THE HOUSE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 16, 13 October 1917, Page 8

THE HOUSE

The Rouse of Representatives met at 2.30 p.m. LAND FOR SOLDIERS. The Bight Hon. W. I'. MASSEY (Prime Minister) moved the third reading of the Discharged Soldiers' Settlement Amendment Bill. Mr. C. H. POOLE (Auckland Wo-t) protested against hundreds of strong men, German prisoners, being kept in idleness in the internment camps. Ho urged that they be given work at road-making or similar work in the country. Mr. E. P. HUDSON (Motuoka), in supporting the Bill, commended the At-torney-General upon his diligence in looking after the welfare of returned soldiers. He urged the Government to consider the question of catering specially for returned soldiers being settled on the land. Ho made practical suggestions for Government assistance to sultrier settlers on fruit lands. Mr. C. J. TALBOT (Tomuka) congratulated the Minister of Lands on the activity being displayed in the settlement of soldiers on land. Dr. It. T. J. THACKEE (Ohristchurch East) spoko of the possibility of setting up such home industries as existed, among the peasantry and work people of the north-west of Ireland. He suggested that soldier settlers on very small holdings would require sonic such subsidiary means of livelihood. The Bill was read u Ihird time on the voices. PUBLIC WORKS THE ESTIMATES DISCUSSED The House" proceeded to discuss the motion to go into Committee on Che Public Wovrks Estimates. Mr. E. M'CALLUM (AVairau) complimented the Minister on the commonsense way in which he had arranged with the local bodies about the distribution of tiio available moneys amongst them. No member could accuse him of the slightest favouritism. Alter the war the private owners of all kinds of wealth must prepare for an enormous burden of taxation, hut sido by side villi this embarrassment the Government must go on with'piftlic works. Otherwise the country would be kept back. Pi ret of all he would urge, the Government to - complete our main trunk lines, and then adopt a lighter sort of railway for other lilies to be built in future. At present ho thought the policy of tlio Department was somewhat at fault in insisting upon permanent work to last hundreds of years, when if the money were used in work of a. more temporary character that would immediately assist iu Hie development of the country. He was glad tho Minister had taken a useful vote of .£60,000 for flood damage relief. Water Power for Wellington. Dr. A. X. NEWMAN (Wellington East) said he was particularly pleased with that section of tne report referring to water power for the supply of electric current lo the "Wellington province. Mr. Parry reported that in the Maiugonuho Kivcr near to Shannon thero could be obtained 25,000 horse-power, sufficient to supply all the towns of importance in Wellington district. He had never believed that the ofiier smaller streams in the province could bo harnessed successfully. He did not believe that the Makuri or the Akatarawa schemes could ever be mado a success. The supply of electricity to this province would be a great boon, especially to the city of Wellington. Tho province had no coal supplies, but was dependent wholly on sea-borne supplies of coal. After tho scheme was fully established and tho Waikarenioana scheme was running as a sibsidiary supply, there could be no danger of a failure of current in any part of the southern half of the North Island. 'Die report of Mr. Parry, Chief Electrical Engineer, on this scheme for the supply of electricity produced by water-power was the best news this city had hud for a very long time. Mr H G. ELL (Christchurch South) complimented tho Minister on the policy adopted by tho Department in regard to water-power development. Tho policy was not to run the Lake Coleridge scheme for profit, but for thei benefitot the population, without prejudice to the rest of the country. ■ Mr J CEAIGIi! (Timaru) urged that the public works expenditure should not bo unduly limited. He expressed his displeasure at the failure of tho Goverji-

meal, to fulfil the promise made that the | power from Luke Coleridge would go | down (o Timnni.

Workers' Homes. SIR JOHN FINDLAY (Hawke's Bay) expressed satisfaction that the Government was making provision for relief of people who had suffered by floods, which Lad been exceptionally severe ill his district. Ho was sorry that more could not be done in building of workers' dwellings, because ho was of opinion that this was the way in whicli the Government could givo most lasting help to the working people. Ha doubted whether any fair rent schemes would do much good. He realised that tho Minister was in sympathy with the workers' dwellings scheme, but there were financial difficulties now.

Mr. Massey: Our chief difficulty is not money, but tho high cost of building material.

Sir John Findlay said that he realised that it might not be wise to build now. Mr. G. W. FORBES (Hurunui) said that he considered that public works were done in such a fashion by the Department that the cost to the State was excessive. Some people had an impression that Government methods of doing work were the slowest and most expensive possible. In his district, where floods were serious, the Public Worlcs engineers did not in building bridges make sufficient provision for flood waters. Mr. J. T. M. HORNSBY (Wairarapa) spoke of the unsatisfactory condition of the road between the Camp and Featherston town, and he protested against the Defence authorities levying a tax of ,£l2 a year on taxi-drivers plying on this road, in view of the fact that the road was so bad. He suggested that the Minister of Public Works should intervene. Back-block Roads. -Mr. G. J. ANDERSON (Mataura) found fault with the Government's custom of opening up lands for settlement without raiding tne areas adequately. Enough money should bo made available to make enough roads. It would pay the settlers handsomely to have their sections loaded for the extra reading cost, because they would be able more quickly to bring their lauds to productivity. He hoped that this fault of tho Department would be mended before soldier settlers were put on unimproved lands. He did not approve of the Government going on with ri'ilways which would never pay, aud using money which might well lie Used for roading. For instance, it would be soon enough after the war to go on with the -piercing of the Otira Tunnel. He thought the Government should allow a private company to develop the waterpowvr at .Mitfo'rd, because it would be many years before the Government would be able to afford to do the work. It was not good policy for the Government to stand in the way of progress while this valuable power was running to waste. Mr. C. H. POOLE (Auckland West) urged the Government to retain and develop the sources of water-power in. NewZealand. The installation at Lake Coleridge hud been of enormous benefit to Clirislchurch, and the Government ought not to delay developing somo_ of the abundant water-power of the North Island. He asked for the restoration of the suburban railway services.

Mr. W. T. JENNINGS (Tauinarunui) said the Statement was the most meagre the Dominion had received for twenty years. He knew the reason, but the proposals of the Minister of Public Works would give rise to. grave disappointment in the back-block districts. The most serious weakness of the public works system was the dissipation of money in small sums all over the country, when efficiency and economy demanded tho concentration of effort and expenditure. It would be a good thing if all the money available for railway construction were concentrated on two or three lines, which could then lie completed quickly. A similar reform should be made in road construction. Under present conditions there often were a dozen bits of road under const ruction -in one district. Tho works were scattered and costly, and the appliances were primitive. Dray teams were hauliug inctal when motor tractors should be used, and the. people did not get value for I heir money. . Mr. 11. POLAND (Ohineinuri) protested against delay in the completion ol the East Coast Main Trunk railway. This was the most important line under construction at the present) lime. Mr. P. C. WEBB (Grey) urged the Minister of Public AVorks io send a qualified mining inspector to the Otira tunnel. The conditions there, were very bad, owing to <tu<it and smoke, ami the men ought not lo be required to work more than six hours a day. The tunnel would have been thruugh at ihe present time if it had been cut under the -Mining Act. instead of the Quarries Act. Mr. f. M. W'ILTOKD (Unit) returned to Hie subject of water-produced electric current, and he advocated the Akatarawii ■ichemo. His idea was that a small scheme such as Akatarawa had advantages over a big sceme in which high voltage current would have to be transmitted over long-distance lines. He would hesitate to advocate Ihe handing over ol waler-puwer to private companies unless there were provided safeguards defined by Statute, for the resumption of tho privileges by Ihe Government. He congratulated the Minister' on his steady resolve to conserve for the people of the Dominion the water-power assets of the country. , .„,, ,„ , The Hon. A. 'I'. NGATA (Eastern Maori) urged the Minister lo press otward with' the construction of tho Last Coa*{ Main Trunk railway, and especially with the Hay of Plenty sections of that line. ' , ~, .. Mr. C. A. WILKINSON (Eginonl) said that the amount provided for Ihe construction of the line to link up Taranaki with the Main Trunk line was smaller than I hat-allowed last year. Re hoped the line would not he allowed lo stop. Hi- knew that all lines could not be kept aoing at this time, and he was prepared to stop that it was folly to go on with lli« -onslruclion of one line m his dis-trict-the Opunako lino. • He considered that tho vote for public schools had been reduced too much. Minister's Reply. The Hon. W. ERASER, in reply, said that his officers had paid very close attention to the labour conditions in the Otiro tunnel. The experts had reported consistently that the air in the tunnel was good. The tunnel was a. very Ion" one, but the drives wero nowwithin 30 chains of one another, and when the connection was made he hoped thero would b" no more talk about bad ventilation, There was no compulsion on ~„,. , ni ,i, to stav on the job, and he could not agree to. make the operations subject to the Mining Act Tt was not nosiiblc for the Public AVorks Denarlment to undertake all the works that were being pressed upon its attention. Twenty-five members of the Depart-ment''.-staff were at the front, and their places could not. be filled. He was qnte convinced that his refusal to give nnvalo companies authority to exploit witer-nowor was iustified m the national interests. The Lake Coleridge ficheme had been a success, and had supplied ,„, example that would be of very great benefit to the whole country. He believed that at- the end of this year the financial results would lie lound qui:ta satisfactory, while, the benefit to the people of Christchurch was undeniable. The development of water-nower in ether parts of the country was delayed by the vnr Plant and materials could not be tu'ocured at the present time, and it would not bo the right thing In borrow large sumo of money fOT ™ e development of water-nower at sucli a time But. the Department was 'not inactive. Plans were being prepared for the production of water power in tho AVellington and Auckland districts. He was not prepared to make hasty decisions because many difficult problems had to be considered, but he believed that when the war was over the Department "would be ready to proceed with the works and make use of tho labour that would then be available. There seemed to be no method of drawing power from Lake AVaikaremoana for the whole of the North Island. At least two schemes would hare to be undertaken. The Minister added that the vigorous prosecution of public works at tho present time was impossible. Adequate, labour could not be found even, if money was available. But he would be ready to employ some thousands of men on useful works when the war was over and the soldiers came home. He was having surveys made so that work could bo undertaken when the proper time came. The House went into Committee on the Public AVorks Estimates at 0.30 a.m., and passed them within three minutes without debate. The House adjourned at 0.33 a.m. until 7.30 p.m. on Monday.