POLICY DEFENDED

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 114, 17 May 1938, Page 9

POLICY DEFENDED

LABOUR PROGRAMME.

MR. SEMPLE AT OTAHUHU.

TRANSPORT—PUBLIC WORKS,

When the Minister of Public Worke, the Hon. R, Semple, addressed a large and enthusiastic audience at Otahuhu last evening, principally on the activities of the Transport and Public Works Departments, he was introduced by the Mayor of Otahuhu, Mr. C. R. Petrie, M.P.

In criticising the statement made by the Leader of the Opposition, the Hon. A. Hamilton, that in improving the highways the Government was turning them into speedways, with a consequent increase in accidents, Mr. Semple pointed out that New Zealand was the only country in the world showing a 25 per cent increase in motor traffic and a reduction in motoring fatalities. There were 30,000 more cars on the road this Easter compared with the Easter before, and the accidents had decreased by half. He hoped soon to see the drunken driver as scarce as a moa, and unless the position eases soon lie was considering adopting the system in vogue in America. There the authorities realised that sending a man to gaol for three months penalised the women and children, who became a burden on the charitable aid societies. To get over the difficulty the drunken driver was sentenced to three months' imprisonment, but was forced to take it out on Sundays and Saturday afternoons.

Expenditure on Roads. Mr. Semple denied Mr. Hamilton's statement that £18,000,000 had. been spent on roads during the last year. He said that last year the sum of £9,500,000 had been spent on Public Works, and of this sum over £3,000,000 had been spent on main highways, including the construction of bridges and the replacement of level crossings with overhead bridges. In criticising the statement of the Opposition that Public Works should not be accelerated in boom times, but should be used as a method of relief in slump periods, Mr. Semple said the people would never be allowed to forget what the present Opposition did in the plump times. They borrowed £8.000.000 for the construction of eight railway lines, and said that after paying £3.500.000 interpst on railways they abandoned these railway construction jobs and sold all their tools and equipment. Hundreds of thousands of pounds had been saved on Public Works jobs, and to-day the activities of the Public Works Department were the greatest in the historv of New Zealand.

What Reduction Would Mean. Mr. Semple stated that Mr. Hamilton had said expenditure must be reduced. A reduction of costs meant a reduction of wages and not a reduction of interest that would affect the big organisations. At the conclusion of Mr. Semple'e address, an instructive film showed the work beinfr done and the machinery in use on Public Works. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded the speaker, and a resolution was passed thanking the Government for the able and efficient manner in which it was carrying on the works of the country.