PUBLIC WORKS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17096, 31 October 1929, Page 14

PUBLIC WORKS

GOVERNMENT’S POLICY A CRITICAL HOUSE STATEMENT DISCUSSED. li'ei 1 rre,v> At>»oiiuwon.j Vv EELiNUTON, lust niglil. When Ilia l’ublic Yvocks blulemeiil was presented lor consideration in uk-‘ .House to-day, llie Leader ul tne Gppostuon, tne ivL. Jion. G. • Coates, said tne railways luul aiways been louteu upon as one oi tne most important items ol public works expenditure, it tuai been me habit tor some years past to regard tne railways as tne largest uem, out it was now found that me expenditure on road construction had practically caught up with the lormer item, lie noticed mat it was intended to accelerate tne expenditure on railways by over £600, 000 tins year, and it Had to be considered whether ■ tins was m the best interests of the country, especially when it had to be recognised that the . cost of road ■ construction was approaching a .use figure. . lie was not pessimistic in regard to the railway services, and ho looked on them as one of the most important developmental services. On the other hand, road construction performed The same servicelie thought the time find come when me rauway management should be lurther divorced from political exigencies. Referring to .railway construction, Mr. Coates said that he did not ask that any works should bo stopped, but he did ask that the Government should, at the earliest possible date, hold a reasonable and lull inquiry into the value of the country of all the propositions contemplated. Mr. Coates congratulated the Minister on continuing the policy in regard to hydro-electricity on the sound lines that had been laid down by the previous administration, lie considered that the security and continuity of the policy in this connection was essential. lie looked with a certain amount of concern on the change of policy in the system of the automatic allocation of road votes. He defended the former scheme, and remarked that he believed the Minister was now adopting principles that were, unsound. NORTII VERSUS SOUTH. Mr. M. E. Holland said that he considered public men should observe consistency. He remembered being present at a deputation at which Mr. Coates had made a definite promise that the Midland line) would be completed and the electors were certainly left with that idea. The Leader of the Opposition had also promised a deputation that a survey would be made in connection with the South Island Main Trunk lailway, and, at the last election, the Reform Party had asked for the votes of the people on an undertaking that the line would be constructed. It was his opinion that New Zealand could not afford to abandon the idea of linking up the different centres by means of railway communication.' The country did not lend itself to the carriage of stock and heavy freights over long distances by other than railway vehicles. Regarding the present Government’s railway programme,' Mr. Holland said he was sorry to see that there was marked discrimination against the South Island. He was not going to say one word against any of the lines for which money was being found in the North Island, for his attitude always had been to support lines which were a necessity, but he thought that it was his duty to point out the difference between the expenditure that was being proposed in the North Island and the proposed expenditure in the South Island. The figures showed that the Government proposed to spend £1,296,000 in the North Island and £249,0001 in the South Island. That, surely, gave them something to think about. There was not one item in connection with the North Island expenditure that he would think of challenging, as he believed they were necessary works, but he also believed that the Midland railway and the South Island Main Trunk railway were neecssary. Both lines could he as fully justified as any of. the proposed North Island lines. “THE PACE IS TOO HOT.” Tile lion, W. Downie Stewart said Mr. Holland apparently took no account at all of the resources that were available for railways. Had he ever thought how money coiild be obtained to> provide for all the works he had mentioned and at the same time to provide for expenditure on other purposes? Mr. Stewart said the total amount that was to he spent on public works this year was sufficiently startling to provoke one to ask whether the Government was going too far. In his opinion,, the pace was too hot. ITe considered a decision should bo reached as to what should he spent in one year on railway construction, and, with that sum in view, the Minister should endeavor to determine what lines wero most urgent and most likely to he self-supporting, and then go on witli those works. The Government should exercise the utmost caution. Mr. A. M. Samuel asked the Minister whether the supplementary estimates would contain a vote for the construction of the Paeroa-Pokeno railway. He strongly urged that this work shouid be undertaken without delay. Mr. C. A. Wilkinson advocated caution in relation to expenditure on railways. lie said it seemed to him that some very expensive lines were to be constructed in the South Island and the North Island would bo called upon to pay some of l the cost. He recommended that an investigation should Ire made wherever possible, and, in conclusion, he remarked that the whole nublic works expenditure was alarmingly high. Mr. C. E. Macmillan supported the plea for caution and stated that the 'heavy expenditure on railways must necessarily result in there being less to devote to other social services. The transport problem was already a difficult one, and more railways might conceivably make it more difficult still. SECONDARY HIGHWAYS.

Mr. M. .T. Savage reminded the Minister that the Auckland members wanted to know what was the position in regard to the Paeroa-Pokeno railway, and also the Morningside tunnel. He considered that both these proposals merited the serious consideration of the Government. Ho expressed the view that the country would soon find it would be paying more, for its transport services if they were left to motors. Mr. W. J. Poison congratulated the Minister on bis "encral policy, but also urged that caution should be exercised. ' He thought serious consideration should be given befoife imposing a heavy burden on posterity as a result of lavish expenditure at the present time. Continuing, Mr. Poison stated that he was in favor of capitalising the highways income for a number of years to provide the money for a substantial road lionstruction programme in the near future. Such a scheme would help to meet the unemployment- situation, lie was anxious to see “feeder” roads tret a fairer shave of the expenditure. There seemed to be n- fetish at the present time to concentrate on “tour-

ist” roads. He was satisfied that it would be wiser to spend the money on the development of secondary highways than to devote such large sums to railway construction. Mr. .T. S. Fletcher expressed the view that a definite estimate of the costshould be furnished before any railway construction should bo undertaken. That had not been done in the case of the .South Island Main Trunk railway. He appealed to the Government to reorganise the Public Works Department. The chief engineer was overloaded with responsibilities and he considered that 25 per cent, better results could be obtained by closer supervision of the various tasks, lie pointed out that, in five years’ time, we would have a better opportunity of judging what form of transport would be the, most economic. In the meantime, money could be spent on the developing of the resources of the country. TRANSPORT OF THE FUTURE. Mr. A. Harris stated that the country was undergoing a period of transport transition, and, while he did not suggest that the day of the railways was past, he urged that due consideration should he given to the effect of competition from other forms of transport. Mr'. W. E. Parry said it seemed to be the practice when there was a change of Government for a new administration, as an indication of difference in policy, immediately to put some existing works out of action altogether. He did not consider that was a good policy. A party went before the electors with the programme of works it intended to undertake, -but gave no indication of its intentions towards tasks already commenced. Surely there was some limit to the policy of putting an end to undertakings in this manner? Mr. K. S. Williams said it was no good ignoring motor competition with file railways, and the possibility of competition from the air. He thought it would be wise to suspend heavy expenditure for a year or two at any rate. The debate was continued by Messrs. 'G. C. Black, A. W. Hall, F. Langstoue, C. 11. Clinkard, and 11. G. R. Mason The Hon. E. A. Ransom, replying, said, in relation to railways expenditure, that it was a question,of whether money or men should he left idle. Personally, he thought the present course advisable, for, in addition to employing men, it would bring the railways into a- state of profit, and in this respect ho emphasised the value of completing the main lines.

Replying to Mr. Holland, Mr. Ransom said that what was more important than placing a large amount on the estimates for the South Island railwnv construction was the actual spending of money in that quarter. He asserted that the work was proceeding there more expeditiously than had been the cases for some years. The Minister stated it was hoped that in future a,II hydro:-elec trie schemes would he linked up into one main system, into which all power would be directed. The House at 1.45 a.m. went into Committee of Supply to deal with the Public Works estimates. Sums were granted under following heads: General purposes account, £5,001,339; electric supply account, £l,124,000; Wnihou and Ohinemuri rivers improvement account, £25,000; main highways' construction fund, £1,200 000 ; railways improvement; authorisation account, £1.615.183: education loans account, £427.000- Hnoraki Plains settlement account, £43,500: Rangitaiki land drainage account, £5500: swamp land drainage account, £57,C00; total, £9,489.522. The House rose at 2.37 a.m.