"WILL NOT LAST"

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19127, 23 September 1936, Page 9

"WILL NOT LAST"

PUBLIC WORKS POLICY EX-MINISTER'S WARNING LIMITS TO ('A PA CITY DEBATE ON STATEMENT (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON', Inst night. Discussing the public works statement in the house of Representatives this evening, Mr. W. .J. Broadfoot (Nat., Waitomo) said that it was an interesting document. It provided for the expenditure of £8,500,000, which, with £3,500,000 for housing, brought the total to £12,000,000. It had been found thn't public works wove not n euro for unemployment, but were used in a crisis to alleviaie a difficult, position. He contended that, in difficult times, public works should he used, but licit they should he tapered off in times of prosperity. Unemployed men should be. diverted to industry and not to public works, for that state of affairs would create boom conditions and that they should he careful to avoid, because there was always a nasty reflex coming from a boom. .Mr. Broadfoot claimed that: back country roads should lie put in order and metalled 'before the main highways were further extended, lie suggested thai a little less should lie done on the main highways and a great deal more on baekblock roads.

Mr. E. P. Meachon (Lab., Wairnu) supported the completion of the South Island .Main Trunk railway, and.hoped that it was the intention of the Government to establish ;i train Perry across Cook Strait to obviate a great deal of the handling of goods. He spoke of the advantages of the completed railway to Marlborough, and claimed that every penny spent by the Public Works Depart men! thill would lead to an increase in 'the population of the Dominion would mean a penny spent in defence.

They had to consider whether (hoy could continue to hold such a rich and fertile country as New Zealand without making some attempt to populate it as it should be populated, and it could be populated only by industrialising it to a far greater extent than had been done. lie complimented the Minister on the steps he had taken to make tho conditions easier for hackblock settlers. WOOLGROWING COUNTRY

Mr. W. A. Bodkin (Nat., Central Otago) said the statement was merely a statement, of generalities without any attempt to support them by fact and, from his observations, none of the country between the terminus of the South Island Main Trunk railway would be of any use for anything else than woolgrowing, and, unless the motor lorry was legislated off the road, that wool would be carried by road and not bv rail.

Mr. W. .1. Lyon (Labour. WaitemalaJ said that members should regard the completion of the railway lines from the point/ of view of the welfare of the people, not from the point of view ol profit, making. The opening up of new country would attract population, deferring to the numbers of the unemployed, lie said that, since August 31, 1955, the unemployment figures bad dropped by nearly mOOO. They also had to take into account, that Maoris were previously not eligible, but they wire now registered and also with the modification of the medical examination many who were previously dependent<on charitable aid were now registered unemployed. The lit. lion. G. \Y. Forbes, Leader of tho Opposition, said that Governments all over flic world were forced to cut down public works, because money during a depression was not available. The present. Government was in a much more fortunate position. Coming to main highways, he thought the. time bad come when the highways from end to end should he scaled. Ho asked if the Minister intended to do anything to supply the country people with cheaper electricity and also wondered if the Government should continue with its policy of abolishing level crossings or whether it would in it be cheaper for the Railway Department to employ disabled men as crossing keepers. Mr.'Forbes thought it was introducing the wrong principle to force, men to join unions. NAPIER-GISBORN T E LINE Mr. J. Largest, (Nut,, Awarua) said at a time when the country was emerging from a.slump and at a time when men should be economically employed it, was impossible for private employers to pay as high wages as those paid on public works. He alleged that the country's money was being wasted, and said that, only a Government with unlimited resources at its disposal could attempt to pay thosc'high wages. lief erring to tho Gisborne-Napier lint, he said the country was faced with the possibility, when the, line was finished, of the present motor goods service being abolished and settlers being forced to use an uneconomic railway, lie (bought. Die Government should concentrate on• improving the highways rather than building railways.

Mr. 11,. A. Wright- (Ind., Wellington Suburb.'-') opposed the completion of the South Island Main Trunk lino. He said it would not open up any new country and would not pay operating expenses. Ho thought it would bo more economical to subsidise farmers who suffered loss through not being able to rail stock to the markets than'to complete the railway. He said the line was being built to enhance the value of the land of certain people, and those were the people who were standing behind the line. Mr. J. llodgens (Labour, Palnicrslon North) said they had to build many more roads, railways and bridges, and erect electric lines before they could say they had finished public works in New Zealand. They had' to firing every modern service to the furthest taxpayer from the urban areas and he contended that it was the duly of any responsible Government to give consideration to (hose matters. He spoke generally in support, of completing unfinished railway lines and said (hat as roads did not pay, why should railways lie expected to pay. They could not measure in money tho service that could lie given to the community by a through main trunk line.

HIGHWAYS BOARD PRAISED

Mr. S. G. Holland (Nat., Ohch. N.) claimed that the overtime rales that had to be paid by private employers should'also be paid by the Government. lie said Government employees had to work" overtime for less than ordinary

rates. Referring to road classification, } he contended that the same classilieaI tion should apply to the full length of \ a highway, so that a lorry should, be able to carry throughout a journey the I load with which it stalled. lie. also thought the speed allowed for trucks I should be increased, as slow moving traffic was jusi as dangerous as fast | moving traffic.

Mr. D. MeDnugall (hid.. Matnurat criticised the 'last Government for slopping railway construction, lie did not believe if mad transport worked reasonable hours it could c pete vVilh the railways.

The' lion. R. Scmple said il was impossible to have uniform classification of highways because of the differing geological formations nl the eni:nfr\ through which roads passed. A great deal of experimental work had had to be done concerning highways, and he contend,-,1 thai the system of sealing now in use was the best they had Ihe highways Board has rendered wnndcrfn service' to the counifry and he desired to give it every credit, for it. Railway construction had been the mam argument to which the Opposition had 1 nailed its colours and some lines had been called political railway lines. Vet none of them was started by the present Government and I he present Government had no sav in the mailer. Mr. Semple said that cheap sarcasm had been hurled at Ihe Government because of certain mechanical devices il was using, but il was not proposed i<> do awav with the long-handled shovel and wheelbarrow altogether. As an instance, he said an aerodrome was being constructed at Nelson, ruder the old conditions, the cost would be £170,000. whereas, bv mechanising if. the cosf would lie reduced to 1535,000. There were other heavy constructional jobs where machines could be to advantage. But. public works would not be completely mechanised. After the session. he proposed to concentrate on electricity to see if the service could! he extended and the cost reduced. He was anxious to provide, belter roads for back-block settlers and 'his year more I ban £1,000,000 had been placed on the estimates for roading purposes. CONTROL BY UNIONS

Sir Alfred Hansom, [Nat., Pahiatua) maintained that a good road service would be belter and more, economical than the building of railways. Referring to the public works agreement, he asked whether the Public Works Department was now controlled by the labour unions or by the Minister. lie predicted that the day would come when the Minister would have to dance to the tunc played by the unions he had created. The Government, he contended, should take the public into its confidence as to how the public works policy was to he financed.

Tho lion. 11. T. Armstrong said there would' be no railway system in New Zealand if they had bad to show a profit before they were commenced. The proposed railways would do their job just as previous lines mid helped to develop the country, lie said the railways were stepped not on the advice of the Railways Board but on an instruction from Sir Otto Neimever. Mr. S. G. Smith (Nat., New Plymouth) asked the Minister to consider the matter carefully before- he took over municipal hydro-electric schemes that had heen in existence- for many years, and which had never suffered loss.

Tho lit. Hon. .). G. Coates (Nat.. Kaipara) joined with other speakers in paying a tribute to the valuable work rendered the Dominion by Mr. C. •!. McKenzio during his term as chief officer of the Public "Works Department, lie thought the Government and Lho men on public works would be misled if they thought. 20,000 men could be permanently 'employed on such works. It was not possible for the Dominion to employ 20.000 men. for that reason it was well (hey should realise that the work they were now engaged upon would not last, for ever.

Tho House went, into committee to consider the estimates which were pr.?sed and the \\(,um' ro>e at £.lO a.m.