PUBLIC WORKS

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 4130, 30 October 1920, Page 2

PUBLIC WORKS

HOUSE SiTS ALL NIGHT PASSES THE ESTIMATES- IN 10 MINUTES (l'er Press Association.) Wellington, October 30. The Hoiiae sat all night on. the ■ Public Works Statement and Estimates, there being * great deal of discussion. Mr Veitch complained of the unfair allocation of votes in favour of Auckland province. He cited the amount proposed to be spent on public works in road districts, and said that £789,000 was to be voted for. Whangarei, Auckland, Tauranga, Gisborne, and Tauinarunui Iload Districts, compared with £868,000 • for tho whole of the rest of New Zealand. _, The proposed expenditure in the same districts on land settlement account was £106,000 out of £250.000, leaving '£81,000 for the balance of New Zealand. He protested that Auckland was receiving altogether too great a proportion of public expenditure. All Ministers controlling departments were Aucklanders, which meant that the North had far too string an influ- . once, which operated unfairly to the detriment of Tarariaki and the southern portion of the North Island. Mr Horn put in a plea for the goldfields counties of Otago. Mr McLobd advocated the completion of the main lines of railways, , with subsidiary roads to feedthem as the best means of developing the country. . Mr Campbell denounced the proposal to deviate the Rimutaka line. Mr Glenn defended the policy of concentration on main lines, with the development of lines and roads in the backblocks. . Mr Ngata defended tho proposed expenditure in Auckland province,which was noTT only coming into its own. , Mr Holland (Labour Leader) deprecated the locality fighb had gone on during the debate. Either the works in the Auckland province were necessary or they were not. If necessary, then the House should join together and vote the money, instead of indulging in petty" squabbles over parochial differences. Development' should come first and money should be spent where it was most needed. At 3.15 o'clock the Minister (Mr Coates) rose to reply. His idea was to allocate the money where it would give the best return and where it Waj most needed. The first essential carrying on a successful public works policy was to secure a capable stall! of engineers and efficient organisation and to put-men to work-on a. basis on which they would bo satisfied and would go to work cheerfully. Another factor was; the employment of up-to-date machinery, and he was going to have a modern plant as soon as ho could get it. In March next five of the railway lines would be complete. Therefre he would not stop them now. There were threo lines on which, he intends to stop work. Threo coalmine lines would also be finished in: two years 'time. That would then leave them with the North Auckland Main Trunk line, the East Coast line, the Midland railway, the, Stratford to Main Trunk line, the Orepuke, Wairau, and Wakokopu branch. The coin» pletion of these hues would then become the objective of his Department, because they were calculated to give tho country the best returns. It was unfortunate, perhaps, that he came from Auckland, but he hoped he had a mind open enough to see matters broadly. H.is only anxiety make the lines which would promote the greatest development and help the people to pay their taxation, and to get the country its needs. In order to complete his programme ht» would require from 700 to 1000 more men within two years, and the Minister ofFinance would require t& provide three milions yearly to keep pace with, the progress of the work. To carry but the hydro-olectrio works contemplatetd would absorb 17 to 18 millions, which would givtj some idea of the magnitude of the task before them* During the coming receee he hoped to visit various districts and to judge of the mportance of the respectve work on the spot. . The House went into Committee at' 3.45 o'clock, and the whole of thq votes were passed in 10 minutes. Mr Massey intimated that the busi j ness he would take to-day would be" Mining Bill, and he also hoped to introduce a Railway Bill at tho niternoon sitting. The House rose at 4 a.m. till 2.30 this afternoon, it being found impossible to meet at 11 a.m., as previously 1 arranged for; owing to the lafce hour] of rising.