PUBLIC WORKS GRANTS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2143, 27 July 1907, Page 1

PUBLIC WORKS GRANTS.

THE EFFECT OF PETITIONS. IMPORTANT GOVERNMENT STATEMENT. (Special to Times.) WELLINGTON, lust night. For a long time past, it has been the practice of petitions for various public works to be referred to the Petitions Committees of the House for consideration, but according to a statement made by the Premier this afternoon any favorable recommendation from committees will havo no weight with tho Government, which will deal with each application on its merits. Tlie matter cropped up in connection with a petition for a grant of £SOO for the erection of a bridge near Auckland. The Ato L Petitions Committee, in reporting on the petition, stated that it had no reeom-

mendation to make, and it further reported that- in its opinion all similar petitions should in future be referred direct to tlie Government instead of being sent to tile Petitions Committee, though that committee should have referred the petition to the Government for consideration. Ho bad no objection to such a petition going direct to the Government, but ho considered that there should be a Public Works Committee to which all such petitions should be referred to. (Hear, hear.) The Premier said that the practice of getting up petitions for public works for the purpose of getting favorable recommen dations in regard to them from committees tended to mislead the petitioners, as it made them expect that their requests would be acceded to. The suggestion to set up a Public Works Committee might seem feasible, but there were objections to it. The Government was in tile best position to deal with these matters. A recommendation from a committee in regard to any public work did not have the slightest weight with the Government. If the Government were to admit the principle that such recomindndations should carry weight they would never be able to carry on at all. They might, for instance, have a committee bringing down a recommendation in favor of a vote of £150,000 for a particular railway. An Opposition member : Or £600,000 for a tunnel.

Sir Joseph : We can do.that already with the sanction of Parliament. Referring to the representations made to the effect that the construction of the . Midland Railway tunnel should not be carried out, lie said that if they were given effect to it would mean that the two ends of the railway on either side of the tunnel would be rendered useless. As to railways generally there were 18 or 19 lines already on the list which wac as many as could be provided for. Mr. Massey: Are we going to have an Authorisation Bill this year? Sir Joseph Ward said that no new railways would he provided for. To give effect to all applications for now works would ho impossible unless tbe colony went in for a loan of three or four millions.

Mr. .T. Allen said that if the position stated by tbe Premier bad been taken up by tbe Government, Parliament should have been informed of it before, as it woidd have saved committees tbe trouble of considering these petitions. The Hon. J. A. Millar said that- if the principle of giving effect to committees' recommendations were to be followed it would mean that those members who were tbe most active in promoting petitions would get the largest share of public moneys. After further discussion tbe report of tbe committee was adopted.