MINISTER EXPLAINS DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS

Chronicle (Levin), 2 April 1947, Page 4

MINISTER EXPLAINS DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS

(Special ta "Chronicle")

PALMERSTON NORTH, April 2. Regional development was advanced further today when the Mipister of Worksj, Hon. R. Semple, in the Council Chambers, Palmerston North, met repreSentatives of the local authorities in the Horowhenua^ Manawatu and Wairarapa regions for the purpose of explaining all those proposals affecting the development of these dis- > tricts which the Governnient had in view for the next ten years. The Minister was accompanied by several seliior officers of the departments mainly concerned in the scheme, and( they in turn explained some of the more .-a important projects in greater detail.

The Minister mentioned that he had heard it said that there were few areas in the world with richer natural soils than those with which he would be dealing, and, without having any real basis -of comparison with other countries', he found comparisons within New Zealand sufficiently favourable to iend support to the claim. "Although there are a number of •ihriving municipalities in the two regions, their wealth is still mainly derived from sheep and cattle, and industrial trends are still mainly those which are directly connected with the soil. "Of the primary production of the Dominion in the year 1941-42, the Manawatu and Wairarapa districts, with less than six per cent. of the total population, produced 11.3 per cent: of the combined wool, meat and butterfat value for the Dominion.

-"It might be suggested," said the Minister, "that with all the wealth that is centred in this area, the inhabitants are in a position -to effect whatever iinprovements j might occur to them as- desirable without any assistance or control from the Government or other sources. The fact is, however, that because of the employment of materials and manpower in the national interest during the war years, and the accumulation of deferred maintenance work resulting from six years' diversion of the national effort to war purposes, this Dominion can expend its materials and manpower only after most careful consideration and selection of the projects submitted. The period of shortages is iikely to continue for some time yet, and while this condition lasts only those works which can be clearly justified upon a basis of high economic value in relation to all other projects can be allowed to proceed." The Government had placed itself in such a position' that it could disclose its proposals well in advance of the commencement of works, and could thus give the local authorities and the public the benefit of an ample opportunity to study those proposals and to adapt their own to them. Then , they could give the Govern1 ment the benefit of any constructive criticism that might be forthcoming. The local authorities' individually had responded by giving full information concerning their intentions as far as these had been developed. The meeting was to acquaint all of them with the main proposals as far as*these had been examined.

The Minister stressed that the works were still in the planning stage only. The Government now wished the Regional Councils and the various local authorities to give these plans their fullest consideration. After study, discussion and the collection of further information, no doubt the need would be shown for alterations or additions to the proposals. When these - necessary adjustments had been made, Regional Councils and local authorities would be able to adopt the regional plan as the basis of their own internal planning. All .local body and Government projects for municipalities in the area would be designed.-in such a way as to fit into town plans, many of which were either complete or in an advanced stage of preparation. ; With these reservations, said the Minister, it was the Government's intention, in conjunction with the local authorities, to implement the plan with works which would be undertaken in their logical order of priority. In each financial year all the works would be reviewed -by the Minister and the Commissioner of Works, and recommendations would then be made to the Government as to- which should be started. The most important faetors in. the selection of works would be: (1) the availability of materials, (2) local necessity, (3) considerations of full employment and full production to which the Government was pledged, (4) the finance available and the relation of the individual work to the general econoiny of the country, and (5) the availability of engineering and other trained staff to handle each project. At the present time, therefore, fche Government could not be committed to commence any particular work by any. particular time, but further statements would be made from time to time as to which work would be started and when. Plans for some of the works mentioned. ' said the Minister were well forward "but most of them still required considerable preparation and inves*tigation. Approved works would, however, be moved from the planning to the programme stage with the minimum of delay. - ."From the proposals which had been described, a definite programme of works for the development of the area during the ensuing decade would be prepared, said fche Minister. Some of the works were already started, others would be put in hand at once. Other works again, might after '* further study be excluded or postponed, but there was no proj,ect included

which we c.ould say positively should not be further studied for commencement within .the decade. When the individual proposals had been reviewed by . the Regional Councils they would need to be related to the proposals cqming from other parts of the Dominion, and programmes of construction would be prepared annually for approval by the Government. The economy of the country as a whole would demand priority for certain works, such as land development, hydro-electric construction and nousing. Other works would be so timed iri relation to those . being carried out by private enterprise, and to the demands for material and manpower by primary and secondary industry, that they would always tend to maintain a eonstanc level of employment. ■