DEFENCE FIRST

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20042, 14 September 1939, Page 14

DEFENCE FIRST

WARTIME NEEDS PUBLIC WORKS OUTLAY CABINET ASSURANCES DIVERSION AS REQUIRED EM ERG ENCY CONDITIONS < Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. Although the House of Representatives passed over £15,000,000 in public works votes within two hours las. evening, it does not follow that ah the money will be spent for the purposes shown in the estimates. The Leader of the Opposition, the Hon. Adam Hamilton, when the first item was under consideration, remarked that the estimates obviously were prepared before the declaration

of war and the Opposition would be well within its rights if it asked the Minister’ to take them back for remoulding. Tlv.it, however, might not be possible as hal f Jhe financial year was over, but £15,000,000 was a huge sum to pass under the circumstances. Even allowing for the fact that votes included £2,200,000 for defence purposes, they were £2,300,000 higher than in the previous year. The acting-leader of the House, the Hon. P. Fraser, said lie had given an undertaking that all the estimates would be drastically overhauled with a view to diverting expenditure to more urgent matters. The first of the urgent matters was defence and. while we were engaged in a life and death struggle, it was not advisable to hurry on with some of the public works. The Minister of Industries and Commerce, the Hon. D. G. Sullivan: Did not the acting-Prjme Minister give a specific undertaking that the mere matter of these estimates going through did not mean they w'ould necessarily be adhered to-Over-riding Powers

Mr. Hamilton: Yes, he did and in the afternoon the Government took sufficient powers to over-ride what we are doing. Another urgent matter is the production t»f foodstuffs. The Minister .should review these estimates with a . view to putting, emphasis on production, rather than on public works. The acting-Prime Minister, the Hon. P. Eraser, reminded the House; that he had already given an undertaking on the point raised. Every vote in every class of the estimates would have to be viewed in the light ,of developments. The money voted for certain purposes might, under the stress of necessity, be devoted to the first job v which ought to be done (hear, hear). A great deal of public works activity was for defence. A very high authority who had. seen some of this work had been so impressed that he had sent a special message of congratulation to tine men concerned.

It must be clearly understood that the money voted would .he used oartly to complete commitments which had been undertaken and which must be carried on. “But that," continued Mr. Fraser “Does not prevent switching over to work necessary in connection with the defence of the country and towards production, which may be as important as actual defence in the final winning of the war." Slackening in Industries

Mr. Fraser suggested that .it would be very serious to throw men out of work and that, he declared, would not happen. 1 Unfortunately, owing to the regulaions which had been issued some industries had slackened ,off and men had been put off, but lie hoped his words would be noted by the firms and enterprises which had received the benefit of faithful service of jhei 'inployee.s and would not put them off at the first stress of war. Surely, he added, they would be able to keej their men on for a period to see whether their services could be utilised because, after the first shock, the abnormality might disappear. He did not say it had been general, but it was unfair to at once disperse with the men. The equipment and personnel of the Pubiie Works Department, concluded Mr. Fraser, were part of the national mobilisation and the money for public works would be devoted to national purposes. “We are not wedded to any one of the public works jobs,” said the Minister of Public Works, the Hon. R. Semple. If it was necessary to stop all the works in the interests of the country that would be done,' but they did not want jo throw men out of jobs willy nilly. Certain commitments had been made and that position had to be faced. If young men went off farms to join New Zealand’s army other men would have to be found to take their places. If that were not done production would decrease. Food supplies had to be maintained. A tremendous amount depended upon the volume of production not only for Now Zealand but for the overseas market as well.

If it were necessary to use everybody for this purpose, it should be done. While he was of (he opinion that some Of the pubiie works now in hand were essential, he was not tied to any one of them.

Referring to the training camus s ein? constructed, Mr. Semple said Mint men were working night and day to cel them completed. Boy c •’ould not be sent into camps to "ontract disease. There had to bi"H'onor drainage, sewage and water "implies. Above all things, the men had to be kept out of mud. With modern machinery it was en.sv to make roads expeditiously. Tim boys would be sent to on mo from comfortable homes. The Governmon' •would see to the best of its ability that jheir health was safeguarded. “We could dump all the jobs tomorrow, if necessary, in the interests of the country and the Empire,” he added.