Public Works Statement.

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume IV, Issue 1135, 2 November 1904, Page 3

Public Works Statement.

Debate in the House

By Tolograph.—Pruss Association. WiLUNOios, tbii day. In tho Houso yesterday aftornoou Mr. Hall Jones moved the second reading o the Publio Works' Staleinont in conjunction with the Bill. Tho Minister, in referring to the public works estimates, said ho \m snre that members wore delighted to find that ho had been able to do so well with the money available Ho contended that it wiib most necessary to oxeroise caution in regard to the publio works ex■nenditure, andolaimcd that the authorities Wor money voted last year had beon issuod as early as possible, pnd that any negloot in the expenditure of tho monoy was the fault of the 1 ical authorities. He had urged the department to ge'. all the expenditure charged bsfore the 81st 01 March, and ha contended that very Rood work bad boon done, tho amount expended being about £BO,OOO ovor that for the previous year. Despite the difliculty experienced at times in Retting labour and the delay caused !iy bad weather, the present year's results would be equally satsfactory, although (lie votes might bo less. Ho was not aware of any unfairness in the distribution of the money. Mr. Massey said he believed that tho Statement was tho loaat satisfactory that had ever beon laid before Parliament, ohietly because of tho feeling that the mtney had not been fnirly allocated, There were districts in tho colony which had beon favoured and districts which had been punished. • The difficulty was that tho wholo system of publio

works expenditure was wrong. Parliament ~• had no control ovor it. Vory tow know anything ot the merits of the various votes, and the fioveruirjbnt mado it inipossiblo f« members to know by bringing down the eitimates at a time when members wore anxious lo go home. During the session ho had received a great many letters from baokblock settlors, complaining of the difficulties thoy experienced through lack of means of ogress from and ingross to their holding?. Ho contended that tho whoso business it was to initiate the legislation should have laid beforo tho House some proposals to ameliorate the condition of tho back block Bottlers in regard 'o road communication. He advocated a graduatod system of subsidies to local bodies in order to liolp tho settlers, He oomplnincd of tho reduced vote for the North Island Main Trunk lino, and said at tho present ditto of progress it would bo . five years before through comrannication 'by that lino was established, The sooner tho line was completed'tho better it would bo for the colony, and ho was convinced that the majority of the House would vote to have it finished nt tho earliest possible moment. It was improper, he went ofl to say, to spend loan-money on the maintenance of main roads, Tho expenditure should not come out of tho Publio Works Fund but out of Consolidated Revenue 1 . Our whole system of financo was rotten, and it was not to b* wondered nt that the colony's credit on tho London market was not gooc 1 . Mr. Hogs said ho was satisfied that there had been no unfair allocation of. monoy for public works, It had to bo remembered that the Minister had to spread I his oxpendituro over n vory largo area of country, Irani tbe north of Auckland to the Bluff, and he had allocated it lo tbe bo.<t possible advantage. Tho Minister was earning out the polioy of the late Sir J. McKonzio, who recognised neither Government nor Opposition supporters in the allocution of the money available for publio works. With regard to tbe North Island Main Trunk lino ho declared that if tho Minister could got the half million it would be complotodin a vory short time. Mr Buchanan regretted that such a large proportion of tho money on the Public Works Estimates was for railways, particularly in view of the deplorable condition of the roads in tho back blocks. Tho local todies could not got. monqy from Government on loan, nor could thoy git votoj on tho estimates for necessary works He pointed out that 21 per cont. of the total expenditure on Ihe construction of railways last year went to the West Coast of tho South Island, and that the amount of now money to bu voted for roads this yoar was only £14,080. Mr Jennings expressed disippointuient that provision had not boon made on the estimates for construction of tho Mokan Bridge, and that moro consideration had not been shown to tho outlying roads in the Taranaki district, whore some of tho baok blooks settlers could not get their produce to market. Mr E. M. Smith spoko in a similar strain. The debate was interrupted by tbe 5.30 adjournment.