PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLV, Issue 11930, 25 October 1919, Page 8

PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT

DEBATE IN THE HOUSE. Per Press Association. . Wellington, Oct. 24. In criticising the Public Works Statement, Sir Joseph Ward paid a tribute to the work done by Sir William Fraser as a Minister of'the Crown and on the eve of his',departure from public life he wished him long aud happy clays in the quieter sphere. With regard to the Statement itself, be considered u - ; lacked a broad, courageous, farreaching policy which v/ould vitalise the resources of the Dominion, which would enable the people to make the most profitable use of their resources. He found there were fifteen different railways being constructed at the same time, but votes for many of these were so small that not more than a rnila to five miles could be completed in one year. This snail pace was not going to give any assistance to settlers, and not going to give any help to the policy under which we hoped to put soldiers and people generally on the land. He found fault with the small sum provided lor roads, bridges and backblock conveniences, while at the same time a huge programme for public buildings was proposed, and that prorgamme scarcely touched buildings for education. He regarded the Public Works policy as "disclosed in the Statement ss mistaken, misguided and without vision, In view of [the reconstruction activities for which the country called, he criticised the fact that out of sis millions proposed to be borrowed for hydro-electric schemes it was only intended to spend some £600,000 in the North Island. This might be justified by the Minister on the ground of the shortage of labour, but he contended that this country could not go on without labour," and he wanted to Imow what the Government proposed to do to provide it. He maintained that we must import labour. He saw no hope of getting this country through the hard days which we had to face except by pushing a vigorous policy of road and railway construction. Personally, he thought that we should spend four millions in three years. Dr. Kewman made an appeal for more "ginger" being put into th e public works policy, especially hydro-eieefcric schemes.