The Dominion. TUESDAY, JANUARY" 13, 1920. PUBLIC WORKS CONTROL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 92, 13 January 1920, Page 4

The Dominion. TUESDAY, JANUARY" 13, 1920. PUBLIC WORKS CONTROL

Or the Cabinet positions to be filled in the near future, one of the

most important is that of Minister

of Public Works. It implies no | slight to the retiring Minister, Sin William Fiiasek, to say that in appointing his successor the ruling consideration ought to be the need of effecting great and sweeping changes in public works methods and administration. Conditions during the war years which covered the greater part of Sin William Fjusek's Ministerial term not only excluded the possibility of a bold policy of progress where development works are concerned, but made it impossible to maintain anything like normal activity in road and railway construction, and in the

prosecution of other national works.

Now, however, it is manifestly an elementary condition of progress and prosperity that such works

should be pushed ahead with all possible enorgy. Ttoads and railways, if they are extended and improved as they ought to be, will play a great part in furthering settlement and subdivision, and encouraging the increase in primary and other production which will enable the Dominion to cai'ry its war burdens and make its population prosperous and contented. Hvdro-elcc-tric development, again, holds im- ■ ■ mcnselv valuable possibilities, particularly in view of the high and rising costs of production in Europe and America, and tho great increase in ocean transnort charges. Apart from the, benefits offered in regard to industries and services, the Dominion has an open opportumt}' of basing new industries upon a comparatively cheap and inexhaustible power supply which is available in enormous volume. Development problems are, of course, intimately associated with that of building up the population on right lines to tho point at which the prosperity of the Dominion will be established on a firm and secure foundation. A well-considered policy of immigration is essential to the enterprising prosecution of national works, and these works, carried out on right lines, will pave the way for a great and permanent expansion Of the population. Looking at these possibilities, the need of selecting the best man available as Minister of Public Works becomes particularly clear. The public works administration of the Dominion, as it stands, is marked by an almost total want of system and outlook, and by the deference paid at every turn to considerations that ought to be ignored. Hardly any attempt has been made hitherto to take comprehensive stock of national needs in the way of development work, much less to devise .and carry out a systematic policy under which these Heeds would be met in the shortest possible time. In the control of public works the expert has boen so subordinated to the politician that he has almost been lost to sight. The detail results are fainiliar. In the construction of roads and railways, for instance, the leading aim has been not to open up the country as rapidly as possible, but to satisfy the people of as many dnferont districts as possible in a given time. It follows as a matter oi course that uncompleted and unproductive railways are scattorod about the country, and that roadmaking and improvement are at such a pass that there is only too much justification for a national good roads campaign. So far as railways aro concerned, it is the ' crowning absurdity of the existing ' pioccdure -that the Department which runs all the railways in the I country is not even consulted in regard to the location of new railways 1 and the order in which thev arc to 1 bq constructed. It is in 'keeping , With the general want of system I that tho Dominion has been 'back- 1 ward in adopting up-to-date work- ! ing methods in development work, j by the substitution of machinery for ( manual labour and in other ways. j There is no need to labour the ; point that under these conditions 1

progress has of necessity been hampered in all directions. What is worth emphasising is that the time is more than ripe for effecting such changes as will make it possible to deal with national works from a, national standpoint. There is'still a somewhat widespread disposition on the part of politicians to evade the central issue, which is that ut transferring control over the details i public works planning and administration from political to non-1 political control. This issue must i be faced, however, it the country is to bo rid of a public works system, so-called, which is a reproach to common sense. If actual, as distinct trom political, results aro to be aimed at in development work, experts, instead of politicians, must be allowed to sa-y where and how public money will be spent on such works to the best advantage. It may he an open question whether a single non-political board or a series of such boards, each of thcin dealing with 'a particular class of work, would best serve the interests of the Dominion, but the establishment of a system under which the Minister and 1 arliament would, concern themselves only with broad policy and with ultimate financial control seems- to offer the only hope of escape from the existing slate of affnirs. lhe first thing necessary to such a readjustment as is called for is the appointment ot the right man as Minister of Public Works. If he is to render useful service he ' must be a strong man not lacking m imagination, n man of energy and progressive spirit. But, in addition, if he is to bring the administration of public works into line with modern ideas, the new Minister ought to be eager to escape from tho groove traversed bj his predecessors and establish more rational methods. Both in political circles and throughout the country a considerable amount of parochial prejudice will have to be overcome in substituting non-political control of the practical details of development work for tho system in vogue; but if tho urgent needs of the country arc to be met, a Minister must bo appointed who is prepared to move for ward enterprisingly on these lines, and lies must be allowed a free hand.