PUBLIC WORKS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 717, 18 December 1933, Page 6

PUBLIC WORKS

DECiSION IN HOUSE MJR. SAVAGE ADVOCATES BIG EMiPLOYMENT POLICY WASTED M.ONEY Wellington, Saturday. The House of Representative met at 10.30. The Minister of Finance laid on the table notes exchanged b-etween New Zealand and Norway arranging most favoured nation treatment. In a discussion on the P'ublic Wiorks Statement the Leader of the Oppositiori protested against works of firstclass importance being carried out under relief conditions. H& had received eomplaints against the rates of pay on th'e East Coast Railway works, and said that if all works were carried out in. that way the old conditions would disappear altoge&her. It was the Government's duty to give some attention to the matter. It should be possible for the Government to get a schedule of works, both national and local, which would give widespread employment at decent rates of pay. Th'e time had come when public works should once more be plaeed on somethdng like a reasonable basis. iSurely that was within the ca.pabilities of the Government. The offieers of th'e Public 'Wiorks Department should be instructed .to prepare a schedule of useful works which could be carried out, and th'e Government should set itself the task of arranging the finances. Wasted Money i'Mr. W. Veitch said approximately £4,000,000 per annum was being wasited within the country in creating no permanent assets whatever. It was an unsound principle that money collected in unemploymient taxation should be expended on private property. The money should be divert^d to useful purposes in improving public property. He urged that unfinish'ed public works should be re-surveyed and those that warranted completion should be resumed. Unemployment taxation could be used to meet part of the cost, and the remainder of the expenditure found out of road money. Mr. D. W. Coleman (Labour, Gisborne), said the Gisborne-Napier railway line had been closed by the Government, of which Mr. Yeitch had been. a memiber, despite the fact that public works offieers' had considered that the line should be completed. Mr. R. Semple (Labour, Wellington East), said public works employees should ihe gjven an incentive

to work. There should be an agreement between employers and employees. Little To. Be Done Hon. A. Hamilton said New Zealand had been so intensively developed in the last 40 or 50 years that it was difficult to fi'nd u'seful public works to-day. tMr. M. J. Sa.vage: What about hack-block roads? Hon. A. Hamilton: I agree with you there. The Minister said the bulk of important railway work had been completed, and the bulk of the hydroelectric system had been completed. Apart from the Waitaki seheme which was under construction, h'e did not know of any major operation in this direction which had not been put in hand. The roading system of New Zealand was well up to date, and had been favourably commented on by visitors. Tha Minister added that this year's expenditure on roading w.as well up to standard. Continuing, Mr. Hamilton said Mr. Savage h'ad complained- against relief workers .being allowed to be employ ed on first-class works. He said the Government's difficulty was to prevent that happening. It w,as doing its best to prevent local bodies and other people from carrying out with relief money work fhat should be paid for out of their own funds. This argument had been pr'esented in the case of the East Coast Railway, but it h'ad been cont&nded that the work" could not be carried out unless unemployed labour was engaged. West Coast Railway .Mr. P. C. WMbb (Labour, Buller), said one of the drawbacks in connection with .the development of the Buller coalfields was the Government neglect to finish the WlestportInangahua line. This linie was as-* suming even greater importance because of the proposal to establish an English tompany, with' a capital of £2,000,000 to develop the resources, but in spdte of that fact the Public Works Departmfent was advertising for the removal ox material connected with the construction of the line and the lifting of the rails. It was to be hoped that this decision would be reversed. ' ,Mr. E. H'eialy (Coalition, W|a-irau),

made a plea for the resumption of work on the South Island main trunk line. Hon. J. Bitchener said the Government was doing its best to absorb as many men as possible in public works, but it had to be guided by the amount of finances availa.bl'e. It /was limpossible to pay the men much more than 10s a day, even on contraot works.