PUBLIC EXPENDITURE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18471, 7 August 1923, Page 8

PUBLIC EXPENDITURE.

« CRUMBS FROM THE TABLE."

WELLINGTON'S COMPLAINT.

ENVIOUS ;r OF : AUCKLAND.

[BY TELEGRAI'H.— special REPORTER.] ' .. v : ; WELLINGTON, Monday. J [ "Of course I am not complaining,' * | said, Mr. ' R. ' A. ■. Wright /(Wellington Suburbs), in the House of Representatives this afternoon, and fhere • was immediately an outburst of laughter, for tho member had devoted a quarter of an hour to a complaint that Auckland was receiving better -treatment than Wellington in regard to public expenditure. It was really Sir John Luke (Wellington North) : who set the ball rolling. He said that Auckland and Wellington had not been on a par in respect' of education, for Auckland, had a savings bank which had to disburse its surplus profits, and a considerable amount was handed over to education, particularly the Technical College and the University. Wel- \ lington had not been fortunate enough to have an institution like that. The Hon. D. Buddo (Kaiapoi) said that if they were going to satisfy all the claims of Wellington there . would not be much left for the country districts. He considered the country schools should receive first attention.

Mr. Wright then joined in the discussion. He said that if Wellington demands seemed excessive, the reason was Wellington had been neglected, while other cities got what they wanted,, particularly in secondary schools. Wellington had not got a good secondary school, but it was getting one now, and was obliged to the Government for it. Wellington did not expect better treatment than any other place. \ > Representation in Ministry. ,4 We in Wellington have the idea, rightly, or wrongly, that Auckland is getting nearly all Auckland wants," Mr. Wright continued. "We wonder if the reason is that Wellington has not got a representative in the Ministry."; Chorus of Members: Oh! (and laughter). , r. - ■•„■, '

The Prime Minister: What about Sir Francis Bell ? Mr. Wright: He is in the Upper House. I.do not think an hon. gentleman in that House, who has not got to face the electors, is as good for the purpose as one who sits in this House. In the Cabinet there are four Auckland members, and they hold between them finance, public) works, education, and internal affairs. The best of the portfolios are in the hands of Auckland representatives. I! am not suggesting that that has anything to do with it—(laughter.—but the fact remains that a large amount of public money is expended in Auckland, on education particularly. Of course lam not complaining(loud laughter) I want Wellington, at any rate, to get the crumbs i from the rich man's table." "I quite agree that Wellington should be represented in the Cabinet," said Mr. G. W. Forbes (Hurunui). . " Wellington has a right to complain, but what do we get in the South Island? ;] That's what I 'rant to ; know. It seems as if we have hardly any representation at all. The member for Wellington Suburbs has been talking about the crumbs which fall' from the rich man's table, but,: as far as that goes, we hardly ever see a crumb i in the South Island." . Mr. Wright: You have four members i m the Cabinet. ■ r . A. Little Misunderstanding. Mr. Forbes: But they have no money to spend. At that rate, we might as well have six or eight. We have none of the big spending departments. We used to have another Minister, but, owing to some little misunderstanding or other with the electors, we lost him. (Laughter.) The result was one more Minister to the -North, Island. T&e member for Wellington Suburbs might have thought of the poor South Island before he mentioned Wellington and its complaints. i,;' ; . I regret that the old controversy of I town versus ! country. •. and Wellington versus the rest of the Dominion, has been ! raised in this discussion," said the Prime ! Minister when Mr. Forbes had sat down. 1 know that the remarks were made jocularly, but the jocularity doesn't appear in print or in the pages of Hansard. 1 feel that-they should 'be corrected to some extent.".' ;■ Mr. Wright, , he continued, was; not jocular when he said that Sir Francis Bell did not fully represent Wellington. Sir Francis was one of the ,- most influential members of the Cabinet, and he never forgot Wellington. "Then what about me? asked Mr. Massey. "I have been living here for eleven years'." Mr. A. L. Monteith (Wellington East): Cant, you give us one pther ? \ Mr. Massey: Sometime ago a man who is well known on the Wellington wharves wrote to .me and told me that the only thing that the Government needed was J Mr. Peter Fraser as Minister for Labour (Laughter. ! Mr. Fraser: Oh, Sir John Luke will do quite well. -' - ,•■- .■■'■• - Auckland's Just Claims. Mr. Massey said that the Government did all it possibly could to distribute money fairly between town and country. That was shown quite clearly by the Budget last year. It had set aside £420,000 for educational buildings, compared witn £100,000 a year before the war. ' - "If any part of the country has a right to complain of . public expenditure it is Auckland," he continued, "A few months ago I laid the foundation stone of the new university building. Previously Auckland had t never. had any permanent buildings for its -university." . Mr. Massey mentioned that the Auckland Savings Bank had given £10,000 toward the new structure; : The population of the Auckland Province had grown enormously owing to the progress of settlement until now it contained nearly a third of the people of the Dominion.' As for the Government's treatment of Wellington, there was a vote of £35,000 ; for a new girls' college and other sums had been voted for alterations and additions to other schools in the citv. Country schools were not being neglected. [ The Prime Minister also mentioned the plans r for enlarging the medical school at Otago. University and for repairing and enlarging the dental school which was damaged in the recent flood. - Now, as for Canterbury," he said " what about the £40,000 voted for the Hanmer Hospital the other day? The member for Hurunui forgets his own electorate. Here is ,the position. <So far as education is concerned we admit that where there are nine children we must put up a building.to accommodate them. We have built hundreds of such schools. I know, because the applications pass through my hands."