"ALL FOR AUCKLAND"

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 71, 17 December 1920, Page 7

"ALL FOR AUCKLAND"

MINISTERS MAKE REPLY HOW PUBLIC MONEY IS ALLOCATED THE BASIS OF EXPENDITURE Comparisons of public works expenditure in Wellington and Auckland were made rccontly by tho organiser of tho Central Progif:ss League (Mr. (j. Mitchell, M.P.), who suggested that tho northern districts were getting more than their fair share of public monoy. . Tho question was expected to bo raised when tho Control Progress League's deputation interviewed tho Prime Minister and the Minister of Public Works regarding the i Wellington railway station and other matters yestorday, and the Ministers evidently had como armed for argument. But Mr. Mitchell was unable to ho pro- I B,ent owing to illness in his family, and tho provincial issuo was not discussed deeply.

Mr. J. P. Luke, M.P., in tho course of somo references to Wellington's needs, said that he did not wish to raisfc tho Wellington versus Auckland ißsue.

Mr. W. H. Field, M.P.: We had better , thrash that out—tho question of Auckland being Now Zealand.

Mr. Massey: It has got to be thrashed out. 1 don't want to thrash it out to-rtav unless you fcul iucliucd, but it enn't rest where it is.

Mr. Luke: Wo aro approaching you in a Christinas spirit.

_ Hon. J, G-. Coates: You do your grumbling through the newspapers. Later Mr. Field remarked that wlifcn he, roferred to the provincial issue lie had been endeavouring to be facetious, Mr. Masscy: I nuilj; understand that, It is rather a joke than otherwise. Mr. Meld: I don't know about, that. There is a feeling In Wellington that wo arc not'being treated fairly duwn horfc.

Thjt> Prime Minister, in the course- of his reply to the deputation, said that a suggestion appeared to liavt; been mado. by the Central Progress League that money ought to be speut on public works on a population basis. That would be quitu impossible. Tho money had to be spent where it was required. He happened to represent a district that had been developed very many years ago. Its roads, bridges, and railways had been built.' It would bo absurdHHro r say that such a district ought to'receive tho saroa share of public expenditure ns an undeveloped back-blocks district, where tho means of communication required to.be established in order that settlement might proceed.

T,he Minister of Public Works spoke on the same point in more detail. Ho regretted the absence of Mr. Mitchell. The proper policy for the Government, said Mr, Coates, was to spend money where it was most required nnd where its expenditure would give tho quickest results and the most production. Jny other policy would not carry tho country far in the right direction. The method of allocating public- money for roads, bridges, and other purposes did not appear to bo generally understood.' Tho country was divided into engineering districts, which did not coiucida with provinces; Tim local bodies in,each district wero asked, to state _ their requirements to the district entrineer. This engineer made full inquiry and forwarded hi 6 reports to the chief entrineer in Wellington. Representation!; that had been made to tho ■ Minister by deputations were considered by the heads of the Department in conjunction with these reDorts. The accountant of tho Department was taken into consultation, because ho had to check tho total expenditure. His own practice, except in cases where questions of policy were iii\ohccL had been to accept the recommendations of the nxnerts recardinsr vot(M

Mr. Coates added that ho had Sanies covering the last twenty years and the last fortv years. The figures really showed thattfe South Island, where development was comparatively easy, had been developed first, and. that the provision of facilities for tho northern districts had come later. Population had gradually worked north. The deputation had urged the importance of the deviations. He would be disposed to say that (he must important railway 'for Wellington was tho Napier-Gisborne line, giving a connection with the East Coast. But money spent on that line was spent in Auckland province. He had decided, as already announced, that the completion of the-Napier-Gisborne road should be tho first task, and that tho railway should bo completed later. He would have many lines out of hand within two yoars, and then labour, material, and. plant would become available for speedy work on the remaining important lines. It was not satisfactory to push ahead witli railways knowinsr that they were costing double what they should cost. Turning again to the question of provincial expenditure, the Minister said that the present policy was to ,pay subsidies to the local bodies' for approved works. The subsidies varied in amount, and thev wero paid after the work had been completed by tho local body. Other, proposals were being considered, more in the direction of placing increased responsibility upon the local bodies, rho returns for 1918 showed that local bodies in Auckland had raised by way of loan. 4J1.200.000 for works, while the local bodies in Wellington had raised jutt half as much. That afteoved the subsidies. ' Tho district engineers .had beon changed round so that each might know, what was happening in other districts, and what was tho general practice of the Department. The Progress League had fi aid that Auckland gml .£381,000. while the rest of New Zealand got .£315,000. Tho actual expenditure on roads had been .£388,000 for New Zealand, Auckland getting and' tho rest .of New Zealand .£IBO.OOO. Ho did not intend to go into the details, but ho would sugE.es> that a comparison of public expenditure on provincial hues could not givo any useful information. Wlnu had Dunedin got out of the military camps in Wellington during tho war? Yet the use of tho central camps had been in the interests of tho whole Dominion. The comparison of expenditure on ft population basis was also misleading It could' be shown on that basis that while Auckland got 355. per head. Westland got 90s. per head, because the Otira tunnel was there and because much development was proceeding. ■ ~.: