Sessional_Paper_1902 — Page 437

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I beg to conclude by stating that I an fully convinced that, unless immediate steps are taken to increase the staff of this Department by adding four Assistant Eu- gineers, very serious consequences are likely to arise. Mr. ORMSBY has fallen into the too common error of regarding this Colony as small because its area is somewhat limited, but it must be borne in mind that it contains the fourth largest City in point of popu lation in the Colonial Empire (vide p. XXIV of the Colonial Office List) and that it - ranks third amongst the Shipping ports of the world.

I have the honour to be,

Sir,

Your obedient Servant,

W. CHATHAM,

Acting Director of Public Works.

Statement of Amounts appearing in Estimates and Actual Expenditure on Works supervised by the

Engineering Staff of the Public Works Department from 1894 to 1900.

AMOUNTS PROVIDED IN ESTIMATES.

AMOUNTS ACTUALLY EXPENDED.

YEAR.

Recurrent.

Extra- ordinary.

Total.

Recurrent.

Extra- ordinary.

Total.

1894,

162,500

334,500

497,000

155,437

271,492

426,929

1895,

164,500

303,170

467,670

170,218

201,710

371,928

1896,

179,700

245,500

425,200

194,342

204,434

388,776

1897,

203,000

346,600

549,600

207,175 (2) 325,445

532,620

1898,

199,000

258,416

457,416

203,621

233,781

437,402

1899,

207,000

424,200

631,200 (3) 333,403

192,587

525,990

1900,

207,200

291,100

498,300

237,851 (4) 327,678

565,529

1901,

(1) 281,740

566,338

849,078

1902,

(1) 316,500

612,650

929,150

(1) Includes items for " Forming and Kerbing Streets," &c., which had hitherto appeared under

Public Works Extraordinary.

(2) Includes a sum of $104,539 spent in "City of Victoria and Hill District Waterworks" alone,-

Wongneichong Reservoir then in full progress.

(3) Includes a sum of $111,156 spent under the heading "New Territory," which should more properly have been included under Public Works Extraordinary. The sum of $39,786 was for matsheds, &c., which required practically no supervision.

(4) Includes a sum of $16,208 spent on matshels, &c., in the New Territory, and $60,755 spent on

the Taipó Road.

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