WORK COMMENDED

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 145, 22 June 1938, Page 11

WORK COMMENDED

RIMUTAKA TUNNEL

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE VIEW

LABOUR ASPECT

A proposal by Mr. M. G. C. McCaul that the Wellington Chimto; :£ ciommerce, while expressing its appreciation of the Government's decision to proceed with the work of shortening the route to the Wairarapa, should recommend that the work should be deferred until such time as the labour situation made work of that nature imperative for the relief of unemployment, and that in the meantime further inquiries and surveys be made with a view to discovering if a better route was available, was defeated at a meeting of the Chamber last evening, i An amendment simply expressing appreciation of the Government's action was carried, the majority of members holding the view that the work was desirable;and that no good purpose could be served by holding it up. The discussion arose on the receipt of a telegram from the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. M/ J. Savage) announcing the Government's decision.

Mr. McCaul recalled thai shortlyafter the present Government came into office the Wellington Chamber, in association with the Masterton Chamber and local bodies in the Wellington and Wairarapa districts, waited on the Prime Minister and the Minister of Public Works and urged that the work was of sufficient importance to justify the expenditure involved. It had to be remembered that at that time the country, was gradually emerging from a depression and it was necessary to spend a great deal of money on relief work. That justified the chamber's attitude. At thef present time the same justification did not exist. Admittedly, the work was of economic value, and they should feel grateful that the Government had decided to prosecute it, but he thought they shoujd suggest to the Government that it should not be prosecuted at present. It was sound to do the work in times of depression when labour was plentiful, but it was not necessarily equally sound to do it at a time when farming labour-was short and when other industries were short of labour.

To a layman, said Mr. McCaul, it looked as if it was possible to find a better route to the Wairarapa, possibly one that would enable the line to come out at Pigeon Bush or Featherston. When speaking at Masterton recently the Prime Minister had referred in rather scathing terms to the original line over the hill., Should they not consider that someone might, in another twenty years, refer in scathing terms to the people who put the tunnel through at the place now proposed? ! SHOULD NOT BE HELD UP. "I would certainly support Mr. McCaul in his proposal that a letter of appreciation be sent, but I. don't think we need to hold this work up much longer," ,T said Captain S. Holm. "The engineers of this and "other Governments have recommended this route, and I understand, speaking as a layman, that they have decided on the best site. Should we, after asking for the tunnel a short time ago, now ask the Government not to go ahead with it? I don't think we should. I am glad to see Mr. McCaul and this chamber agreeing, at least, to express appreciation of something the Government has done."

Mr. A. L. Wall said that he was glad to find that Mr. McCaul was for once in agreement with the Government. (Laughter.) He felt that the chamber at long last had an opportunity of wholly supporting the present Government on the question of the Rimutaka tunnel. They must be seized with the necessity of the work. In his opinion, the job could not be undertaken too 'soon.

Mr. McCaul then moved the motion outlined above. He said he. felt that it was the soundest course for responsible business men to pursue. They all knew what the labour-position was. The Government, by its public works policy, had created an artificial shortage of labour in - many directions.

The motion was seconded by Mr. S. I Cory-Wright. The Rimutaka job could best be carried out at a time when I there was a need to Arid work in the country. At the present time the work might prove an embarrassment to the labour market.

MORE NECESSARY NOW. Captain Holm moved as an amendment that a letter of appreciation should be sent to the Prime Minister. He did not think they should endeavour- to alter the route of the tunnel or to lay down when the work should be done. If the shorter route was necessary in depression years, it was more necessary when trade was good. "I don't think' it is for this chamber to;block the procedure the Government has outlined," he added. Mr. Wall seconded the amendment. Mr. W. S. Cederholm supported Captain Holm. If they were going to have five years of prosperity in which to get the work done, so much the better. It was not a job that would absorb a tremendous number of men, as only a limited number of men could be employed on,such an operation. It would take labour of a class for which there was not a great demand at the present time.

Mf. A. J. Curtis said that the Wellington district had been fighting to have the work completed. The experts had recommended a certain route and they should take the advice of the experts and let it rest at that. Mr. H. W. Bothamley said it was apparent that Mr. McCaul had not read the statements of the Prime Minister. His suggestion was tantamount to asking the Government to postpone the work until it went out of office, because Mr; Savage had repeatedly asserted that there would not be any more depressions and that it was "not going to rain no more." The president (Mr. P. E. Pattrick) said he thought they were all agreed that better communication between Wellington and the Wairarapa was highly desirable. At the same time he agreed with much of what Mr. McCaul had said. They should give some attention to the question of the distribution of labour in New Zealand. He supported the project of the Government.

A further amendment by Mr. F. Wilson that the Prime Minister's telegram should be received lapsed lor want of a seconder.