PUBLIC WORKS

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 145, 16 December 1933, Page 10

PUBLIC WORKS

RAILWAYS DISCUSSED

UNCOMPLETED LINES

GOVERNMENT'S POLICY

Railway construction was the principal topic during the discussion on the Public Works Department statement in the House of Representatives today, ■when pleas were made for a more vigorous public works policy as a means of alleviating the unemployment situation. The Leader of the Opposition (Mr. M. J. Savage) protested against works of first-class importance being done under relief conditions. He had complaints about tho rates of pay on the East Coast railway, and said that if all works •were carried out in that way, the old conditions would disappear altogether. It was the duty of the Government to give some attention to that matter. It was no use trying to get out of the depression unless tho foundation was right, and the only real foundation was the conditions of the mass of tho people. It should be possible for the Government to get schedules of works, both national and local, which would give ■widespread employment at decent rates of pay. The present report of the Public Works Department showed that the Department was drifting. What was happening in connection with uncompleted railways which could be finished with advantage to the Dominion? The time was long overdue when the public works should once more be placed on something like a reasonable basis. Surely that was within the capabilities of tho Government. What was the use of asking men to shift pug or clay at 2id a yard? QUESTION OF FINANCE. The officers of the Public Works Department should be instructed to prepare a schedule of useful works which could be carried ouf, and tho Government itself should set itself the task of arranging the finances. The old question as to where the money was coming from would surely not be raised during tho debate. That had been replied to so often. Money could always be found to carry out work that was worth while, and the men employed on those works could be paid sufficient to keep themselves and their families in decent circumstances. It was to be hoped that the Minister of Public Works and the Minister of Employment would concentrate their energies on the planning of economic public works. It would not be a question of raising the unemployment levy in order to furnish the finances. Mr. W. A. Veitch (Independent, Wanganui), in supporting the Leader of the Opposition, said that approximately £4,000,000 per annum was being wasted in creating within the country no permanent assets whatever. It was an unsound policy and quite wrong that money collected from the people in unemployment taxation should be expended on private property. The money should be used to some useful purpose on public property. All uncompleted public works should be examined and works which were essential should be completed from unemployment funds and any further funds found necessary should be ■borrowed. COST OF DETERIORATION. Mr. Voitch said that he would admit that the Gisborue-Napicr line had been stopped by a Government of which he was a Minister, but that _ was not the final stopping i>f the lineit was merely a suspension caused by lack of funds. Tho decision to finally abandon tho line was contained in a report of the Railway Board. The interest on the Gisbornc line, as it now stood, amounted, to about £170,000 per annum, and the physical deterioration must amount to a greater sum. Referring to the South Island Main Trunk line, Mr. Veitch said that the figures upon which the decision to stop work on the line were reached were erroneous and were not based on fads. One aspect of tho situation which had not been dealt with was that both end sections of the line were running at heavy loss, and would continue to do so until they were connected. Now was the time to get on with the work. The uncompleted transport services should be completed in time for the better conditions which were coming. He congratulated Mr. Savage on calling attention to a grave error of public policy which was in urgent need of being rectified. Mr. D. W. Coleman (Labour, Gisbortie) said that Mr. Veiteh had been Minister of Railways in tho Cabinet which was responsible for stopping work on the Napier-Gisborne line. Had Sir Joseph Ward lived the line would have been finished, but as soon as he' died, the Cabinet, under the leadership of Mr. Forbes, had stopped the work. When a deputation from Gisborne had waited on Cabinet there was no one who argued so strongly against going on with the work than Mr. Veitch. He had endeavoured to justify in every way the stopping of the work. It was no use trying to unload the blame on to the Railway Board, for although the ■board had recommended that the work be not resumed, it had not stopped the work in the first, place. Mr. Veiteh interjected to say that ho had recollected that Mr. Coleman was correct —the United Government had ordered the work to stop. Mr. Coleman said that the work had been stopped despite the fact that the Public Works officers had considered it should go on. He also recalled the work on the South Island Main Trunk line had been carried on for some time after work had ceased on tho Gisborne line. Mr. R. Semple (Labour, Wellington East) said that an incentive should be given to Public Works employees to •work. It was essential that there should be an agreement between the employers and employees. GOVERNMENT'S DIFFICULTIES. The Minister of Labour (the Hon. A. Hamilton) said that difficulty was being experienced in endeavouring to get men to leave relief works for standard public works. A lot of the important public works of New Zealand had been completed, and it was hardly to be expected that public works should continue as they had continued in the past few years. The bulk of the railway work and.the hydro-electric system had been completed. Complaint had been made that public works were being done by local bodies as relief works. Tho Government's difficulty was to prevent that, and it was difficult to stand up to the pressure that was being applied. As far as possible, the board Btood up to the objection that public works should not be done out of relief funds. Tho board was preserving the Unemployment Fund as much as possible, but it did not want local bodies to use relief labour for work that should be done out of their own funds. . • BULLER, COALFIELDS. Mr. P. C. Webb (Labour, Buller) said that one of the drawbacks against the development of the Buller coalfields was the Government's neglect to finish the Wcstport-Inangahua line. The line was assuming even greater importance because of the proposal to establish an Enelish company with, a capital of £2,000,000 to develop the coal resources, but in spite of that fact the Public Works Department was advertising for the removal of the material

connected with the construction of the line and the lifting of rails. It was to bo sincerely hoped that that decision would be reversed, as it was a most reactionary one in view of the potentialities of tho line. Not only would it serve a big coal district, but it opened up farm and timber lands as well. SOUTH ISLAND MAIN TRUNK. Mr. E. F, Healy (Government, Wairau) made a plea for the recommencement of the construction of the South Island Main Trunk Line, which he alleged was an economic work which could be undertaken more cheaply at the present time than perhaps ever before. In spito of the assurances which had been given in the House that the materials would not be shifted, machinery was being removed and tools and sleepers sold for practically nothing. The work that had boon completed was deteriorating, and was an eyesore to the traveller. He was in favour of constructing all the uncompleted lines at reasonable rates of pay. It would be better to cany out those works instead of spending large amounts of money in constructing and repairing roads for heavy traffic. Mr. F. Langstone (Labour, Waimarino) said that the member for Wairau supported the Government, and the Government took no notice of his protests. Mr. Langstone said he would support the continuation of the South Island Main Trunk. The Minister of Public Works (the Hon. J. Bitchener) denied that men were not allowed to earn more than 10s a day on standard works. He did not stand for a man's price being Cut down if he earned a fair rate of pay on contract work. In some cases men had been earning as much as 15s lid a day. The majority of the men wero earning a fair and reasonable rate .f pay considering the times. It was not the intention of the Government to proceed with railway construction as had" been the ease some time ago. Tho Department was trying to help and eucourage the men.