PUBLIC WORKS

Grey River Argus, 30 November 1937, Page 4

PUBLIC WORKS

OPPOSITION LEADER Asks About the Money [Per Press Association.] PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS, November 29. In the House of Representatives, this afternoon, urgency was accorded the passing of the Public Works Estimates, and the proceedings preliminary thereto, namely the consideration of the Public Works Report. The Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Adam Hamilton, commenting on the Public Works report, said that it appeared to be full of self praise, and Sad a bit of a boost for the Government. A few years ago, he said, from £25 000 000 to £30,000,000 was being spent on Public Works, but this year it would appear as if it would reach the £50,000,000 mark. Mr Hamilton complained of an apparent confusion existing between the Public Works Department, the Public Works Estimates, and the Budget. He said it would provide an insoluable problem to the cleverest accountant in the Dominion. He compared the total of £l7 367 000 for Public Works in the Budget with the total of £13,370,000 in the Public Works Estimates. It was pretty hard to make those two totals tally. He asked the Minister to tell them where the money was coming from for the Public Works. Was it coming from loan funds, from the Consolidated Fund, the Highways Fund, and the Unemployment Fund ? The Minister of Finance, said Mr Hamilton, had stated that money came from the Post Office Savings Bank and from other Government Departments. It seemed to him that the funds might be running short by this time. Mr Hamilton said he would stress the fact that the wool cheque might be reduced by hall this year. He contended that in boom times they should at least live within their income. ■ Mr E. P. Meachen (Govt., Wairau), considered that Hon. A. Hamilton was labouring under a “confusion complex.” He considered that the Opposition should have had no difficulty in understanding the Public Works Statement. He pointed out. that quite a lot of works, altogether lumped under one heading, were the responsibility of the Ministers other than the Minister of Public Works, for instance, the Public Works figures of £17,367,000 included

all works undertaken by the ’ Government, and among these were the railway improvements, the school buildings, the small farms, the telegraph extensions, the native land settlement, and the swamp drainage. Mr Meachen, continuing, said that the expenditure on Public Works out of loan money was only half mis year what it had been in the year 1929-30. He stated that the Minister intended, under his Five Year Plan, to give almost every backblock settler a good metalled road within tnat period. The Minister (Hon. R. Semple), said that it must have surprised and annoyed members of the Opposition that they had failed to stampede the depositors in the Post Office Savings Bank before the last election, and also that any such attempt by them must, inevitably, fail also in the future.

Mr H. G. Dickie (Nat., Patea), expressed the opinion that the Government was spending too much on deviations and on other works on the main highways. The House then went into committee to consider the Public Works Estimates.

Replying to a question by Mr H. S. Kyle (Nat., Riccarton), tne Minister of Public Works (Hon. R. Semple) said that a revised estimate of the cost of the completion of the South Island Main Trunk was £2,862,000. The estimated time for the completion of the line was four years, but the engineers considered that if they could get the necessary steel et cetera, a year could be smacked off that time.

The debate was interrupted by the adjournment at 5.30.

MINISTER’S REPLY.

WELLINGTON, November 29. In the House this evening, Hon. R. Semple replied to the questions raised by the Leader of the Opposition. The Minister said that there had been a lot of criticism with reference to the amount spent on the main highways, but it had to be borne in mind that a lot of bridges had outlived their usefulness, and these had had to be replaced. The question of removing dangerous bends was an essential work. He had no apology to make for the money spent in eliminating the dangerous crossings.

Referring to the question of improving the back country roads, the Minister said that, when the Supplementary Estimates came down, it would be seen that the Government had made proper provision for that work.

Land For Unemployed

QUESTION OF A GIFT. WELLINGTON, November 28. In the House ’ to-night the Minister of Lands, Hon F. Langstone, replying to questions concerning the settlement of unemployed workers on lands, said that they had about one thousand to twelve hundred men on land development work. They would soon have 1500. These men were mostly engaged on the marginal' lands. The vote for this work totalled £486,000, which was made up of £300,000 of loan money, and of credits-in-aid totalling £186,000. The idea was to have these lands worked to get the best results possible, and to retrieve the £300,000 and aso the £186,000. Speaking of a demand that these men should be given titles to their properties, he said that he did not think it would be right to give away £186,000 of the country's money to a few settlors. He thought that there was a lot of humbug talked about giving these people their land titles. They had good jobs, and they received a regular income. Those who were promised leases by the previous Minister of Lands had received them. Public Works estimates were finally completed by 10.35 when the House rose.

On the motion for the adjournment, Mr. Savage stated the Elector-

al Amendment Bill would be considered to-morrow.

Tourist Resorts

INCREASE OF TRAFFIC. WELLINGTON, November 29. Discussion on the Public Works Estimates was continued when tha House resumed at 7.30 p.m. Speaking on a vote of £30,000 for the development of the tourist resorts Mr. W. P. Endean (Nat. Parnell), asked how far such tourist development had gone since 1934.

Mr. W. J. Polson (Nat. Stratford), asked for an assurance that Taranaki should not be overlooked in tha development of the tourist resorts. The Minister in Charge of the Tourist Department, Hon. F. Langstone, said that the Department did everything it could to see that every district should get consideration with regard to tourist resorts. Referring to the development of the tourist traffic, he said that the number of overseas tourists visiting New Zealand last year was 17,297, as compared with 14,284 for the previous year. The revenue last year was £100,678 compared with £84,000 in the previous year. " ,

Mr. Langstone continued that the 'expenditure last year was £155,000 • as against £137,000 the year before and the number of tickets actually sold by the Tourist Department had increased from 241,000 in 1932 tq 380,000 in 1937. The vote was later passed. •