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Otago Daily Times, Issue 15855, 29 August 1913, Page 7

Tile Hon. W. Fraser: Nor with me.

Sir Joseph: Exactly. I am pleased to hear it. If ho thought such petitions would carry any weight Jio would have the matter published in his district, and would guarantee to send forward enough petitions to keep the committee going lor the rest of the session. He thought it was a wasto of time for such petitions to be sent to a committee, and lie would recommend members, when they received petitions for roads from theic constituents, to write back aud ask permission to hand them direct to tho Minister of Public Works instead of sending them to tihe committee. This would save time, and the petition would bo considered by tho Minister in the ordinary way.

The Prime Minister said that ho thought that, when a petition came along "asking for any description of public work, instead of turning it down the committco should 6cnd it along to. the Government for consideration. If it was not preferred to recommend tho petition for favourable consideration, then the proper thing to do was to refer it direct to tihe Government for consideration, and ask the Government to consider it when framing tho Public Works Estimates. To a considerable extent he agreed with tho member for Awarua, and the better course would bo for the petitioners to send their request to the member for their district, and for tho member to then send it to the Minister_ for' Public Works, or to interview the Minister. Ho :thought tho latter was the proper course to take

The Hon. Mr Eraser said that tho application for a road should not go before tho Railway Committco. The proper coiti'ec oi petitioners was to send their petition, along to' him, and he would consider it.

Mr J. A. Hanan said that in the district concerned there wero very valuable coal areas ready for development. One man had a right to construct a railway, and it was believed by t'hc holders of other coal areas there that tho privilege would give him a monopoly. The others, therefore, wanted moans of transit by way of a better road. Tho Government ought, he considered,. to grant a substantial vote to repair tho road, or, better still, put in a railway to servo the district.

Mr J. G. .Thomson said that tho petitioners proposed to go further in the matter,, for they considered tfhat it was not in the public interest that a private railway should servo these valuable coal areas. If the Government spent the money asked for on the road it would bo almost wasted, because tho trafiic was 60 heavy that the road would ] not stand it. It would be much more desirablo for a railway to be mado or for tho private line to bo acquired. Mr G. W. Russell said that the petition should never have gono to the Railways Committco. It was very undesirable that any committee of the House should deal with applications for roads and bridges or other iwblic works. A committee to deal with this should bo an expert committee, and ho suggested that -the Government might rob itself of patronage in the way of public works votes as it had in t.he mutter of billets.

Tho amendment to refer the report buck to the committee was neirativcd on t.he voices. Tho report was laid on tho table.