HON. R. SEMPLE

Kaikoura Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 24, 24 March 1938, Page 2

HON. R. SEMPLE

AT MAYFAIR THEATRE. AN ENTHUSIASTIC RECEPTION. The Mayfair was crowded on Saturday night, and many were unable to obtain admittance on the occasion of the screening of the ordinary programme and the Public Works picture, with description by the Minister for Public "Works. Prior to the screening of the latter picture the Hon. R. Semple delivered a short address. Mr D. Alanson (president of tlie Kaikoura branch of the New Zealand Labour Party, occupied the chair and extended a hearty welcome to lhe AlinMr Semple said he was pleased to s(»e such a large attendance and informed his hearers that it was not his intention to give a political address, except to touch on questions of transport and matters pertaining to the Public Works policy; later they would have speakers dealing with the election campaign. The Public Works Department had been allocat(‘d £10,000,000 to carry out a programme of development public works, and these works were being carried out, upwards of 20,000 men being engaged on the 2150 jobs in hand. The Leader of the Opposition had contended that public works should not be accelerated except in slump time. “Really, the arguments of the Opposition were tragic jokes, and if some of the party wore as light below the shoulders as they wore above they would ho able to fly.” said the Minister. As Minister for Public Works he had lifted men from squalor and destitution of public works camps, and he was pleased to say 98 per cent, of them had made good and were playing their part creditably. As ho had stated, the department was spending £19,000,000 a year on building railyways, roads, bridges, aerodromes, and irrigation works, and the Government had not borrowed a. penny

from overseas to carry out these works, neither had it interfered with the funds of Government institutions, and the Government was not going to do it. The Labour Party or any Government has no right to harness the children of the future with a legacy of debt. The country already has to find £12,000,009 annually in interest on overseas loans before it can expend a penny raised from taxation. If the borrowing policy were continued it would not be long before the total income would be absorbed in paying interest and the country would be in jeopardy. New Zealand is capable of paying its way, and leaving posterity to pay its way. That was the Labour Party’s policy, -.ayway. Regarding transport matters, when lie took over the department he found there wrs a Co-ordination Board, and while he. was responsible to the country regarding the transport question he was not permitted to attend meetings of the Board, which had usurped the functions of the Minister. “Do you know,” said Mr Semple-, “that at that time there were 355 sets of regulations in force from the Bluff to North Cape. ” These had been wiped out and universal regulations had replaced them; and the Co-ordination Board had been given its running shoes. He was doing the job and saving the countrv £3OOO a year, and he was not losing any sleep over it, either—it was the easiest job ho had. The Opposition had charged him with turning highways into speedways, and stated that his improvements to the roads would increase rather than diminish accidents. By the control of the traffic he had saved SO persons from going to their graves in the last 18 months. He may not have succeeded all the way, but he had done something worth while. The approximate number of motor-vehicles licensed at the end of June, 1937, was 270,000, of which 254,017 were actually upon the roads. The number of motor-vehicles per head of population ranked high in New Zealand—one for each five persons, and was only exceeded in this respect by the United States. He received reports of all accidents involving death or personal injury, and since March and October 31, 1937, 2152 such accidents had been reported, resulting in 2748 casualties, 134 of which represented fatalities, 412 of serious injury, and 2202 of minor injuries. And of these accidents 801, or (50 per cent, of the total accidents recorded, happened in urban areas, whore speeds were restricted. Of the 17 fatal accidents over the Christmas period, only three occurred on the main highways. Yet, according to the Opposition, he was charged with turning the highways into speedways, and that the good roads represented death traps. “Half of the Opposition were political ninnies,” said Air Semple, “and T cannot say of

them, like the Opposition of the Hon. Richard Seddon’s time, that they are capable men.” As Minister of Transport he was confining his energies to good visibility, good approaches, and good surfaces, which were the fundamentals of his reading system. Concluding, Air Semple said his department was spending £10,000,000 on public works, emploj’ing mon on useful works, and not a penny of this amount came from overseas or private investors, and we are going right ahead. He then described the major works in operation in the Dominion and screened the picture depicting the old methods in use, one showing 27 men on a rope pulling a huge roller, and compared this with the modern laboursaving machinery in use. Air Semple’s address was listened to with interest, applause being given at various stages, concluding with three cheers for the Minister and one for the member for the district. Air Semple expressed thanks to Mr C. Grainger, manager of the Mayfair Theatre for the use of the theatre and for other courtesies extended to him; also to Mr Manson for presiding over the meeting.