PUBLIC WORKS

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 100, 30 April 1938, Page 9

PUBLIC WORKS

ADDRESS BY MR. SEMPLE

MONEY FOR ROADS

REPLY TO CRITICISM

Despite the wet; weather, th# Seaside Theatre, Lyall Bay, was well tilled last evening, when an address was given by the Minister of Public Works and Transport (the Hon. R. Semple) on the activities of his Departments. Mr. W. G. Bishop presided, and Mr. ''Semple was given a cordial reception when Jhe appeared. Mr. Semple referred to the advances made in transport facilities in New Zealand, the need for safer roads, and the work being done to improve country roads. The Government had put people back into work, had restored and increased social services, and had given the farmers a reasonable return without borrowing a penn,y overseas, he said. The National Debt had been reduced, and, if the Labour Government continued 'in office the people of New Zeajand would continue to live within their income; a thing that was not being done in any other part ef the British Commonwealth of Nations.

Mr. Semple discussed the activities of the two Departments under his control—Public Works and Transport —on lines similar to those followed by him in a recent address in his electorate. The Public Works Department, he said, was a virile Department, and the work done by it was playing an important part in the progress of the Dominion. Production had increased in many backward countries in recent years, he said, and consequently competition had increased in the world's markets. It • followed that every producing country had to keep transport up to date so that goods could be sent to where they were needed without loss of time.- The very basis of transport in modern times was a good roading system. Motor transport had caused a revolution in transport methods, ships had improved, and air transport was coming faster than the average mind could conceive. Those who followed the trend of world affairs knew how hard it was to keep up to date. To make transport in New Zealand up to the standard set overseas was the task of his Department. In 1889 the McLean Act had been passed to give a motor-car legal right to take the road at 12 miles an hour. In 1912 the first motor trip from Auckland to Wellington had been made in eight days. Today he knew "some gentlemen" who would do it in eight hours. Racing cars had reached great speeds, but aeroplanes had reached higher speeds. New Zealand had a motor-car for every five people and the country was second only to America in the number of cars used in spite of the fact that cars, cost twice as ,much in New Zealand as in America. Motor-cars had increased by 30,000 in the last year and £30,000,000 had been spent in operating costs alone.

The Leader of the Opposition and ] his .followers had complained that too *; much money was being spent on roads y\ in "boom" times, but ttief c. 'was^nc j i boom—conditions were only normal., ' It had been said that the highways were being turned into speedways, but the Public Works Department was only doing what every civilised country was doing. In the old days zig-zag roads had been built to enable horses to get up hills, but no one wanted to drive a car .on a zig-zag road. Still the Leader of the Opposition claimed the improved roads would lead to more accidents. If that was right they should put scarifiers on the road and make "pot holes" to check progress. OUT-OF-DATE BYLAWS. Continuing, Mr. Semple said "rafferty" rules had existed before he took office. In some cases the bylaws in operation were 50 years oid and had been framed before motor-cars were heard of. ■ Considerable amusement was caused by the way Mr. Semple described his dealings with the Transport Co-ordi-nation Board. He was now doing the board's job, he said, and it was the easiest job he had. It did not take him one hour a week to do what the board members were receiving £3000 a year to do, and there had been more activity .in the Transport Department in the last two years than ever before. Although there were 20 per cent more cars on the road, accidents had declined and, on statistics, ninety persons had been kept out of their coffins. Eleven persons had been killed at Easter a year ago, but, in spite of an additional 30,000 cars on the road, only five deaths had been caused during the recent Easter holidays. New Zealand was the only country in the world that had caused a decline in the roadaccident rate— (Applause)— and that was the answer to Mr. Hamilton's stupid assertions. Two millions had been spent on highways during the past year, Mr. Semple said, and a five-year plan was needed to get the back-blooks farmers "out of the mud." Some of the farmers of New Zealand had been without access for forty years. Thirteen thousand farmers were affected and there were 6000 miles of road to make, reform, or metal. The job would take £5,000,000 and last year Cabinet had granted £500,000 for the work. One thousand miles of country road had already been completed and he hoped to see 1500 miles of metalling done before work was stopped for the winter. At that rate the five-year plan would be completed in three or four years and every farmer would have a metalled road. (Applause). The scheme was well on the way and whether he remained in office or not he hoped it would be continued. Level railway crossings were being eliminated, Mr. Semple said, and Mr. Hamilton complained that it was needless extravagance. When he first entered Parliament in 1918 members were talking about the danger of level crossings, and he considered it was time to stop talking and act. AIR TRANSPORT. Air transport had come to New Zealand to stay, and air defence was necessary. Aerodromes had to be con'strticted, and already thirty-eight aerodromes had been constructed. If it had not been for air transport facilities many more people would have suffered in the East Coast floods. People had been fed and rescued by air, and a true picture of the needs of the stricken areas had been secured from the air, with the result that the reconstruction work had been got under way in twenty-four hours—the fastest thing on record in New Zealand; no waiting for a Cabinet meeting and no "earnest consideration" at some future date. Modern lift* called for the inventive genius of man for the benefit of mankind, and those who thought otherwise were living in the Stone Age. Public men of today had to be prepared to spring Into action without any "wait and see." That was the spirit that was needed and that was the spirit that had been shown by Union Airways, the Union Company, and the aero clubs of Napier and Hastings

when they had been called upon to help. ' That was the spirit that animated the Government, and if the electors wanted the progressive work to go on they knew what to do. If they wanted to go-back to "rafferty rules" they also knew what to do.

Mr. Semple.also referred to the way railway works had been stopped, and how it had cost a great deal of money to bring the hnlf-completed lines back to where they had been before the depression. It had cost £100,900 to bring the East Coast railway back to where it had been before the slump, and £50,000 worth of steel had been left to rot at Mohaka. If he had to his credit the colossal blunders and criminal waste of the past he would never look the taxpayers in the face again. "I would crawl up a gas-pipe to get out of the way," he declared.

In conclusion Mr. Semple referred to his early experiences in life, and said that ha was glad to have struggled upwards because he had learned to appreciate the struggles of others. He had reached office by his own efforts and would remain there.

After Mr. Semple had spoken he showed four reels of motion pictures depicting activities on public works in New Zealand. Modern methods had saved hundreds of thousands of pounds, he said, while the men employed had been paid good wages.

A motion of thanks was carried unanimously and with acclamation.