The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATES The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18,1922. A BUSINESS-LIKE STATEMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 247, 18 October 1922, Page 4

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATES The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18,1922. A BUSINESS-LIKE STATEMENT.

For the caute that lacks assistant*, For the wrong that needs rcsislane*, For the future in the distance, And the good that we can do.

The best features of the I'ublic Works Statement are ihe le-alliriuatiini

of the Minister's belief in .businesb-liko methods and the examples he gUes of their practical application. He again reads members a little homily on the virtues of concentration, which policy, he says, means the application to worka of particular importance of all financial, mechanical, and human resource*,

so that they may soon become revenueproducing and self-supporting. Mr. Coate.s admits that he has not been able to do as much in the direction of thie reform as lie has wished, and he gives as the sole reason for this the a-bnormal economic conditions which

have made it necessary to carry on works of secondary importance in ordeT to provide work for unemployed. He promises that "as quickly as circumstances permit concentration on woTks of first importance will be continued." We hope so, and that the concentration will becom» more intense. As we pointed out yesterday, the Department is etill spreading its resources over a large number of lines: the list of sections for which votes are set down in this year's Estimates totals nineteen. The total shrinks slowly, and it would l>o smaller than it is if the programme the Minister laid down when he introduced

the policy of concentration were quite up to time. His task will be easier nhe gets more of the smaller constructional works completed. The Estimate* chow that there is room for improvement. Why was nearly £4.00<l *pent on the Waipu branch line last year, and why is £5.000 put down for this year? The work U not of importance, and there is a sharp difference of opinion aa to which is better policy. a railway or a road. And why is £.">.OOO put down for the Paeroa-Pokeno railway 1 The same sum was voted last

year, but no money was spent, and we doubt whether the Government w more sincere now. It looks like electioneer-

I ing. The outlook for railway construction is however, brighter than it has been ' for years. Two through lines are j approaching completion—the Auckland-! Whangarei and the Canterbury-West-! land. The Minister now announces that: a grenter effort is to be made to bridge ; the gap in the Kast Coast line bet we. 1 i ! Waihi and Tauranga. The methods , j employed at the Waihi end have heen ; laughable: construction work has been , going on for years, but the first train ' I has yvt to r un along the few miles ] between Waibi and Katikati. Mr. Coatee ' proposes to invite tenders to fill the 22-mile gap, which construction will link : the working section of 4ft miles from Tauranga eastwards with the Waihi- ' Auckland system. There is no doubt that this Kast Coast lino is the most important railway work in New Zealand, ■ and now that the completion of the ■ Auckland-Whangarci lino and the Otira ■ tunnel is in sight the Minister should lie able to concentrate more effort on this ! ! great national undwrtaking. Only twelve : , and a half miles of line were handed over ito the llailway Department hist year in , the whole of the. Dominion, a rate of i completion that must t>e greatly in- i ! creased. In this connection we note : I with much satisfaction the Minister's j justification of the employment,' ! although <tt high initial cost, of a large ; amount of labour-saving machinery. The ! Department is now "constantly on the ' I look-out for machines that "ill accelerate '■ ■ and consequently cheapen (he rate of; ; work." Good news; if the Department ! ' had begun to be equally enterprising ■ i country would have been s.nvil. . ' Tlip hydro-electrical prowr-amiue h.\> . I been modified, but not to any vital ! extent. The Government Ims evidently ! mil weakened in its rc»olulii>n to go on with the Arapuni scheme I'.fiii complete ! ,it within tin stipiilnted. Ii ; : may be mitei! llmt neither Lake Cole . ; ridfte, wliic-h is the "lOmw" State enter- j jiriw of- it? kind, nor Tlora IKhh i> yet i i pntiug its WHY entirely. In both cases' i the inclusion of sinking fund pnyment.*; :in the BceountK I urns profit into loss. , jTlie development and •■uiilrol ..f water- i power is becoming so greill ii business— 'the Sti-le proiMiscs to spend £U.:j.Vi,(inn ion il in h leu yenrs—thai ilm, work involved is outgrowing tin- orgaiii-oition I provided for its direction, and the Mm I i ; .<e>- (liinks thai iu-t";:ii nf liiere iieinu. «s ni present. ;i liydn'.-itlectriral bruncli .of the Public Works Department, a special Board or Conuui«s.ioir-r will lime . to lie appointed li> ileal wi'li the |.n.----j hlerr.s involved. Ho is wiwly investiptat'ing the organigal ions set up in oilier countries. Finally, w.- would oiupha^iet , again the r.eeri for the nu>st lipid economy and the c!o>>' application of business-like methods in rlie spendinj; of public works money. The e.-t imuled expenditure for the cuireiu year. i-m-Ih-she of a million fur w.-itei-iuiwer ami ways and means, i= a Mule uiiiler Hμ l millions. Tiie country eannoi alPud to , waste a penny of this great sum.