STEADY EXPANSION

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19122, 17 September 1936, Page 15

STEADY EXPANSION

PUBLIC WORKS ACTIVITY

THE YEAR’S PROGRAMME

£8,500,000 TO BE SPENT

(Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day

The intention of the Government to spend move than £8,500,000 on public works, during the. current yearns ret erred to bv the Minister of Public Yorks the Hon* R. Semple, in his statement to law liament. Mr. Semple refers to his desire to pursue an energetic policy so as to piovide national assets and at the same time provido.work for the unemployed.

“When the Government assumed. office at the beginning of December, 1955,” lie savs, “15,696 men were employed on public works, of whom 8289 were employed on relief work, while for the week ended August 15, 1956, 15,851 men were employed, most of whom were on standard works. It is intended to increase the number employed on public works to 20,000 as soon as possible.

“It will be seen from tbe estimates of expenditure from the consolidated fund already submitted t° Parliament that provision lias been made for the. assistance hitherto provided from unemployment. taxation for public works activities now being found from ordinary revenue! The principal amounts are for irrigation, £97.500; for land improvement,'£7l,CCO'; for additions and improvements to open railway lines, £77,000. PURCHASE OF PLANT.

“In addition, the consolidated fund is providing £59,000 towards the construction aiid improvement- of settlement roads, £20,000 towards the cost of renewal of road bridges, £BO,OOO for restoration of roadworks, bridges, etc., damaged by floods, and £20,000 foi maintenance and repair of roads. For the construction of aerodromes and emergency landing grounds £341,000 is being provided, whereas the expenditure from the consolidated fund for this service lastyear was £6196. “Provision has also been made, under the consolidated fund this year for £IOO.OOO for the purchase of modern plant, which is additional to the amount of £90,000 for plant for main highways. The total vote for maintenance of public works and services under the consolidated fund is £1.182,500, as compared with an expenditure of £145.492 from this fund last' year. “I am anxious to pursue an energetic policy of public works so as to provide national assets, and at- the same time assist in relieving the distress caused by the drastic cessation of constructional works by the late Government. My colleague, the Minister of Finance, in the budget, referred to this subject of the curtailment- of public- works as being a material factor in the. increase in unemployment- throughout the Dominion. “From 1919 to 1951 expenditure increased from £1,350.400 to £8.388,529. In 1832 it dropped to £4,815,542, in 1933 to £1.727,076. and during the years ending March 31, 1934. 1935, and 1936, expenditure was £2,087,781, £2.242,535, and £2,484,561. IMPORTANCE OF RAILWAYS “When it- is, remembered that business develops under settled conditions, it will be -realised that any sudden disturbance is fraught with far-reayliing consequences. The reduction in expenditure; from loanmoney of £6,661,453 in two years was disastrous, as- whet) public works should have been expanding an opposite policy was being followed. The present. Government is attempting to remedy the position by providing' for a reasonable development of tho national resources, using ordinary revenue to assist where the works are of such a nature as not to -realise a full return of tho annual cost.

“A study of the proposed expenditure on public works for this year, as indicated in the public works, estimates, shows that much the greater portion thereof is needed for means of transport and travel. Under broad headings the proposed expenditure is as follows(1) Construction of means of communication and transport, £5.605,700; (2) land development, including settlement of unemployed workers, £959,000; (3) erection of public buildings, £1,215,000; (4) development of electric power, £764,000 ; a total of £8,543,700. "Railways will this year form a much larger proportion of the cost of the first item than they have for the past few years. Work has been recommenced on the Napier-Gisborne railway, the South Island Main Trunk railway, and the Weslport-Inangahua railway. Additional railway construction under the control of the Public Works Department will lie the Turakina-Okoia deviation on the Well-ington-New Plymouth railway. ACCESS FOR SETTLERS “The proposed expenditure on road communications is very much larger this year than it has ever been in the past, and is more than half the total for all public works. On main highways alone it is proposed to expend £3,050-000, but, more than £2,C00,000 of this is received from revenue.

“The Government is anxious to embark oil an extensive programme for the elimination of railway level-crossings over main highways, ami'is prepared to place a very considemble sum of money on the estimates for this purpose. The design of these crossings, however, involves in each case a problem of its own, and some time must elapse before the full effect of the programme is felt, but I have instructed the department to expedite the work as much as possible, in a few months’ time a 1 very large number of these works will be under way. “I am particularly anxious to improve the roads to our backblock settlers in order to give them easy access to their markets and ports of export, and this year over £I,OCO,CCO will be provided for this purpose, and for the opening-up of further lands for development. With the policy of land improvement and reclamation, and improved methods of transport, our roading-system must he brought up to a higher standard than has existed in the past. “As Minister of Transport 1 have a particular interest in improved road conditions, and propose to do all I can to render our roads safer for modern methods of transport and travel. Railways and roads are our chief means for the transportation of the products oi the country, and the necessities ol the community in general, and are slill our principal means of passenger travel, bub I believe the day is not far distant when travel by air will play a big part, in the passenger traffic of this country.”