 265, a not unfavorable re«ulfc,<oonaidor!ng (hat some of the linos had only been rocontly oponod. Tbo earnings per mile per annum had been— Christchurch section £702 10a ; Dunedin section, £1071 10a ; ditto Invercargill, £331 8s ; 00 miles of railway were opened in the North Island during the year, making a total of 311 miles. The netl; balance of roceipts ovor expenditure available for payment, of interest «was £18 056, against £13,656 for the last year, sho\v> ing a percontngo on the whole outlay of lfn (?) The reduction in the head offioo salaries by the substitution of an Engineerr-in-Chief for each Inland, instead of an Engineer«in-Chief and othor changes would amount; to £3,000 It hnd been alleged that the plnciug of tho Railway Deportment under distinct heads in each Island was the forerunner of Bomodeop and sinister design to separate the two Islands. Ho need ficarccly say that the surmise was absolutely without foundation. There must be means to complete the portion of railways already authorised. £958 900 lo completo 425 miles in tho North Island, and £1.087,000 to complete 874 miles in the Middlo Inland. Out of a total of £2,045,000 required for this purpose, it is proposed to spend Ibis year £1,176,500. In tho North Island ir is proposed to fill in th« gaps existing in the railway syaten there, so an to establish unbrokon railway com* munication from Wellington to Napier by a lino of 220 miles ; Waikato to tho Thames, 30 miles, the f otal required for this work was £2,77G,000, or ntofca!, including tho amount required to com« plote tho lines already authorised ol £3,733.000, Tho Wuikato Hue would enst £1.115,000. Tho proposes embraced one mnin lino of communication from Auckland nnd tho Thnmns, and n not her from Wellington to Napier. Regarding the Middlo Island tho w<-rlis proposed for tho future are :~Otagn Central, Dunedin to Albert Town, Lake Wariakn, £1,100,000; Amberluy to Urnnnerfcon, 110 miles, £950,000 ; C;intorbury interior main lino, Oxford to Temtilrn, 85 milon, £380 000; South Aahburton to Ashburton Forks, 20 miles, £25,000; Albury extension to Heriotburn, 10 mile, £1.0,000 ; Fortroae to Edondnle, 2G miles, £110,000; Olntnhu to Nightcap, 16 milef, £95,000 ; Wuimea to Swil«ew, 15 miles, £70,000 ; Lumsdon to Mnraroa, 35 miles, £180,000; Sling Valley, branch Ijne 0 miles, £35,000 / Tnpanui to Heriotburn, 10 miloo, £40,000 ; Waireka branch line to Livingston, 16 miles, £105,000 j total 576 milos, coat £3,565,000, udding to this £1,087,000 estimated cost of completing lines nlrondy authorised and o-ien for traffic in thf Middlo Island wo hnvo a total of £4,662,900. It was proposod to extend the Otago central line from Clyde to Lnke Wanaka, 60 miles, and ho pros dieted that not many years would elapso before this line would be ex* tended to Hokitika yin- the HaastPass, The length of this extension would be only 100 miles, and the highest; point of the range to bo crossed is only 1700 feet, as against 300 foot in tho next lino. Tbo Minister hero referred. at somo length to the Amberley Brimnoiton line. Tho very important line Aknvoa to Lake Ellesmero is not in* eluded in the prefeut proposal?. Tho

voto required for rnilwnys proposed was ,C8,'J85,000. Tho expenditure ho pro* posod should extend ovor Civa yours. Oat oflonn authorised last session thcro row mninod nvuilnblo on tho 4t.li Jane, .£2,000,000. Assuming that during tho next five yearn any £3,500,000 would bo nddod to tho Pubiio Works Fund for ordinary rcvonuo tho amount just statod as avuilablo would bo £5,500,000, and thoro will remain about £3,000,000 to bo raisod by further lonn in order to meet tho estimated oosfc of iho wholo of our proposals. An aroaof 4,000,000 noros of Crown lan .In would bo boncfloially ofToclod in tho Middlo Island by tho railways proposod, much of whioh would bring £5 and upwards por aot'o, and togothor would roa« liso approximately £1,650,000. Mysolf and colleagues aro oloarly of opinion that tho wholo question of roads and bridges must dovolvo upon tlvo looul bodios and by whom tho requisite funds must bo found. Tho Government must oithor v idortulco all Huch works or rofuso to un lortako any Lastyoar certain votes wore mado for this worlr, and tho unoxpondod balance would be put upon tho ..'Cstimit.oa noxfc yoar. Tho sum w..s about £1.20,000 for tho North Island and £106,001) for tho South Island. Upon tho exhaustion of theso Hums ho proposod to olqso tho pubiio account against any further dotnands of that j naturo, and henceforward oonfino pubiio . works to railway construction. Thoso nro tho salient points of tho Statement, tho remaining parts being made up of g<moral rcforonoo to parts of tho colony and pubiio works thoroin, in whioh wo hivo no special intorost. At tho conclusion of tho Slatomout, Mr Stout, Minister of Lands, said that tho Government had thought it nocossary to adviso his Excel* loncy to withdruw from snlo all lands noav, or through which tho projected railway will pass, to prevent speculation.