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public works ; on the contrary, when the Eketahuna Railway is finished, and the other pressing works in connection with the lands improvement, roads to open lands for settlement, the drainage of Kotorua, the development of our thermal springs and goldflelds, and the making of our natural scenery accessible to the world, we deem it desirable, in the interest of the colony, that the expenditure on public works should be reduced to the lowest possible limit. A RETBOSPECT. It will be desirable, I think, before proceeding to outline our proposals for the current year, to give a brief resume of what has been done during the five years that the Government has been in office. During this period 172 miles of railway have been opened for traffic, while 138 miles in addition are now in course of construction. We have formed, or improved, 3,640 miles of roads, and added to the public estate, as completed purchases, an area of 1,168,513 acres of Native lands, leaving an area of 1,992,606 acres still under negotiation, in which interests estimated at 608,433 acres have also been finally acquired, and await location by the Native Land Court. In addition to this, and to meet the necessary requirements of the people, numerous public buildings have been erected in different parts of the colony, new lighthouses established on the coast, the telegraph system extended, &c, &c. The following table shows the expenditure on the services provided for under the Public Works Fund since 1884, and the average rate of expenditure that has taken place under each Government that has been in office during that period : —

* £108,076 also spent on roads, under Lands Improvement and Native Lands Purchase Accounts, in 1894-95, and £162,757 in 1895-96. THE CO-OPERATIVE SYSTEM. Practically all our construction-works are now carried out under the cooperative system, and a good many of our buildings-repairs also. Up till recently we have not attempted iron-bridge construction under this system, but when the tenders for the Makohine Viaduct, on the North Island Main Trunk Eailway, were received, and the lowest was found to be several thousand pounds in excess of the Engineer-in-Chief's estimate, the Government decided to carry out the work under co-operative contracts. Arrangements are accordingly being made for the supply of the cement and the unmanufactured iron and steel, and it is proposed to let co-operative contracts to suitable skilled workmen for the building of the concrete piers and foundations, and the preparation and erection of the iron- and steel-work. The co-operative system having now been in operation for five years, I think I may take this opportunity of giving some facts and figures with regard to that method of carrying on our public works. During the five years ended 31st

Immigration. Railways. Roads. Development of Goldfields. Telegraph Public Extension. Buildings. Lighthouses,! &ts. Other Services. Totals. Stout-Vogel— 1884-85 .. 1885-86 .. 1886-87 .. £ 57,148 11,675 12,454 £ 663,063 725,496 615,265 £ 317,043 335,904 278,617 £ 8,029 9,032 7,665 £ 25,799 36,010 18,952 £ 117,361 86,859 89,598 £ 34,033 133,975 148,705 £ 114,251 136,435 162,228 £ 1,336,727 1,475,386 1,333,484 Atkinson — 1887-88 .. 1888-89 .. 1889-90 .. 1890-91 .. 81,277 2,003,824 931,564 24,726 80,761 293,818 Aven I 316,713 412,914 4,145,597 1,381,866 .ge per an: .ran 15,598 8,791 867 1,823 403,726 272,077 289,572 180,020 219,519 106,440 84,126 71,289 1,016 55 284 821 I 22,984 90,529 12,047 34,592 16,346 ! 35,473 16,292 I 22,819 70,825 47,593 9,434 2,666 135,962 132,344 46,362 39,026 966,159 613,939 482,464 334,756 27,079 1,145,395 481,374 2,176 67,669 ; 183,413 | 136,518 |353,694 2,397,318 Averai ;e per am: mm 599,329 lallance-Seddon — 1891-92 .. 1892-93 .. 1893-94 .. 1894-95 .. 1895-96 .. 817 242 343 101 Cr. 10 154,416 220,894 176,304 247,545 197,105 101,605 i 2,257 105,506 I 3,811 147,418 5,272 61,757* 5,865 66,774* 9,345 483,060 26,550 27,773 I 34,791 j 29,245 : 31,101 16,127 ' 44,032 19,229 ! 54,190 35,538 I 76,240 j 127,912 I 240,354 | 7,347 11,205 i 6,588 3,145 7,409 62,495 60,502 10,713 9,578 19,928 391,501 462,506 406,797 401,410 412,329 2,074,543 414,909 1,493 996,264 35,694 163,216 Averai ge per ann mm ..