PUBLIC WORKS ESTIMATES

Greymouth Evening Star, 2 October 1928, Page 5

PUBLIC WORKS ESTIMATES

SIR J. WARD’S CRITICISM

“EXPENDITURE IMPOSSIBLE”

(Special to "Star.")

WELLINGTON, Oct. 1.

A note of warning in respect to Public Works expenditure was uttered by Sir J. Ward, in the House to-day. He said that he looked upon the amount in the Estimates as alarming. The Public Works Statement of this vear he said, contained proposals for the expenditure of £20,932,962, but the Government did not say what amount it intended to expend this year, neither was there any opportunity of gauging the composition of the expenditure. “Imagine in a country like this coming down with proposals totalling over £20,000,000 sterling,” said Sir Joseph. “Those figures in days gone by would have staggered any experienced member of Parliament. It was misleading the people by holding the bait out to them on the eve of the general election that money was to be thrown about all over the country to the extent of millions, although everyone knew that it would be utterly impossible for the Government to spend the money. Yet there are numbers of hon. members in this House who will put their hands on their chests and say “What a large sum of money we have got for our electorates.” As a matter of fact if I were asked in my electorate about it, I would tell the people not to believe a word of it. Mr. McLeod: You probably will be speaking there. Sir J. Ward: I probably will be talking there. I hear they (the Government) are trying to get a man against me. I will undertake to put four men up against the Government in other parts of the country if they bring out a man against me. Mr. Speaker suggested _ that Sir J. Ward should not allow himself to be side tracked from discussing the Public Works Statement. Sir Joseph replied that he had made his remarks as the result of what Mr. McLeod had said. “I will speak in Invercargill,” he continued. “It is my electorate and I will tell them not to believe half of what is in this, document because it is absolutely impossible for the Government to give effect to what they say they intend to carry out.” Mr. Bitchener: Have you ever told them it is an impossibility? Sir J. Ward: Never in my life. I am surprised at the hon. member putting a question like that to me. (Laughter). ~ Sir J. Ward said the country could not stand the expenditure that was going on, when the Government’s, own estimate of the surplus at the end of the financial year was about a quarter of a million. He wanted to know why the proposals of the Government were not being analysed in the way that was once customary in the House. The proposals were going to be swallowed wholesale. The Minister of Lands could swallow a good deal but he could not make himself believe that such a sum, as’was intended for public works expenditure could be expended in the next two or three years, much less next year. “I feel very anxious about the total amount of Public Works expenditure under all headings,” added Sir Joseph. “It is huge. We never knew anything like that in my time. If the Government attempts to spend the money voted here I do not know what will happen. In my opinion, the amount is out of all proportion to what this country can possibly meet.” UNEMPLOYMENT. A debate on unemployment was initiated by the Labour Party, when the Public Works Statement came on for discussion to-day. Various speakers claimed that the Government had done nothing to solve the problem. Mr. McLeod, referring to a statement by Mr. Dickson regarding organisers’ reports concerning the condition obtaining on relief works, said that as evidence, they were not worth hanging a dog on.

Mr. Dickson: A good many people have got the same opinion about you. , Mr. McLeod refuted the suggestion that Members of the Cabinet laughed at the misfortunes of the unemployed, and said the Labour Party had made .much of the hardships which the work,ers had to face in the back country. '.That went to show that the Party did not know what the conditions were. The men on the job were laughing at statements made by members of the Labour Party. Mr. Holland said that labour unions would resent Mr. McLeod’s statement about the organisers and would not thank the Minister for it.

Mr. Wright and Mr. Hawken both defended the Government’s policy, and declared the Government was sympathetic with the unemployed and doing its best with the position.