THE RAETIHI RAILWAY.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 160, 26 July 1916, Page 4

THE RAETIHI RAILWAY.

SPEECH IN PARLIAMENT BY MR. R. W. SMITH.

I rise to impress on the Minister the necessity of speeding up the construction of the Raetihi branch line. It would be unfair to complain of the progress in the past, because I have to thank the Minister for spending more last pear on the work than he •had on the Estimates, showing thereby that he has faith in it. But while asking the honourable gentleman to pusii on the final completion of the line I would again point out hew wise it would be if he were to open that portion of the line on which the rails have already been laid. Some months ago, when the Minister visited that ditsrict. he said he hoped—l will not say promised, because he is too discreet for thit —that the line would be opened by April last. April has gone, -May and June have gone, and July has aW but gone, and still the lino is not open. At the present time the ballast train is running day after day, carrying heavy loads of ballast, and going back to Ohakune with empties only. Surely it would be practicable and only reasonable to ask that the engine should take out with each load a few empty railway trucks, which could be loaded with timber and taken back to Ohakune when the engine returned with the empty trucks. It would cost the Public Works Department practically nil, would save a lot maintenance on the read, which is a Government road and must cost a very great deal for upkeep. It would also be a great saving to those who use the road, and in addition to these benefits a big amount of revenue to the P-W. Department. The rails are now laid to a point about midway between Ohakune and Raetihi, and if they were extended a mile further the line would tap several large mills, and remove from the roads practically the whole of the heavy traffic. Apart from the saving that would be effected I would point out that on every acre of timber milled under present conditions quite 33 per cent, of the less payable timber is left standing for the reason that it would not pay to mill if it has to be carted to Ohakune by horse teams I put the question concerning this upon the Order Paper some days ago, but .have not received the Minister's reply ; ( and,.should like the Minister to. confer. wjth ;his> •. officers and' see, whethe? they cannot open that portion of the line on ,which the rails' have been laid at a very early date. 1 can see no earthly reason to prevent it. Hon. Mr. Fraser.: .Traffic will be carried down in a very few days. Mr Smith: I am .very, glad Xq know that because it. bears out the fact that I have only been asking for what: is a fair thing,,, I, .sympathise ,••. very 1 much with what was said by the Hon. member for Thames. He pointed out that a lot of money is being provided for works that could, without discomfort, be done without, whereas quite a number of others in the backblocks are going to be shut off for another year.

Hon. Mr. Fraser: No; there is £420,000 to be spent on roads.

Mr. Smith: But I understand that a lot of that has been spent. Hon. Mr. Eraser: No; none of it has been spent with the exception of certain money since March last. Mr. Smith: In any case it is only money that has been re-voted from the old Estimates. Hon. Mr. Fraser: But the Estimates for last year were made for two years.

It is all new money. Mr. Smith: Well, it is a bad lookout for the backblockers if they are not going to get anpthing for another twelve months over and above w-Uat is granted here. There are many roads which the Government have nearly completed for a considerable number of miles. I have in my mind many roads which have been nearly made for many miles. The money that was voted for them has been exhausted. It would cost only a little more to open th«m up for dray traffic so that they would be of use to the settlers. For instance, the Motoura Road has been formed into a dray road 3£ miles, but there are a few little pieces hoi quite finished, and money already expended has for the time being been wasted .

Hon, Mr. Fraser: I have shown you how it can be done —by transfers.

Mr. Smith: I understand that the transfers proposed are of grants that have been made by the local bodies. The Hon Mr Fraser: I will explain afterwards, or I will explain to the local bodies when I meet them. -

Mr Smith: If you start traasfuring money from one back road to anothor, someone must suffer. I you have givec. money, aa.; for n.Ruling, to a local body, that body may find that there is some niore urgent work required in its district, and a transfer can be effected. But where the Department is doing the work, how are you to shuffle the cards so a s to make any provision? I assure the Minister that I quite understand the position respecting the grant to local bodies. He is going to allow them to reallocate, any moneys grant-

ed them, but it is evident that the

•honourable gentleman himself does not understand the position many back block are going to be placed. Let us assume the case of* a road well on the outskirts oft a county for which a grant has been expended by the Public Works Department. Perhaps miles of the road haw been formed, but not quite finished, and just for the want of the finishing touches the settlers cannot make any use of the road. Supposing the Minister suggests to the local body that they shall cancel one of the subsidies he promised last year, and allow the money to be transferred to a road the Government itself is making really.* Government road. I Hon Mr Fraser: It is not a GovernI ment road. . Mr Smith: The roads lam speaking lof are not yet handed over to •- county. Hon Mr Fraser: Every read is a county road, whether the Government is spending money on it or not. Mr Smith: If the Minister was one of the councillors and was asked to allow the road, miles and miles away, that the Government was forming, have some money his riding was entitled to would he agree. Of course he would not. I repeat that unless some provision is made to meet.sucli cases, settlers who are now almost in touch with their roads, are going to be left without them. Hon Mr Fraser: I cannot help it.J There is not a penny of money available in any other way. Mr Smith: I am very sorry to hear it, and as far as my electorate is concerned there are a number of grants made for works within the electorate which I am quite prepared to take the responsibility of cancelling providing the money can be given to those people who have not road s yet, but I have not the power, and the Minister has not the power unless the councillors give him permission, and this they certainly wont do. Hon Mr Fraser: I have the power to do it, but I am not likely to do it unless the local body asks me. Mr Smith: Very well, now I want to take this opportunity of impressing upon the Minister and the Government that the amount paid to the men under the Public Works 9/- a day—is the'smallest amount paid to any men in the'pubnc' service, and they will have to get. some consider- --';■•-•.' •_ ..;/;.: i>lt»v.v 'vt'.'ll'!.. f-J. fcU: ■'.' at ion; for unless reasonable .wages • '■■■■'. .., ■.'.•.' •"»: >.•'■■ ;'! i'j i>'.ii-".h OiJ are paid to these men the,..work ,w,i!l not be done. Is it to oe expected that a man will work for the. Gp.vernment for 9/- per day. when he C3n get considerably more from private em* ployers. Men in the employ cf„ the Public Works Department nave fj fgo into the back country, they lot of time through'Bad weather. iJ»ay of them.are; married, jjjjjfl .iiaye. ; t<r]kfep two homes; their; /r stores, too, cost them more than they would near big i centres.;, It aTOQuntsidd fchl&Mit 14'use- : les s putting money .ohi'fthe Estimates unless the rate now paid to the mea is increased sufficiently to enable the Department to get the men it requires, otherwise the votes now provided will appear on next year's Estimates aSunexpended, and the settlers will DC kept waiting another year for roafl access, which is already long overduev Again I ask the Minister to impress upon the members of the Cabinet the absolute necessity for what I have suggested. I ask this both in the interests of the workmen and those who. are depending on them for roads, etc.l