PETITIONS FOR ROADS.

Northern Advocate, 1 September 1913, Page 6

PETITIONS FOR ROADS.

SHOULD BE DISCOURAGED

QUESTION OF PROCEDURE

In the House of Representatives on Friday last Mr D. Buick (Palmerston ) presented the report of the Railway Committee on the petition of E. Chilton and 349 others, praying that the Government acquire the railway at present owned by the Wairio Railway and Coal Company, Ltd. (Southland). As a question of policy was involved, the committee had no recommendation to make in regard to the petition. Sir Joseph Ward suggested that petitions to Parliament for the construction of roads should be discouraged as the method adopted in. dealing with them—referring them to the Petitions Committee—was a farce. This procedure made more trouble for the Minister of Public Works, "and," he added, "I am anxious to protect him; I am anxious that he should live long." (Laughter.) He added that if all petitions for roads were to be dealt with by the Petitions Committees he would be able to keep the latter going all the session, for in his electorate there was a great demand for roads. "NO RECOMMENDATION." The Prime Minister agreed with the hon. gentleman, but the latter was not quite seized of the facts in regard to the petition under notice. In sending the petition, the people were within their rights; a petition went before the Petitions Committee which reported that they had no recommendation. Old Parliamentarians knew that when the Petitions Committee came with no recommendation it meant that the Government for the time being would turn that petition down. On the other hand, if the committee referred the petition to the Government, it meant asking the Government to look into its merits and decide, according to its own judgment, what should be done. When a committee gave a favourable recommendation it meant that, ttie Government -was asked to do something. When a petition came along for a road, bridge or other public work, instead of turning it down if they were unable to give it favourable consideration, the proper thing to do was to refer it to the Government for consideration. Instead of having these petitions sent to the petitions Committee, • the better course would be for the people to send them to the member for the district, who should in turn send the petitions to the Minister of Public Works.

The Minister of Public Works (Hon. W. Fraser) said that if petitions for public works were sent direct to him he would give them consideration.

Mr W. A. Veitch (Wanganui) contended that it would be improper to give special consideration to any work simply because those who wished it had petitioned the House, while there might be many more desirable works in which there had been no petition. "DEAD AS JULIUS CAESAR." Sir Joseph Ward said that when the committee reported with no recommendation, it killed the petition as dead as Julius Caesar. Mr Fraser: Not necessarily. Sir Joseph Ward: You don't agree with us? Mr Fraser: I don't agree with you. Sir Joseph Ward: Then you don t agree with the Prime Minister. (Laughter.) The principle of considering a road vote by a committee and the committee reporting on it was wrong. The practice had not the slightest influence with the Minister of Public Works, and the people who were petitioning should know that. Mr E. P. Lee (Oamaru) said that the only sensible way to deal with these petitions was to give them no help in the committee. A BUFFER. Dr A. K. Newman thought that the position that the Minister of Public Works should have the whole expenditure of the money was wrong. In England there was a committee to deal with these applications; it was a buffer between the Minister and the applicants. He referred to the "cormorant" members who wanted public works in their districts, and said that he would some day move for a return of the useless and unprofitable railways in Southland, and get information that would astonish hon. members. In a passing reference to the "square deal," he urged the Prime

Minister not to use any slang on the platform* because he was tired of using this phrase "'square deal." The Waimarino-Tokaanu road was infinitely valuable to Wellington; he himself had presented a petition for this road, and it had been shelved or put into the waste-paper basket. Mr G. Witty (Riccarton) asked what the Railway Committee had to do with roads. There should be some committee of the House to deal with petitions for roads, and this committee should make recomemndations to the Minister for Public Works. Mr iG. W. Russell (Avon) said he had several times urged the establishment of a Committee of Works in the House. A great deal of political influence was brought to bear, in spite of the Government's protests that they had dissociated themselves from such a thing. He did not agree with the member for Awarua that because the committee had had no .recommendation to make, the matter would not receive any consideration. The Government were fully cognisant of the fact that there was a general election next year, and he had no doubt that when the Public Works Estimates came down, the member for Wallace would have a substantial grant for his road. (Laughter.)

The amendment to refer the petition back to the committee was lost on the voices.