SLOW WORK.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16741, 23 December 1914, Page 7

SLOW WORK.

*EW PARLIAMENT BUILDING. GOVERNMENT'S DILATORY POLICY. [From Our Correspondent.] WELLINGTON, December 22. Members of tho last Parliament who came to Wellington to attend tho Opposition meeting to-day wore greatly astonished at finding that so little progress had been made with the new parliamentary building. Their views in the main aro expressed by Mr H. G. Eil, member for Christchurch South, who spoke very emphatically to-day regarding the lack of energy shown by the Government in pushing on this important national work. “ Last pay day twelve men wero turned off the job and only a handful are left,” declared Mr Ell. “Just imagine a handful of men on a £IOO,OOO job, when hundreds of building employees in New Zealand are wanting work! Tons of thousands of'bricks aro lying in piles around the place and heaps of other material aro waiting, but tho Public Works Department will not let the contractors proceed. They are keeping them back because of the shortage of marble and they will not allow other parts of the building to go on until this stone comes to hand. Hero are men idlo and an expensive plant doing next to nothing, all because tho Publio Works Department insists upon the walls going up at tho same pace and the same level all over the building. They could have had the legislative chamber finished for next session but for this extraordinary departmental attitude. All the steelwork for the next two storeys is in Wellington, but it cannot be used. This is the strange way in which tho Government carries out its promise to go ahead confidently with public works during tho war. The plea of the Department is that if. one part is built quicker than another it will throw an undue pressure upon the foundation?, but experienced builders say the idea is absolutely silly in view of tho enormously strong foundations, which havo been in for three years, quite long enough to settle. Practical people say that the job is being held back becauso of pernickety nonsense.”