STATE FINANCE

Evening Star, Issue 15906, 11 September 1915, Page 12

STATE FINANCE

THE ESTIMATES CONSIDERED

SUGGESTIONS AND EXPLA-

NATIONS

POINTS OF THE DISCUSSION

[From Our Parliamentary Reporter.]

WELLINGTON, September 11. ' lno estimated xpenditure for the cur. rent financial year—a matter of' over £12,0C0,000- ? n g;lg ed the attention of the. House of Representatives, yesterday aftovnoon and evei ing. The prominent feature oi the discussion in Committee of Simply was ihe absence pf party recrimination and protest. J here were inanv pertinent questions and reasonable suggestions ea.-U necessitating Ministerial explanation,- but the cpirit of parochialism was vigo'roif* Compared with similar occasions under party government exceptionally good progvcßi was made, numerous substantial \-<>\i\* being authorised without difficulty, the mo?„ inters tins points of the diV cwion v.-ore ; Nay;-.] Adviser-The item of £315 (Salary to .trns Naval Adviser)' in the ~ava Dotence voie of £100,315 prompted |. Ul % lo .«*k detaik-The Prime .Minister (m the absence of the Hon J Allen) explained that the Naval Adviser appointed by the Government (Captain HJI-lhompson) was on the Philomel, j .vhich is on active service in other sen.". His place was taken temporarily bv the commander of H.M.S. Torch ' " Soldiers as the vote of ■ti i,--.-- o, ', tller Hf ' use of Representatives >'»■ »!llo.vl asked whether it was a fact tlia, the <-ovo>:,ment intended to giye the posrhons -ot messengers to returned soldiers. It that-was inteudsd. the old messengers at present en a age,d should be provided tor in seme way.—The'Hon. W. D. fc. -Mac-Donald said no decision had beenreached by Cabinet, Probably the Minis, ter responsible tor wounded soldiers would see* to find positions in the House for some disabled men. Slot Telephones -On. the vote for the v<- S i- a r\' l ~.,r e}? =v i,r h Department, Mr nJ V. "S J ba< *«- Pr Newman, and Mi Lil alluded to the desirability of utilising unused wires for more slot telephones for suLurban areas. Other members spoke similarly on behalf of their respective die-tncts.-=-The Right Hon. Sir Joseph Ward Minister ot Telegraphs, replied in effect that although' the .slot telephone iras a necessity it was impossible to install such telephones with the same rapidity and to the same extent as the ordinary telephone. Each slot telephone cost from £6O to £35. He would give consideration to the -whole question. As regards au.fomat.ic telephones, the war had stopped the supply. These automatic instrument® had been made in Antwerp before the war. After tho outbreak of war machinery was «et tip in London to make them, but the factories • had been taken over for the manufacture of war munitions. Answering other complaints, Sir Joseph save assurance that there was no •''sweating" in tho telephone bureaux. The women worked six hours dailv. Ota go Telephone System.—Mr R. Scott urged the. extension of telephonic communication between D lined in and Christchurch, and also between Central Otago and Dunedin, and explained the disabilities of the present limited system, contrasting it with the direct communication between Auckland and Wellington and between Dunedin and Inveicargill. He hoped the Mirister would give favorable consideration to the question of effecting every necessary improvement.—Sir Joseph Ward replied that it was impossible for him to say which lines could be extended nr.til ho knew how much money would be a-ailable for Et'ch work out of'the Public Works Loan. The duplication of the Dun edin-Christehurch telephone line, for example, would cost £B,OOO. It wag true that the present line could not- carry the work, but ho could not possibly say'what improvements could, or would, ba effected. Railway Matters.—There was considerable discussion on the vote for the- Railway Department (£2,BBB,ooo).—The Minister (Hon. W. C. Herries),-'in reply to certain suggestions made regarding the Genera! Manager of Railways, said that Mr Riley was not attached to the Defence Department. He was still Manager of Railways, although ho went out to Trentham about once a week in connection, with the railway line laid into the camp. He was responsible for a great deal of the improvement there. Dealing with the shortage of dining cars, he stated that there were only five or six such cars in the North Tsland, and it was .unfortunate for the railv ay system of New Zealand that it was divided into two islands, as the expense of shipping cars was very heavy. He could not take into consideration any proposed alteration in the 10 per cent, increase in the tariff on freight. Whatever the anomalies were in the ori.rdnal tariff, 10 per cent, must go on as if those anomalies did not exist.—A Member : Cannot you reduce the rates?— The Mirister: The rates are being considered, and when the 10 per cent, is taken off we may consider the question of revising the rates. Touching on another question, the coal supply, Mr Herries said there was no intention of reducing the orders for. coal in New Zealand. The Government were now getting more coal from the Dominion companies than in previous years, and he •was getting about the same amount from Newcastle. The trouble Y»as the inability of the New' Zealand companies to supply requirements, and another factor was the trouble caused by some bars on the West Coast.—The vote was passed.