"POLITICAL FAVOURS."

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20312, 20 July 1929, Page 13

"POLITICAL FAVOURS."

MINISTER'S INFERENCE. i NORTH AUCKLAND VOTES. KAIPARA ELECTORATE WORKS. COST OF THE WAIPU ROAD. [BT TELEGRAPH. —SPECIAL HEPO3TE3.. ] WELLINGTON, Fridny. "As it has been said that my system of allocating the road votes will result in a scramble for political favours, I propose to tell the House where the political favours have been going in the past three years," said the Hon. E. A. Ransom, Minister of Public Works, in the House this afternoon. A wrong impression had been created as to his intentions, tie Minister said. It had been alleged that he proposed to do away altogether with the system cf automatic allocations which had been followed for several years past. That was not his intention. What he proposed to do was to vary the incidence of the allocations and the formula formerly used. Last year £424,000 had been made available for road votes, but it had been found necessary this year to reduce the amount to £400,000, which it was felt would meet the requirements of the Dominion, and the allocations had been based on that sum. North Auckland Deputation. As soon as the system of allocation had been announced and the notices sent out in respect of the amounts to be made available, particular concern was expressed in the North Auckland district because the new calculations would produce less for the local bodies there. Representations had been made to him by a deputation from the North Auckland district and information had been asked for as to the variation proposed. The Minister said if he had thought his system would not bear the light cf investigation he would not have adopted it, so he gave the representatives of the North Auckland district access to all figures. He had then asked them if they had found his system to be wrong and they replied that they had no fault to find in it, but they nevertheless ask ad that no variation should be made in the allocations to their own district.

It "was owing to what he regarded as an inequitable distribution of the funds that he had chanced the system and be proposed to show it was impossible to adhere to the old allocations and be fair to all the road districts. For that reason he could not agree to the request of the North Auckland district, which had been particularly favoured during the last 12 months and the period prior to that, and was naturally reluctant to give up any benefits. Changes in the System.

As soon as he realised that other districts vrere suffering disadvantages he thought it his duty to amend the regulations so as to give fair treatment to aIL The old automatic allocation system had proved satisfactory in general, but -was not exactly correct in every particular.

From tie antomatic allocation the Minister said he had removed two of the sections ■which, in his opinion, did not particularly apply. The first section he had removed was that referring to area, because he thought no great value was attached to it, as in some districts there were areas that were not roaded, and never wonld be. He had also remold the provision relating to population. Hs held that the districts that had the greater population were the ones best able to look after themselves, and where there was less likelihood of finding bad roads. 1" was the more sparsely populated areas that needed attention. Basis ol Allocations.

A factor that had been taken into consideration in the previous formula was that of paper rcsids—roads shown on plans in the earlv days, but which were never likely to he formed, and 01 which .the settlers in many instances knew nothlr.c- To these roads the Minister attached little importance. Those were the only eliminations he had made, and the amounts previously allocated to those items had been added to others. The calculations for each district were made as if there were £1.000.000 available, .and when the actual vote was announced

proportionate adjustments srere made. The Minister said on that basis of £1.000,000 the following allocations trere made: —Amount of the general rate of any road district, £50,000; mileage of roads in use apart from those metalled or surfaced, £IOO.OOO (increased from

£50.000); local body loans for roads, £IOO,OOO (increased from £50,000); estimated amount required to complete all roads as metalled roads except paper roads, £575,000; estimated value of Crown and native lands suitable for settlement, £375,000. The only alterations made were the transfer of the £50,000 formerly allowed to area and the £50,000 allowed to population to two other items, as indicated. In addition. £55,000 had been set aside for meeting contingencies, particularly for back-block roads, and m the past "such requirements had been very fairly met/ from thai. fund. There were 13 road districts in the Dominion. If an average allocation of tiie £400,000 had been made, each district would have received £50,769. It was interesting to note that the Whanearei district was this vear to receive £49,130, Auckland £73,687, and Tanr.mga £48,793- In other words, the allocations for those districts averaged £58,337, or £23,113 more than the Dominion average. Those districts might have suffered in comparison with the amounts received in the preceding period, but the Minister contended they were still beins fairly treated. The Whaagarei District.

"1 was not concerned with what the Reform press said about that," added the Minister. "I was fully aware they did not know what they were writing about, but. I was concerned when the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Coates, took up much the same attitude when the North Auckland deputation recently waited on me. Ha said there would be a scramble for political favours, and as he said that, I propose to tell the House where political favours have been going during the past three years." The Minister stated that in the last financial year, £298,995 had represented the total expenditure on construction and maintenance of roads, bridge renewals and relief works in the Whangarei public works district, portion of which was in the electorate of the Leader of the Opposition If a.n equal amount were to be given to other districts, a total fund ox £3,366,3,56 would be required. The Minister said he was still open to suggestions in regard to the new allocations and if :t could be shown that the system was not fair and equitable, and that political favours were being handed out under it he was prepared to pur the matter right. Cost of Waipu Road. The Leader of the Opposition: It is too late. You have made the allocations. The Minister: No. it is not too late to put ;t r:ght if necessary. Returning to the subject at a later stage in his speech, the Minister said he had had a request for the authorisation of further expenditure on the WairsuOakleigh Road, decided upon by the late Mr. Massey as a substitute for a railway, and he had asked for an explanation as to the heavy expenditure incurred. In short, although the estimated cost in 1922 for this 17 miles of road was £63.100, the information he received from the department showed that up to March 31 last the expenditure had been £154.662. The announcement was received with a chorus of whistles from members of the Treasury benches. Toe Minister added that the request had been for the expenditure of a further £15.300 to complete the job, making a total cost, of £169,962 for the completion of 17 miles of roai In other words, that was an average cost of £IO.OOO a mile. A Member: Was it concrete ? Ratio of Workers. The Minister: I am asked to perpetuate expenditure of that; description and I am not. prepared to do it. (Government voices, "Hear, hear.") While back-block roads serving settlers remain nnmetalled no Government is justified in spending £IO,OOO a mile on any road in that locality. The Minister of Justice, the Hon. T. M. Wilford; Are many men working there ? Mr. Ransom replied that the Leader of the Opposition had complained that men had been discharged, and well he might do so. In the period referred to there had been one in every 13 of the population working on public works. A Reform Member: Where was that ? The Minister: In Kaipara. The whole average for New Zealand was one in 100. A Voice: Steady! Stating he had been misrepresented, Mr. H. M. Rushworth {Bay of Islands) said he had understood the Minister to say in regard to the recent deputation concerning the new rgads vot« allocations, that he had offered members facts and figures. Certain facts and figures were placed at the disposal of the deputation who had the opportunity of examining them for a few minutes only. He himself had noticed an error in one figure. The deputation had left the Minister with an assurance that the figures would be looked into, and that "the deputation would have another hparing.