PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVI, Issue 209, 21 August 1926, Page 5

PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT

SUBMITTED TO LOWER HOUSE

By

Hon. K. S. Williams

APPRECIATION OF PREDECESSOR IN OFFICE

Interesting Review of National Works

The Annual Statement of Public Works submitted yesterday afternoon to Parliament by the Hon. K. S. Williams, Minister of Public Works opens as follows:— “Mr. Speaker.—Honourable members are aware that I assumed the office of Minister of Public Works only on the eve of the present session, whilst the operations of the Public Works Department, with which this Statement deals, relate to a period closing before my assumption of office. It will not be expected of me, therfore, that I should do other that present a statement of the works accomplished, with their accompanying accounts, during the past year of office of my predecessor. The responsibility forthe works planned for the ensuing year, and for which honourable members will be asked to make appropriation, as well as for the general policy to be followed, I accept as my own. It is no mere sense of courteous duty which impels me to express appreciation of the invaluable work whiefi has been carried through by my predecessor. During his term of office he succeeded in acquiring a close personal knowledge of the works in hand and in prospect, their position, and their objective. He, further, sought personal acquaintance with his staff and the employees of his Department, and studied their conditions and their personal welfare. His capacity for getting at essentials, both in work and in men, has led to the building of a human organisation under vastly improved conditions, with the inevitable result—better work for the State. Better conditions mean better men and better work. I hope the experience already gained in the development of new country will enable, me to appreciate the merits of the proposed works, and a knowledge of what expenditure would be wise and what would be insufficiently profitable for the immediate benefit of the country, so that the best results may be obtained from works undertaken. CAREFUL CONSIDERATION OF EVIDENCE. Public Works Fund expenditure should result only after a careful weighing of all the evidence. In dealing with proposals for expenditure on new works, whether they be in relation to what may be termed district or inter-district works, it is my intention, as far as possible, to consider each with a view to connecting up with a larger scheme of works, and so prevent isolation; in other words, public works must be constructed where possible in accordance with a comprehensive scheme embracing the whole area. My immediate effort must be directed to acquiring a personal knowledge of the developmental work now in course of construction, its objective, and the planning of its enlargement in the future. The errors of the past which now confront us, and which have largely arisen out of altered conditions, are in themselves sufficient evidence of the necessity of comprehensive planning of public works. I desire to acknowledge that in the staff of the Department which I have honour to control there exists a body of public servants exceptionally well qualified in their duties, and imbued with a devotion to public service. No Minister can achieve real success unless he can inspire his men with confidence and the assurance of his support in their work. To the staff and employees of my Department I give this assurance, and I have no fear that they will fail to respond. Whilst I am with them I demand their best service, and I want their fearless judgment. ... POLICY WITH REGARD TO EMPLOYMENT. The change in Ministerial control may possibly raise a question as to the policy to be followed with regard to the employment of workmen on road, railway, hydro-electric, and other constructional works. As I see it, the position is clear. There are certain classes of work on which men can be employed only on day wages. There are other classes of work which, both in the interests of the Department and men, can best be dealt with on the system of open contract, be it large or small, or on the co-operative contract system, according to the circumstances of the men concerned or the class of work, whichever, in the particular circumstances of the case, is the fairest way to both parties. The Department must secure fair value in work product for which it pays. lam not particularly concerned as to how that result is achieved. The resultant daily earnings must not be the deciding factor, but the cost of the work p u r unit of material dealt with. If parties of men, by their special effort, are enabled to double the day’s wage-rate, then I shall be glad to know that our conditions of employment can attract such workmen, for such results pay the Department and encourage and profit the men. The allocation of public works funds for development works must necessarily be a vital issue. Applications throughout the country for grants from the Public Works Fund amount every year to a sum far beyond the resources available. AUTOMATIC SYSTEMS OF ALLOCATION AND AUTHORIZATION My predecessor evolved a system of automatic allocation based on essential factors, and, m furtherance, a system of authorization automatically relative to approprition. Believing these systems to be sound in basis, I intended to adhere to them though experience of their working effect may suggest modification of detail application. My endeavour will be directed to perfection of a system of allocation of grants from the Public Works Fund which is based on the absolute economics of the application free of any other consideration. My predecessor directed his policy in determined manner towards freeing the allocation of Public M orks Fund moneys from any suggestion of satisfying political demands. 1 am no less determined to follow the same policy. The work which has been achieved during the past few years is self-assertive evidence of the wisdom and benefit of such a policy. I have no wish to discourage local and district ambitions, but I do insist that these ambitious, before they can receive any support from the Public Works f und, must stand the test—that is to say, they must be found to be good and justifiable as part of a comprehensive plan or directly subsidiary to it.

RATIO OF EXPENDITURE. The ratios which the various types of activities of the Department bear to the whole are indicated graphically in a diagram in which the following particulars appearßailways, £l,988,614, or 34.94 per cent.; roads (including main highways), £989,077, or ) 17.38 per cent.; hydro-electric works, / £945,533, or 16.61 per cent. ■ telegraph extension, £931,661, or 16.37 per cent.; buildings, £284,178, or 4.99 per cent.; departmental, £126,596, or 2.22 per cent.; irrigation, £56,227, or .98 per cent.; Waihou and Ohinemuri nvers improvement, £47,907, or .81 per cent.; miscellaneous, £322,501 or 5.67 per cent. SUMMARY STATEMENT. In conclusion, the Minister said:— To state in brief the operations of the Deportment, 1 would point out that in the past seven years £7,486,< i 9 ha* been expended on railway coo-s-iuction, and during that period a length of 317 miles of railway has been brought under traffic, of which 1.53 miles have been handed over to ths Railways Department for working while 164 miles are being operated by the Public Works Department for the carriage of goods and passengers. The cost of the lengths handed over to the Railways Department was .including Otira tunner, £5.423,149, a considerable portion of which was expended prior to 1919.

On the various classes of roads, including main highways, a total of £4,673,5/0 was expended, and during the seven years considerable improvements in road construction methods have been introduced. Further extensive work has been done in the direction of additional construction and improved surfacing of roads. In the sphere of hydro-electric development, 66,233 horse-power has lieen developed and transmitted to centres of demand, at a capital cost of approximately £3,900,090, an average cost of £59 per horse-power. 20,000 additional horse-power has just been brought into operation at Lake Coleridge.

An area of 28,114 acres has been irrigated, the expenditure during the past seven years amounting to £509,961. This sum includes expenditure for supply of water to further areas when construction operations are sufficiently advanced. EXTENSION OF TELEGRAPHS. Another activity involving consider, able expenditure from the Public Works Fund is telegraph extension, the expenditure on which during the last seven years has been £4,284,767, distributed annually as follows:— 1919-20, £249,379; 1920-21, £336,468; 1921-22, £590,981; 1922-23, £501,575; 1923-24, £717,409; 1924-25, £957,294; 1925-26, £931,661. Mechanical plant has been largely availed of, and has proved satisfacfactory on works where such can be advantageously used; at the same time the Department has been able to employ more manual labour than-in earlier years. The introduction of mechanical plant and labour-saving appliances has been advantageous, allowing of large operations being entered upon without reducing the number of men required. The housing of the workers still continues to receive the same attention as hitherto from the Department; the provision of huts in place of tents has proved economical in places where camps for workmen were established. The Department’s main operations consist in providing increased transport by rail and road, aiding the producer and distributor alike. WATER- POWER RESOURCES. The development of water-power resources, thereby making electricity available in many areas, has been a very prominent feature in the Department’s operations over a decade. Further development works in this connection are still in hand, the major operation being the harnessing of the Waikato river at Arapuni,

while the large undertaking for the utilisation of power from Lake Waikaremoana has been commenced on a substantial scale. The advantages accruing to settlers in the backblocks as a result of improved roads, telephonic communication, and electric lighting and power, cannot be overestimater, and these benefits have been brought about in a comparatively short period. The provision of suitable buildings for the operations of State Departments must continue to be made as the population increases and the activities of the State expand. The erection of buildings to accommodate many Departments has been aimed at in all large centres, enabling a concentration of offices which have been distributed over wide areas with a corresponding disadvantage to the general public.

The provision of adequate watersupplies for irrigation purposes in areas where the rainfall ig small and the production affected thereby is a development of recent years. Central Otago has received attention hitherto, but there are other districts in the Dominion where similar conditions are found, and the Government, when the occasion arises, will extend its operations to meet the demand. As appendices to this Statement honourable members will find full details of the principal works carried out by the Department, in the reports of the engineer-in-chief, Government architect, chief electrical engineer, and Main Highways Board, respeclively.’’