PUBLIC WORKS ESTIMATES.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18219, 1 November 1924, Page 17

PUBLIC WORKS ESTIMATES.

YESTERDAY'S WORK IN THE HOUSE. TBES3 ASSOCUIIOS EEFOBT.) "WELLINGTON, October :\l. In the House of Representatives this afternoon, on the motion to go into Commit too on the Public Works Est i - mates, Mr McCombs complained that through the new system. of pooling development ' funds for hydro-clectnc schemes Canterbury was being robbed for the benefit of i!;o North Island. Tbo Coleridge scheme was penrdised in the interests of northern enterprises. Mr Wiltord reaffirmed lus l>elipf that the allocation of grants for roads, bridges, and other Public "Works should be in the hands of an expert Board of business men outside of the Government service and free from political influence. He complained of the uiidno proportion of Public "Works .expenditure in North Auckland ;us compared with other parts of Now Zealand. The raihvavs should bo run as business concerns Vn strictly business lines. The .Main Trunk railway connexion from Invercargill to Auckland should be completed. He complained that th<~- Manhydroelectric scheme wa-s too expensive and that work should be undertaken on the Ti-ike Walkaremoana scheme. Something more should be done to provide additional lighthouses around the coasts, some portions of which urgently needed means for warning mariners. Motor competition ought to l>e met by the adoption of methods, by which the railways could obviate its present disastrous effects. Mr Isitt supported the plea for a business Board to deal with Public Works expenditure, and agreed with Mr McCombs that tlio Coleridge hydroelectric scheme was being unfairly treated. It was the pioneer scheme. The loan was raised for it at 4 per cent. Then other schemes were set going, but the money for them cost oi and 6 per cent. Now all the funds were pooled, which meant that ■ Coleridge was paying 5J or 6, per cent, for its -i per cent. loan. The Hon. C. J. .Parr ridiculed the protests about the political control of Public .Works expenditure in the face of immediately following pleas for greator expedition in this or that- railway or other work. . So far as North Auckland was concerned there certainly had been over-expenditure ;of some £40,000, but members forgot that this tras due to disastrous floods which hart necessitated Government assistance to the settlers whose farms were inundated iust as had ]jeen giyen to the settlers in Marlborough and other districts in former years; Mr Armstrong considered that, the suggested Board would be ineffective. Ho attacked the contract system of carrying out public works, especially the letting of such a large contract to tho Armstrong "Whitworth Co., who j Vrere wealthy monopolists. New Zea- ! 'and ought to be able to do'the work quite as well by the adoption of tbo co-operative contract system. in its proper form. Sir George' Hunter pleaded'for the Napicr-Gisiborne. railway connexion at the earliest possible date. He pointed out that only £126.000 had been spent last year out' of £l5O 000 Voted'. This year's proposed yoto was £170,000. Mr J. Edie said backblocks districts should have'first consideration in the matter of roading facilities. Tho Hon. D. Buddo>added his protest to those made regarding the treatment of tho Coleridge hydro-electric scheme. ' Messrs- W. D. Lysnar and-T. W. Rhodes stressed, the' need for better access to. back block lands. - Mr Rhodes appealed ' for relief for gold nyners, who had been, adversely affected by the embargo on export during the War. • . Mr hoped that the Minister would {Maintain the. policy relating, to electric -works so that ali -users of current' would. be placed on an equal footing'in the matter of price:. , Mr T. K. Sidey, accused tho Prime Minister of ■ inconsistency,.' stating that when in opposition Mr Massby had condemned the ' practico of . bringing down the,-Public. Works Statement in the .dying hours .of the session. Not once in twelve years since the Reform Government had been in office had the Statement* been brought'down early iu the session.; It had always been tabled within a few days of the termination of the session, even .when tho session wa3 continued, until February. Mr Massev had also condemned-,the present method . yotijjg moucy as abominable, humiliating, and wasteful; yet-ho had made no change. Tlie Minister of Puhlic Works was likewise inconsistent, because in one part of his Statement he deplored the multiplicity of local bodies; yet on. another page .he gloried in the .fact that there were 36 newPower Boards. Mr . D.. G. Sullivan complained of the ■ unequal' allocation of money for Public Works. Auckland was getting more Wellington and the whole of the South Island. ' Ho did not object to this expenditure in . the North, but strongly advocated the completion of the South Main Trunk Railway as an off-set. . : Mr G. W. Forbos said that whatever, Government came' into power in future, would have to set up. a Public Works Committco which would carefully investigate every claim 'for expenditure. The House could, then vote the money with confidence, because members would know. that. the votes had been the subject of investigation. The Hon. A.. Hanan» condemned what he called tho "borrow 'and squander'? policy of the Government. When the Eeforrn Party was in opposition they denounced .borrowing, but their actions to-day exposed their hypocrisy and showed that, they obtained office by false pretences. Their conduct in this connexion amounted to political humbug. Immediately . after the supper adjournment tho House went ujto Committee on tbo Estimates. The Hon. J. G. Coates, replying to previous criticism, said his policy of railway concentration. bad.resulted. in tbo railways under construction being reduced from 36 to 9. Members 'were with one' breath denouncing - political influouce and with the next demanding political railways. So far as he knew there was not a singlo political railway under construction at present. He defended the present, method' of voting money, as meinber.s had a clear knowledge* of what money was being voted in their districts. . Mr Wilford contended that members might understand'what was going ou in their own districts, but the Houso did not. Discussing hydro-electro .schemes, the Minister ' said 'all the experts were agreed that" it would "be unwise to attempt to bring power from Waikareuioana to "Wellington. To do so would mean tlie loss of fully 35 per cent, of the power in transmission. Mangahao was a necessary adjunct, to Waikaremoana. and although it had exceeded the estimated cost bv nearly half a million, that was largely due to tho high prices- following upon tho war. Construction would be'begun at Waikarem'oana next year, and ultimately it would be joined up with Mangahao. As to hydro-electric schemes generally he considered we had reason to be proud of the;m. Wc were making no mistakes. "Ail the schemes wero well thought out and -\\ell carried out. They wero based on business principles, and were being developed according •to a definito programme. Discussicn continued until shortly after 1 niidnigbt, when' tho total ivote amounting to £8,096.646 was passed. The House rose at 12.20 a.m. till 11 aim. next day.