PUBLIC WORKS.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 254, 25 October 1919, Page 12

PUBLIC WORKS.

BIS-CTJSS POLICY. AND ELECTIONEERING. TOO. "THE TACE OF THE SNAIL." T.v Telegraph—Special to 'Star.'*). WELLINGTON, Friday. ""•V hen the House set about discussior t'l tne Public Works statement and estunates this afternoon, it was anticipated that the debate would produce more electioneering than illuminating matter, and, though members valiantly endeavoured to savour their talk wit. the sauce or national requirements, i_ the majority of instances their vision quickly narrowed to local wants and local votes. The Leader of tho Opposition led off. and, though he could not forbear comparisons between the frugality of allocations to the South with the generous treatment of the North Island in the matter of proposed expenditure. Sit Joseph kept to his text of discussing polity and not detail, with considerable success and without very evident effort. i utting his finger on the railway construction policy for the current" year he commented caustically on the'fact that amongst fifteen lines of railway, a total sum of £600,000 was allocated" for construction purposes. "What did that mean; he asked, and, answering hi? own query, he remarked: "It means that , on some of those railways not one mile ot construction can take place, while even the largest vcuc will not provide lor a bigger section than five miles. In my opinion this snail pace of making fifteen railways at one time at the rate oi from one to five miles per year is a suicidal policy, and is calcinated to kill the very life of the people we are askinc to go on the land."" The right hon member was equally severe in criticising the road votes, urging that New Zea"land"s imperative need was rapid development work and a bold policy of expenditure. "To provide for meeting that need we must drop the old ideas and methods, and go in for energetic and progressive new ones." added Sir Joseph Ward, in advocating a vigorous policy respecting railways, road-, and hydroelectric works. NORTH AND SOUTH CONTRASTED. Mr. McCombs somewhat bitterly resented the smallness of the money" allocated for development work in the Canterbury distrfct, which, he said, had a total of £46,960 allocated to it, while in the North Island some small districts had very much more. Stratford, for instance, having £70.000 odd, and some of the Auckland areas over £100,000. Mr Wilkinson: The baekblock districts needed development. Mr. McCombs: So does Canterbury. Dr. Newman and Mr. Forbes complained about the lack of ginger in the operations of the Public' Works Department, the former remarking somewhat cynically, on the large share of votes allotted to the Auckland district, which, he carefully informed the House, was the l*r:me Minister's district. Mr. Fraser expressed disappointment with references to housing in the Works' statement. Would the Government organise building supplie- and labour, and deal with the subject of housing as a national responsibility! Mr. R. P. Hudson (Motneka) declared that the South Island certainly had not been treated fairly in regard to radial inies. He considered the pay of the men employed on construction works; would have to be brought more into line with outside rates. Mr. Anderson iMataura) condemned what he termed as a "tin pot" method or carrying out roading. especially in the lace of fifteen millions expenditure to settle soldiers-on the land. Mr. Jennin_s (Taumarunui), in advocating a policy of concentration on three or four lines of railway, said the first sod of the Ongarue line was turned 20 years ago. but only 47 miles completed. The Oovernment ought to e.-tablish cantepns for the provision of cheaper supplies for con-truetion workers. DEMAND FUR IMMIGRATION. Mr. G. W, Russell condemned the ata-tement, as indicating reversion to prewar times, though an entirely new outlook was required. He scouted the idea that there should be delay in starting an immigration policy until every soldier had returned, because there was a demand for labour which could not be satisfied. New Zealand should open its doors wide to the soldiers of Britain, France, and Belgium. Apparently we intended to revert to the old system of assisted passages, which was nothing like so attractive as easy methods of emigrating to Canada. We should offer free passages, to families, thus getting a good class of immigrant. There should !>e an immigration board to organise the placing oi immigrants in employment and mi the land. Seeing an enormous amount nf money was now lying dead in the < >t ira Tunnel, he urged strongly on the Minister the necessity of completing the tunnel with greater rapidity. Jt was disappointing to find no promise that the tunnel would be completed this year. The Government should utilise the services of trained miners from the Tun- i Helling Corps to push on the work. MEMBERS AXD WORKERS. Mr. Holland took the opportunity of j commiserating with him.-e!l as a nic-iber of Parliament, because, he said, a man would be infinitely better off working for an ordinary living wage than as a member of Parliament. The House was a very thin one at the time, and none of the" tired-looking few hon. members nresent felt energetic enough to say "Hear, hear." "I am convinced," said Mr. \\ . D. S. Mac Donald. that so far as railway construction in this country is concerned, reorganisation of the whoie system is necessary. (Hear, hear.) Men will not go into" public works now unless the. work attracts them. Conditions have rntireiy chanced, and we must accommodate our policy with those changes. You must set out a programme advertising reconstruction, and showing that the country can and will treat and pay men well. If it i.-. going to cost a little more for a it is far better to face ii than to continue the old policy of drift, drift, drift. Sir .lames Carroll suggested that the r-al elements to he eon-idered were and labour. Now" the war was taell P , mi?ht to De un «kr development a bh( , w<jrks i WaisedVo make upZ Wa__- r°w c "creased national <«cou,,tr y % b brAu r Ai a to ai tr ew z* the K«x*i seuwt Past = Would become M;nUt^ r congratulated the ="»** Au.k.£rraL^v C< T Ct '?" „< - Aic strongi*

urged a special policy of loading biockr oi Crown lands. It was not playing the game to settle soldiers on thes. areas without affording proper accc-s the Government should give them a clear promise that metalled roads would be .put in within a few years. The Public Works Department, should follow the good example of the large local bodies oi sending engineers abroad for experience. * Mr. Mander urged a vigorous immigration policy to.help i n putting into opera»on a progressive public works programme which was now needed to advance development, especially in the matter of railways, roads and bridges. GOVERNMENT GIFTS AND LOOMING , ELECTIONS. The attention of the House was called by Mr. G. W. Rus-ell to the fact that there »v- an inusuallv long list of Government grant- for roads and bridges, and he added, "This is election year. (Laughter.) Every Government did tne same thing, but he protested against any Government having this ?reat power in its hands entirely without control, except the Government's own will. Such grants should be allocated by an independent, non-political board, wh.ch would deal with claims entirely on their merits and regardless of "■letner an election was loom.n- The Keiorm party had prided itself on securing purity over the control of the public service. Here was a chance to add anot.ier plank to its purity platform.