PUBLIC WORKS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 1 November 1924, Page 3

PUBLIC WORKS.

CRITICISM- IN THE HOUSE. MINISTER DEFENDS POLICY. Railways and power schemes (by TELEGRAPH—PRESS ASSOCIATION. WELLINGTON, Oct. 31. The public works policy of the .Government was criticised iii the House to-day, when the House went into committee on the Public Works Estimates. . The Leade.r of the Opposition (Mr T. M. Wilford) reaffirmed his belief that the allocation of grants for roads, bridges and other public works should be in the hands of an expert board of "business men outside the Government service and free from political influerice. He complained of Hie undue proportion of public works expenditure in North Auckland as compared with other parts of New Zealand. The railways should he run as business.concerns on strictly bumness lines, and the Main Trunk railway cohhe'ctioh from Invercargill to Auckland should be completed. Mr . Wilford explained, that the Mangahao scheme was too expensive, and that work should be undertaken cn the Lake Waikareiiloaiia scheme. Motel' competition ought to be met by the adoption of methods by which the railways could obviate tile present ’disastrous effect's of motor competition. AUCKLAND’S BIG SHARE. . Several other members supported a plea for a business hoard to deal with public works expenditure. . The Hoin C. J. Parr ridiculed the protests about political control of public; works expenditure in face of members immediately following their pleas for greater expedition ill this or that railway or other work. So far as North Auckland was concerned, there certainly had been an over expenditure of some £40,000, but members forgot that this .was due to the .disastrous floods, which had necessitated Government assistance to settlers whose farms were inundated. . Mr D. G. Sullivan (Avon) complained of the unequal allocation of money for public works. Auckland Was getting more than Wellington and the whole of the South Island. • The Minister for Rublic Works (Hon. J. G. /CoAtes), implying • to criticism, said liis policy bf Concentration on railway construction had resulted in the railways under 'construction being tredU'ced frohi 36 to 9, and during the past four years the number had been reduced from 16 to ,9. There had been some, criticism of the Nelsoh-Glenliopa section of line, and this, he admitted, would not pay at present, but it whuld When linked up with the main system. The Westport-liiangahua line Was. in his dpihibh, oiie of the most important iii the Dominion, because it was necessary to link up our fc'oal system'. SOUTH ISLAND TRUNK. He did not favour pushing on with the Main South ; Island trunk system at present. The day might come when it would have to be gone on with, hut that day was, nob. yet. There were other more attractive propositions requiring attention. There .was ho national call for. the South Island line, as it opened up no country and did. not mean aiiy development. Such CrPwii land as was involved was mostly covered in snow, and, could for the most part be put in one’s pocket: The Minister contended that member's were with otie breath denouncing political influence, and with the next,breath, they were demanding . political railways. So far as he knew, there was hot a single political railway under construction at present. He defended the present method of. voting money, as members had a clear knowledge, of what money was being voted for their districts. . > Discussing hydro - electric schemes, the Minister ski’d, all experts were agreed that it would be unwise to attempt to bring power from Waik a remoan ato Wellington. To do sO would hiean loss of fully 25 per 'cent, of the power in transmission. Mangahao was a necessary adjunct to Waikaremoaiia, ail'd although it bad exceeded the estimated cost hv nealrly £500,000, that wak largely due to the high prices following upon the war. Construction would begin at Waikaremodna next year, and ultimately it would be joined up with Mangahao. \ The discussion was continued until shortly after midnight, when the total votes, amounting to £8,096.646, were passed without alteration. OTHER MATTERS. The Rating Amendment Bill, providing for the exemption o.f . Sunday schools from rates, was put through ail stages. A number of additional clauses to the Washing-up Rill were brought down by Governor’s message and read a .first time. The House rose at 12.20 a.m. till 11 o’clock this morning.