PUBLIC WORKS POLICY.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 598, 30 August 1913, Page 5

PUBLIC WORKS POLICY.

COMPILING THE ESTIMATES

COUNTRY MEMBERS TO ASSIST

ROAD AND BRIDGE GRANTS

An inquiry as to when the Public Works Statement is likely to be brought down was made in the House of Representatives on Thursday afternoon by Mr G. W. Russell. The Minister for Public Works replied that the matter depended very largely on how the business of the House proceeded. It was not customary to bring down the Statement until the close of the session. If member 3 knew what they were going to get in the way of votes they would be off home, and it would-be difficult to keep a quorum in the House up till the last week. He had been receiving applications for votes from all parts of the Dominion, and he was now proceeding to go through them with a view to deciding which should be provided for on the Estimates. He was also obtaining reports from his engineers upon the applications. Th* total amount of works applied for was about fourtimes as much as could be provided for or carried out during the year. It would take four or live years to complete all the uncompleted works in the Dominion. He would like to satisfy the demand of every settler, but neither the money nor the labour necessary was available. Before he closed the Estimates he intended to invite every country member to confer with him regarding what were regarded as the most urgent works in'each district. He would not ask members to take any part in cutting out or cutting down items, that was his own responsibility, but he suggested the consultations with a view to preventing important items being overlooked. He would ask members to indicate the order of preference in which works should be carried out. The work upon which he was at present engaged would take a month or six weeks to complete. Mr RusEiell asked whether it was proposed to continue the usual roads and bridges grants. Mr Fraser: Yes.