AMALGAMATION

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 78, 11 March 1943, Page 4

AMALGAMATION

PUBLIC WORKS AND HOUSING NEW BILL INTRODUCED IN HOUSE POINTS RAISED AND EXPLAINED (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) Wellington, This Day. The Ministry of Works Bill providing for the amalgamation of the Public Works and Housing Construction Departments was introduced in the House

of Representatives last evening. The Bill stipulates that the Minister shall be known as the Minister of Works and provides for the appointment of a Commissioner of Works and Deputy Commissioner.

Mr J. A. Lee (Dem. Lab. Grey Lynn) asked if housing was lo be merged with other works or just take its chance. He would also like to know whether the Bill would empower the Building Controller lo control housing as well as public works. He thought the controller was the building genius of New’ Zealand, but he thought a point had been reached where it should be considered whether anyone connected with outside building organisations should have sole control of all Government building activity. There was hostility and criticism growing up and if the controller were to control housing as well as public works he should be taken over by the Government entirely.

The Minister of Public Works, Mr Semple, explained that the Bill, which comprised four clauses, would amalgamate the Public'Works and Housing Departments. There was no intention of smothering the housing programme. The idea was to bring about an organisation that w’ould create the greatest degree of co-ordination in all departments. The Bill suggested that there should be a Commissioner of Works and Deputy Commissioner, who would be associated with the Minister in planning for the future, and those three could co-opt outside the experts. They .would sit from time to time in executive and discuss every proposition put forward so that there w r ould be no hurry-up jobs half completed. The Deputy Commissioner would be a competent engineer associated with the Treasury.

The Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, referring to the point made by Mr Lee, said that the Commissioner of Construction, Mr Jomes Fletcher, w’ho, he hoped, under the Bill would become Commissioner of Works, had been called on in the stress of war and he did not know anyone else who could have tackled the job. An arrangement of that kind had been adopted in practically every other country at war and was excellent for the w’ar period. When it came to ordinary peace-time building and reconstruction, men of that description who had given their services voluntarily would have to consider their position, but he hoped that it would be possible to retain the undoubted constructive genius of Mr Fletcher on a different basis for the reconstruction period.