CABLEGRAMS

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 209, 2 September 1915, Page 6

CABLEGRAMS

STATE ABROGATES POWERS. HANDED TO CONTRACTOR. NO FAIR COMPETITION. CENSURE MOTION DEFEATED. (Received 1.45 p.m.) SYDNEY, tliis 'lay. 11l the Aswniblt Mr. Wade (Leader of the OuiHiJttinnl moved a motion of censure "ii ilk- 1 ioveranient for entering into a contract with the Norton (irifiiths Company, an English firm, for the «>netructioii of several millions of pounds' worth of public works, the company ad-raiK-ing the money and charging a percentage on the work done. Mr. Wade said the contract was unsatisfactory, and the principle was fraught with danger to the country. He pointed out that the contract was condemned two years ago be-inu.-e supreme control was given to the contractor t<. strike a blow at the vital principle uf day labour. He referred to the ai>*-n <■ "i fair competition. There was no limit stipulated to the amount that the company was to spend, and no guarantee that they would not be behindhand with their contracts at the end of the five wars. Mc thought the proper for the fJovernment to have don« was to have borrowed £10,000,000 over the five year-. Mr. W. A. Holman (State Premier), in reply. stated that in Dec-ember List twenty-three thousand men were dependent on pubiic work?. The fact of the Broken Hill mine? closing down and the clear indications of an impending industrial calamity required that something be done. The necessity of the hour was continuity of work there was an embargo on loans, except for war purpose?. The (Jovernment and people lived literally from hand to mouth for four months. The firm then offered the only financial service jossible to keep workmen from starvation. Thore were pood reasons for condemning the scheme, but better ones for applauding it. He would deplore the abandonment of the day labour principle, but accepted the lesser of two evils. The fact that the Government entered into the scheme in thp face of serious labour opposition oujzht to bo a guarantee of the Government's honesty of purpose. The motion was negatived by 37 to 28.