NO OVERSEAS LOANS

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22340, 2 March 1938, Page 12

NO OVERSEAS LOANS

Financing of Public

Works

ASSURANCE GIVEN BY MINISTER

“We are not going to mortgage this country any more to overseas bondholders. We are trying to develop it without loading debt on the child yet to be born.” In these words the Minister for Public Works and for Transport (the Hon. R. Semple) expounded to between 600 and 700 persons at Ashburton last evening, the policy of the Government in raising money to develop public works. The Minister spoke for some time on the policy adopted in the administration of departments under his control, and concluded with ?.n address illustrated by a film depicting the old and new methods of construction on the major public works of New Zealand.

“It is necessary for a Minister of the Crown, entrusted with the expenditure of public money, to give some account of his stewardship, including an idea of the return which is t q be expected from the money which has been spent,” said Mr Semple. Transport was one of the mainsprings in the social and economic life of the country, he continued. Up-to-date transport represented almost the life blood of the country. In the last few years the Dominion’s transport system had passed through a complete revolution, and it had introduced new problems which had to be tackled.

Mr Semple gave figures to show the rapid development of motor transport and the increase in speed of vehicles in recent years. The registrations of motor-cars had increased from 195,000 in 1930 to 265,000, or one car for every five of the population, in 1937. He added that the rapid development of the transport system had to be controlled or the highways would be turned into a slaughterhouse. In the last 13 years the casualties from road accidents were greater than those m the New Zealand Forces during the last war. “V/e have to amend the law further to get the maximum degree of control over our transport system,” said the Minister. There were three factors in the safety of the roads. The first was a sane, up-to-date reading system, and the second was the education and instruction of motorist and pedestrian. The third requirement was an enforcement organisation cap able of seeing that rules were observed. The large majority of fatal accidents occurred on county roads where there was no control. The department had to have more control and the law would be amended a little this session accordingly.

Mr Semple said there were 2120 public works jobs in hand. In defence of his reading policy, he added that he discovered that many farmers in New Zealand had ‘‘been in the mud” for 40 years, and he had prepared a five-year plan to improve access to their properties. This year £1,750,000 would be spent on this work. He said his department was building the best type of road so that the first cost would be the last cost. He made no apology for introducing a system of mechanisation on public works, and as long as he was Minister for Public Works he would continue that policy.