PUBLIC WORKS

Evening Star, Issue 22451, 23 September 1936, Page 13

PUBLIC WORKS

THE DEBATE COMPLETED MONSTER PROGRAMME INVOLVES £12,000,000 HIGHLY CRITICAL COMMENT DANGER OF CREATING BOOM [Per United Press Association.] WELLINGTON, September 22. The House met at 2.30 p.m. Urgency was accorded tho passing or the Public Works Estimates. Discussing the Public Works Statement, Mr Broadfoot said it was an interesting document, which provided for the expenditure of eight and a-half millions, which, with three and a-half millions for housing, brought the total to the considerable sum of 12 millions. It had been found that public works were not a cure for unemployment, but were used in a crisis to alleviate a difficult position. He contended that in difficult times public works should be used, but they should be tapered oft' in times of prosperity. To assimilate the unemployed men should be diverted to industry, and not to public works. That state of affairs would create boom conditions, and that they should bo careful to avoid, because there was always a nasty reflex coming from a boom. Ho claimed that the back country roads should be put in order and metalled before main highways -were further extended. He suggested that a little less should be done on the main highways and a great deal more on backblock roads.

_ Mr Meachen supported the completion of the South Island Main Trunk Railway, and hoped it was the intention of the Government to establish a train ferry across Cook Strait to obviate a great deal of handling of goods. He spoke of the advantages of the completed railway to Marlborough, and claimed that every penny spent by the Public Works Department that would lead to an increase in the population of the Dominion would mean a penny spent in defence. They had to consider whether they could continue to hold such a rich fertile country as Now Zealand without making some attempt to populate it as it should be populated, and it could he populated only by industrialising it to a far greater extent than had been done. He complimented the Minister on the steps he had taken to make conditions easier for backblock settlers. Mr Bodkin said the statement was merely a statement of generalities without any attempt to support them by fact, and, from his observations, none of the country between the termini of the South Island Main Trunk Railway would be any use for anything else than woolgrowing, and unless the motor lorry was legislated off the road the wool would he carried by road and not by rail. He regretted the Government was not spending more money on irrigation, because money so spent would return more revenue to the State and put more men in permanent industry than any other class of expenditure that was unclertaken by the Public Works Department. REDUCED UNEMPLOYMENT. Mr Lyon said members should regard the' completion of railway lines from the point of view of the welfare of the people, not from the point of view of profit-making, and the opening up of new country would attract population. Referring to the numbers of unemployed', he said that since August 31, 1935, the unemployment figures had dropped nearly 10,000. They also had to take into account that the Maoris were previously not eligible, but they were ’now registered; and also the modification of the medical examination by which many who were previously dependent on charitable aid were now registered unemployed. Mr Forbes said the time had come when the highways from end to end should be sealed. He asked if the Minister intended to do anything to supply country people with cheaper electricity, and also wondered if the Goyernment should continue with the policy of abolishing level crossings, or whether it would not be cheaper for the Railway Department to employ disabled men as crossing keepers. He thought it was introducing a wrong principle to force men to join unions. Mr Hargest said that at a time when the country was emerging from a slump and at a time when men should be economically employed, it was impossible for the private employer to pay as high wages as those paid on public works. He alleged that the country’s money was being wasted, and said that only a Government with unlimited resources at its disposal could attempt to pay those high wages. He could see no justification for the completion of the South Island Main Trunk Railway. No one from south of Christchurch would use the railway ■as an alternative to the present LyttcltonWellington steamer service. Referring to the Gishorne-Napier line, he said the country was faced with the possibility that when the line was finished the present motor goods service would be abolished and the settlers forced to use an uneconomic railway. He thought the Government should concentrate on improving the highways rather than building railways.

Mr Wright opposed the completion of the South Island Main Trunk lino. He said it would not open np any new country, and would' not pay operating expenses. He thought it would bo more economical to subsidise farmers who suffered loss through not being able to rail their stock to the markets than to complete the railway. He said the lino was being built to enhance the value of the land of certain people, and those wore the people who were standing behind the line. , Mr Hodgens said they had to build many more roads, railways, and bridges, and erect electric lines before they could say the}’ had finished public works in New Zealand. They had to bring every modern service to the furthest taxpayer from the urban areas, and he contended that it was the duty of any responsible Government to give consideration to those matters. He spoke generally in support of completing unfinished railway lines, and said roads did not pay, so why should railways be expected to pay. They could not measure in money a service that could be given to the community by a through main trunk lino. He wanted the Minister to evolve some scheme which would draw town and country together, and feared that previous Ministers had driven a wedge between town ami country. Mr Holland claimed that the overtime rates that had (o be paid by private employers should also bo paid by I lie (lovernmenl. He said Govcrn-

mont employees had to work overtime for less than the ordinary rates. Referring to road classification, Mr Holland contended that the same classification should apply to the full length of a highway, so that a lorry should he able to carry throughout a journey the load with which it started. He also thought that the speed allowed for trucks should be increased, as slow moving traffic was just as dangerous as fast-moving traffic. Mr M'Dougali criticised the last Government for stopping railway construction, He did not believe that, if road transport worked reasonable hours, it could compete with the railways. MINISTER REPLIES. Mr Semple said it was impossible to have uniform classification of highways because of the differing geological for-m-tions of the country through which a road passed. A great deal of experimental work had had to be done concerning highways, and he contended that the system of sealing now in use was the best they had had. The Highways Board had rendered wonderful service to the country, and ho desired to give every credit for it. Railway construction had been the main argument to which the Opposition had nailed its colours, and some lines had been called political railway lines. Yet none of them was started by the present Government, and the present Governmenthad no say in the matter. Six million sterling of borrowed money had been invested in railways that had been started and stopped, and the Government had to look at the heavy interest burden the Country was carrying. The Government decided to complete the unfinished lines in the hope that they would pay some day. As far as the Gisborne line was concerned, it was so far advanced that it would have been stupid not to complete' it. Ho assured Mr Forbes that he would support the Public Works engineers if he was satisfied they wore in the right.

Mr Semple said some cheap sarcasm had been hurled at the Government because of certain mechanical devices it was using, but he said it was not proposed to do away with the longhandled shovel and altogether. As an instance, he said an aerodrome was being constructed at Nelson. Under old conditions the cost would be £170,000j whereas by mechanising it the cost would be reduced to £35,000. There were other heavy constructional jobs where machines could be used to advantage, but the Public Works would not be completely mechanised.

It was possible that a Bill would be introduced in the present session under which 4,000 miles of main highways would be taken over by the Main Highways Department, so that counties would be relieved of all future liability, and that would mean a relief of about £400.000.

Mr Semple said he was anxious to provide better roads for backblock settlors, and this year more than one million was placed on the estimates for reading purposes.

CONTROL by labour unions. Sir A. Ransom maintained that a good road service would be better and more economical than building railways. Referring to the Public Works agreement, he asked whether the Public Works Department was now controlled by the Labour unions or by the Minister. He predicted that the day would come when the. Minister would have to dance to the tune played by ;he unions he had created. The Government he contended, should take the public into its confidence as to how the Public Works policy was to be financed. Mr Armstrong said there would be no railway system in New Zealand if they had had to show a profit before they were commenced. The proposed railways would do their job, just as previous lines had helped to develop the country. The railways were stopped not on the advice of the Railways Board, but on an instruction from Sir Otto Niemcver.

HANDS OFF MENTGIPAL POWER SCHEMES.

Mr Smith asked the Minister to consider the matter carefully before he took over municipal hydro-electric schemes t hat had been in existence for

nany years, and which had never suf:ered a loss. Mr Coates joined with other speakers n paying a to the valuable ivork rendered the Dominion by Mr J. M'Keuzie during his term as an officer of the Public Works Departnent. He thought the Government rnd the men on Public Works would he misled if they thought 20,000 men could bo permanently employed on such

works. It was not possible for tint Doniininn to employ 20,000 men, ami for that reason it was as well that they should realise that the work they were now engaged upon would not last forever. The House vent into committee to consider the Estimates, which aero passed, and the House rose at 2.10 a.m.