PUBLIC WORKS

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 30, 3 August 1940, Page 8

PUBLIC WORKS

SCOPE OF ACTIVITIES

PUBLICITY SUGGESTED

When the Appropriation Bill was before the Legislative Council .on Thursday afternoon reference; was made by several members to the way in which the expenditure of a large number of Departments, is brought together 'under the vote for public works. , The suggestion ,was made that some form of publicity should be given to the activities of the Public Works .Department so that the general public could get a better appreciation of the work done.

The subject was raised.by the Hon.. G, R. Hunter (Canterbury), who said the expenditure of the different Departments should be set out and not grouped together and so enable people to say that the Public, Works Department was spending millions of pounds. The criticism that had been,made was.not fair to Mr. Semple, who was the best Public Works Minister the country had ever had.

The Hon. T. Bloodworth (Auckland) also paid a tribute to Mr. Semple's ability and said that the Department should have some form of a magazine similar to the journal issued by the Department of Agriculture.

The Leader of the Council (the Hon. D. Wilson) also deprecated the criticism aimed at Public Works expenditure and said he would refer Mr. Bloodworth's suggestion to the proper quarters.