HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume xxix, Issue 7240, 27 July 1907, Page 3

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

WELLINGTON, July 26. The House met at 2.30- p.m. In the House of Representatives one month's leave of absence was granted Mr Rhodes, on account of ill-health. ;-. EXPENDITURE ON PUBLIC WORKS.

Reporting on an Auckland petition, the Public Petitions Committed advised that all future petitions for expenditure out of the Public "Works Fund should be referred direct by the Classification Committee to the Government. Mr Massey advocated setting up a Public Works Committee, to which all applications for expenditure of Public Works money should be referred.

The Premier said that no matter what the committee said or recommended, the Government had to allocate the amount available for public works to the best advantage, and, guided by itr officers, the Cabinet went to work in the process of selection irrespective of anything else. The Government would not be forced into taking in hand any particular work because a petition was sent in and favourably reported on by a committee. The responsibility war i one for the Government, and the Government accepted it. " The proper quarter to which a petition should be addressed was the Minister for Public Works. If the Government acceded to the demands now being made, it would require a loan of three or four millions. Sir Joseph added that no new railway works would be undertaken; as there were seventeen or. eighteen lines now in hand, and to open up new lines meant allocating public works money in driblets to convey the impression that a new railway .was being constructed in a particular district. He contended that the whole tendency was to press the matter on the Government in a manner not fair or reasonable. Ministers should not be required to stand up day after day and resist from all sides of the House applications for extraordinary expenditure. No Government, unless it desired to ruin the colony, co\ili' meet anything like the number of applications made for public works. He could not agree to Mr Massey's suggestion to set up a Public Works Committee, as the members of it woult 1 have to travel all over the country during the recess inspecting and t-akinc evidence. They would require to bo paid, and the cost to the country would be enormous. IMPREST SUPPLY BILL. An Imprest Supply Bill was brought down by Governor's message. Mr Herries, referring to the railways, contended that if the Department had been properly managed, the buoyancy of the revenue boasted of in the railways statement would have been greater than it was. He did not see any indication of greater effort being made to increase the rolling stock, and he charged the Department with short-sighted-ness in that respect. He was sure that if the Premier asked for £500,000 to in crease the- rolling stock, the House would gladly give it. The discussion was interrupted by th<--5.30 adjournment. ■The House resumed at 7.30 p.m. The discussion on the Imprest Supply Bill was resumed.

Sir Joseph Ward quoted figures illustrating the great development which had taken place in railway traffic since 1895, and the efforts of the Government, to cope with the increase. He pointed out that 129 locomotives and 468 .pas"senger cars had been added to the rolling stock since 1895.. The HurunujBluff section was at present served with the maximum service. Dealing with J the co-operative labour system, he dc- ! fended it in a vigorous manner, pointing out that work, had been found by this means for large bodies of workmen who otherwise would have been out of work. On the whole the co-operative system had been a good thing for the colony. He asserted that the railway system of New Zealand was second to none in the world. Mr JTorries pointed out that the revpiuie derived from the Hurunui-Bluff "line was steadily decreasing. Referring to accidents on the railways of the colony, he asserted that the'percentage was very great. In 1900 the percentage of accidents to employees was 1 in 24, and in 1906 1 in 20 : whereas in England the figures for 1904 were 1 in 150, and in 1905, 1 in 154. Mr Massey said that at the- present time the railways in the North Island earned more per mile than the railways in the South Island. Mr James Allen pointed out that tho cost of running per mile of railways had considerably increased since 1897, when tho cost per annum was £149 per mile, and in 1906 it was £252. He added that the Railway Department paid too much for the State coal used. The Premier, referring to accidents on the railways, explained that the slight- . esfc accident was recorded—even when a man did not leave his work. He claimed that the work of the Railway Depart.ment was being carried on satisfactorily. , , . .... 'The Bill was put through in all its stages. ■ , The House rose at midnight.