PARLIAMENT Cut In Roads Spending Again Argued In House

Press, Volume C, Issue 29626, 23 September 1961, Page 12

PARLIAMENT Cut In Roads Spending Again Argued In House

(Itz Press Association) WELLINGTON, September 22. The Government’s invitation to the National Roads Board to cut its spending this financial year was again attacked by the Opposition in the House of Representatives today. Members were debating the roads vote in the Estimates.

Mr H. Watt (Opposition. Onehunga) said it was not realised the Government would interfere with the administration of the Roads Board. “The Prime Minister instructed the Minister of Works that the Roads Board must reduce expenditure by o per cent, and at the Public Accounts Committee members of this side of the House tried to get information on Government policy and were refused access to the estimates of the Roads Board," said Mr Watt. It was most unfair to teJ local bodies to reduce their expenditure by 5 per cent after their roading programmes for 1961-62 had been drawn up, he said.

“From one end of New Zealand to the other instructions have been sent out that work must slow down and there have been dismissals from Ministry of Works staff in many places,” said Mr Watt.

It would have been better to have applied the policy to next year and not inter fere with the harmony of a very efficient department said Mr Watt

“Necessary Request” The Under-Secretary to the Minister of Finance (Mr D. C. Sea th) said there were no charges against the Roads Board or the Minister on specific items. The request to the board was necessary, said Mr Sea th, because of the poor administration and overcommitments of the previous Government. Mr A. H. Nordmeyer (Opposition, Island Bay) said Mr W. H. Brown (Government, Palmerston North), speaking as private motorists' representative ' on the Roads Board, was reported to have said recently that roadwork was lagging on rural State highways. The Prime Minister (Mr Holyoake): A very good statement. The Minister of Works (M:

Goosman) said the Prime Minister had not instructed the board to cut expenditure. "The matter was discussed at Cabinet and I invited the Prime Minister to write me a letter to present to the board," said Mr Goosman. He said he took responsibility for the estimates not being available to the Public Accounts Committee. There were adjustments to be made to them at that time. Mr A. J. Faulkner (Opposition, Roskill) said the Prime Minister’s “simple social note” to the Roads Board was causing concern to every local body in the country! “We want to know what is going to be cut.” Mr Holyoake said he had written to the board inviting it to act responsibly, which it did.

Redaction Opposed Mr Brown said gome people wanted a general reduction in the roads vote. “But we can’t afford to cut down on the road vote. We should be increasing it,” he said. Opposition members, Hear, Hear. Mr Brown: I’m not so concerned about the temporary cut this year. But I would be strongly opposed to any attempt to cut the over-all road vote.

The Leader of the Opposition (Mr Nash) moved that the vote be reduced by £5 as a protest against “interference with the autonomy of the National Roads Board by requiring it to reduce its expenditure by 5 per cent” Mr Nash’s motion was defeated by 39 votes to 30 and the house then approved the vote for the current financial year.