Communications and transit > Enquiry on national public works

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Department of Interior.
Commonwealth office buildings as required in various States.
Federal Capital Territory.
Construction of buildings required in connection with the establishment and the
development of the Federal capital, including parliamentary buildings, offices, police
station, court-house, hospital, hotels, Australian Institute of Anatomy, Australian war
memorial, laboratories for plant industry and entomological divisions of the Council for
Scientific and Industrial Research, schools, swimming-baths, housing schemes, workshops,
brickworks, etc., water supply, sewerage and drainage schemes, electric supply, roads,
bridges and other civic facilities.
Northern Territory.
Construction of administrative buildings, police stations, hospitals, houses, etc.;
improvements to stock routes and roads throughout the territory; maintenance and
development of water supplies on stock routes, comprising boring, well-sinking and
equipping with windmills or engines, and storage.
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The works carried out in the States by this Department (Works and Services Section)
cannot be readily classified into the categories named; for instance, most of the establish¬
ments erected comprise categories such as :
(a) Roads and bridges;
(b) Drinking-water supplies and sewage disposal;
(c) Electric installations, etc.
But the schemes are purely local and confined to Commonwealth establishments.
Roads would be mostly in the nature of access and internal roads. Water, sewerage and
electric supply services are usually connected with larger schemes financed by State
Governments or municipalities, and it is only in a few cases where such schemes are not
available that special supply schemes are installed for Commonwealth purposes, and in
any event these are of a minor character as compared with the class of work covered by
the enquiry. 1
The following categories cover the important phases of this Department s work,
and the expenditure over the past six financial years on the new works, additions and
alterations, not including repair and maintenance services, was :
(a)
Postmaster-General’s Department.
Works carried out.
Year £
1928- 29... 215,486
1929- 30 . . . 251,418
1930- 31... 34’8°5
1931- 32 . . . 10,017
1932- 33 ••• 6’495
1933- 34 • • •
Total... £532,508
Nature of work
Approximately 50 new post offices and telephone
exchanges;
Approximately 10 new post offices and exchanges
and additions of a major character;
Approximately 7 new post offices and exchanges
(including 3 broadcasting stations);
Approximately 9 new post offices and exchanges
(including 2 broadcasting stations);
.approximately 12 new post offices and exchanges
(including 1 broadcasting station);