Communications and transit > National public works

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Classification of Public Works by Categories.
(а) Roads and bridges.
(б) Railway lines, including tramways, metropolitan railways, etc. (If possible, mention
the more important construction works separately.)
(c) Complete agricultural land reclamation (drainage, irrigation, construction of
dwelling-houses and various new buildings, or establishment of entire new settlements, country
roads and other works connected with land settlement).
(d) Canals and other inland waterways (including improvement work on rivers, defensive
work against floods, etc.). (Work not already included under (c).)
(e) Land improvement work, bringing of new land under cultivation, reafforestation,
etc (Work not already included under (c).)
(/) Provision of drinking-water supplies and sewage disposal. (Work not already
included under (c).)
(g) Work carried out in sea and river ports, including mechanical equipment of such
ports.
(h) Work for the establishment of air ports.
(i) Building and construction work forming part of a general plan and carried out (or
to be carried out) with the participation or approval of public authorities, classified
according to category (administrative buildings, dwelling-houses, etc.). (Work not already
included under (c).)
(/) Electric installations, hydro-electric and heating power centres, motive-power
transmission.
(k) Gasworks and long-distance gas supply.
(/) Telegraph and telephone installations, wireless broadcasting stations.
(m) Other work.
Although the Governments were requested to send the above particulars to the Secretariat
by August 15th, so that all the replies received could be submitted to the Assembly, a
considerable number of Governments had not yet replied by the time the present report was
drawn up. This delay is doubtless due to the lengthy period of time required for the
collection of the data required as a basis for the replies, as, indeed, is clear from some
preliminary communications which have reached the Secretariat.
A detailed account of the information contained in the replies received will be published
shortly, but it appeared advisable to inform the Assembly now of the general position of the
question by means of a short summary of the replies which have already reached the
Secretariat.
Up to the present, the Governments of the following countries have replied to the circular
letter of March 7th, 1934 : Union of South Africa, United States of America, Australia, Belgium,
United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, France, Haiti, India, Iraq, Luxemburg,
Netherlands, Nicaragua, Poland, Portugal, Salvador, Switzerland, Turkey, Yugoslavia.
Of these replies, those from the Governments of the following countries alone deal with the
substance of the question :
Australia.
The reply communicates the information furnished by New South Wales and Tasmania.
New South Wales sends a brief description of the public works carried out under the
auspices of the Unemployment Relief Council, together with a list of the various categories
of works, the expenditure incurred in respect of each category being specified. The reply
also contains detailed particulars of the administrative organisation of those works and the
methods of financing employed, and specifies the amount of the credits allocated thereto.
Information is furnished regarding the Emergency Relief Work Scheme and the
conditions under which this scheme is to be carried out, the relevant legislative texts being
attached. Lastly, the number of unemployed engaged in these works is also given.
The reply states that fuller particulars will be sent later ; these will be collected by the
competent departments entrusted with the practical execution of the works.
Tasmania communicates a list giving particulars of the aggregate expenditure incurred
in respect of the various categories of works carried out (roads and bridges, railways, sea and
river ports) together with brief information regarding the organisation of the works and the
methods of financing employed.
Belgium.
The reply is divided into four parts, dealing respectively with public works of the
following categories :
(a) Roads. — Brief particulars of the credits, spread over five years, allocated
to special reconditioning of State roads ; general information concerning other (normal)
road works and their administrative and financial organisation.