MINISTER'S CLAIM

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 79, 4 April 1938, Page 8

MINISTER'S CLAIM

HIGHWAYS AND PUBLIC WORKS

(By Telegraph—Preae- Association .1

PALMERSTON N., This Day.

[ Speaking; at Palmerston North on Saturday night the Minister of Transport and of Public Works fthe Hon. R. Semple) declared that any Government which failed to keep pace with the .march of discovery and invention was doomed to perish. ■ There was nothing destructive about a policy which exploited the inventive genius of man for the benefit of mankind. He had 'no apology to make for trying to save lives on the highways and could take credit for the fact that New Zealand was the only country showing an increase in the number of cars and at the same time*a decreasing fatal accident list.

The Minister screened films taken'on various oublic works jobs, with closeups of modern machinery at work. He declared that they were there to take the heaviest and dirtiest work of! the shqulders of the men, to save the country thousands of pounds, and to get 'jobs done faster. A resolution was passed pledging loyalty to the Labour Government.