WHEN MR. HOGG WAS MINISTER

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 990, 3 December 1910, Page 4

WHEN MR. HOGG WAS MINISTER

PUBLIC WORKS EXPENDITURE. ; • There was an aihusing passage l&o ' tween the Hon. R. M'Kenzie (Minister" J for Public Works) and Mr. A. W. Hogg (the former Minister for-Public Works) last night. . Mr. Hogg lad been com- ' plaining of the poverty of votes for his electorate and the Hon. R. M'Kenzie treated him to. a characteristic reply,' Ho said that when. Mr. Hogg was Minister- he rushed out money at the rate . of £300,000 per month with the result that, wlien lie .(Mr. M'Kenzie) took charge, of tie Department ..lie found tlat money which should have been ' !. spent in twelve months had been spent ; in about three. "I would do it- again," replied Mr. Hogg unrepentantly amidst daughter./' By way of personal explanation Mr: Hogg said that during the time lie waa ' in charge of the Department there . ; was a very large expenditure, but the impression was sought to be conveyed . that there was a material increase of ;; expenditure during these few months. ; . He denied that he had increased the!. • staff by a solitary individual or officer..' He admitted that public works were 1 "., going ahead at that time and that a ; considerable number of men were employed and that when Mr. M'Kenzie took office, not only'were the works reduced by half,, but many deserving officers were discharged for no fault of their own. Mr. M'Kenzie said his allegation had' simply been that Mr; Hogg spent £600,000 in two months.