RAILWAY WORKS.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVIII, Issue 10743, 14 November 1928, Page 6

RAILWAY WORKS.

MR. COATES ON UNITEDS’ POLICY. “WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN TO N.Z.” (Special To The Times). AUCKLAND, Nov. 13. “Have you fellows thought over the United Party proposal to complete the railways in three or four years?” the Prime Minister asked at the'log . railway camp at Purewa today. “I suppose a few of you think it is a. fine idea.” A voice: “No, we don’t.” The Prime Minister: “Well, we are fiftv-fifty on that.” He said that the worst thing that could happen to New Zealand would be to complete the new railways in that time. Another point was that he would never agree to having the railway construction works turned into- immense relief camps. He had propounded a definite policy for ,the completion of the lines according • toft definite programme, which had been approved by Parliament, and which involved the' expenditure of about £1,000,000 a year. _ They had. the men in tho Public Works Department who could complete the work within the specified period and , who could do it well. These men had reduced the costs by 40. per cent, from the peak prices. He had. been told that he had pampered the mein, but his reply was that the work 'had been done and had keen done well. No worse blow could be dealt these? men than, by the adoption of a. scheme to spend £10,000,000 on completing the lines in three or foui years. The Department wished to keep the. men it had now in its employ, for they, knew the work and could handle the machinery; they could give the country, better value than any crowd of new chums and, moreover, the Government recognised that it had a duty to them. _ There were now about men in the Department., . but if Uni teds’ plain w.ere given effect to some 25,000 men would he required. He would like to know what the Uidteds’ intended to do with such a big body of men when the railways were finished.