PUBLIC WORKS VOTE

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23445, 27 September 1941, Page 10

PUBLIC WORKS VOTE

Minister’s Review Of Figures REDUCTIONS IN MANY ACCOUNTS (P.R.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 26. “The work in‘the last year and in the coming year is restricted simply to those works which are deemed to be fully justified, and any work that can reasonably stand over until the end of the war has been treated accordingly,” said the Minister for Public Works (the Hon. H. T. Armstrong) when opening the debate on the Public Works Statement in the House of Representatives to-day. The reduction of staff, the Minister said, had reached the stage when difficulty was being experienced in carrying out essential works for development and maintenance. Discussing the estimates, the Minister said that £26.000 more than last year was provided for national development work, but the general public works vote was down by £1,244,525. The reason for the increased total vote was that the Public Works Department was called upon to undertake work for practically every other State department. Because of legislation recently passed the accounts would be shown m future in a different way and various Ministers would be responsible for their particular share, instead of the Minister for Public Works being a chopping-block. Notwithstanding the curtailment of work and the reduction in employees, agitation was as strong as ever for works by members of Parliament and local bodies, which were doing only their duty in asking for their share of the expenditure. Mr W. J. Broadfoot (Opposition. Waitomo); So long as the projects are sound. Some Areas Behind Some parts of New Zealand were a long-way behind in development, the Minister continued. He intended to show th;it the department had done everything possible to keep expenditure down to the lowest figure in the last few years. The estimates for the year ended 1940 totalled £13,169,000, the expenditure being £10,793,375. For 1941 the estimates were £11.996.000 and the expenditure only £9,142,039. The estimates for the year ending March, 1942. were £9.535.331, with a cash provision of £8,578,000. Loan expenditure had also greatly decreased. For the year ended March, 1939, loan money amounted to £8,316,000; for 1940 £8,530,800, and for 1941 £7,020,000, The current year’s estimates made provision for only £5 508.000. Analysing the department’s employment figures, Mr Armstrong said the peak was reached in 1939, when the record number of 25.153 men was employed. A month or so ago that number had been reduced to 13,500. 3600 being on maintenance and surfacing of highways, and on electrical works. Since March last the number had been reduced by 600. Works Classified In an attempt to dispel a common belief that the department’s expenditure was brought about by the construction of roads, bridges, and railways, Mr Armstrong said he proposed to the works. Railway construction employed 1446 men, The Leader of the Opposition (Mr S. G. Holland): How many on the South Island Main Trunk? Mr Armstrong: One hundred and seventy-two on the Kaikoura section, 74 on the Clarence section, and 293 on the southern end, a total of 539. Hydro-electric schemes employed 2020 men, Mr Armstrong said. In the Highways Department 1298 were employed by local bodies, with assistance from the fund, and the board employed 1738. Men employed by local bodies (with assistance) on roads totalled 352; land improvement engaged 427, and 18 were employed on small farm schemes. Other figures were: Irrigation 968; public bridges 1335; aerodromes 1534; special defence work 812: general work 895. The fact that the Dominion was at war placed a heavier burden on the department, which did work which was chargeable to the War Expenses Account. The railway construction estimate this year was for £607,000, a reduction of £250.000. said the Minister. The expenditure was confined entirely to those lines which were nearly completed. It would be uneconomic not to complete them as soon as possible. Agfin, expenditure on public buildings, which was, at £900,000. more than £1.000.000 less than last year, was confined almost entirely to works under construction. It would be foolish not to complete buildings and make use of them. Men for Road Works Dealing with the vote of £350,000 for road construction (a reduction of £249,000), Mr Armstrong said that unfortunately he was not sure that the department would be able to get sufficient men, even, to expend the amount placed on the estimate. Of the £200,000 provided for land improvement, £86,000 was for the development of the flax industry. Whether that was wise or unwise it was too late now to change their views, and it would be unwise not to complete the job when it had reached this particular stage. The vote of £552.000 for irrigation represented a reduction of £59,000. These works were so far advanced that no sane person would suggest that they should not be completed. Discussing hydro-electric development, the Minister said that production of power by coal and other fuel cost six times as much as hydro works production. A standby plant was running in the North Island, but one unit could be installed at Arapuni. One thousand pounds a day would be saved. The Highways Board was quite alarmed at the extent to which it was requested to cut down its expenditure this year, said the Minister. From the reduction of the vote by £780.000 to £2.742.000, one could readily see how serious the position was. The highways vote had been actually cut in half in the last two years. The amount was now as low as it could be. unless the board’s activities were to be confined to maintenance. The greatest progress ever made in the history of New Zealand in the last five years was claimed by the Minister, who gave comparative figures. He added that the results were also better for the money expended.