RAILWAY COMMITTEE

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1075, 12 September 1930, Page 10

RAILWAY COMMITTEE

HOUSE DEBATES ORDER OF REFERENCE MINOR CHANGES MADE Press Association PARLIAMENT BLDGS., Today. The act ing- Prime Minister, the Hon. E. A. Ransom, in moving in the House of Representatives this morning for the appointment of a committee to inquire into railway construction, intimated that he desired to include in the order of reference provision for an inquiry into the financial effect of the construction and into the wisdom of expending borrowed money at the present high rate of interest on railways, having regard to the availability of other forms of transport to meet requirements. The Leader of the Opposition, the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, asked whether the committee would be given power to order any investigations. Mr. Ransom said that i£ the committee found it necessary for its powers to be increased it could report back to the House. He considered the inclusion of the suggestion of Mr. Coates would widen the scope of the committee’s work to rather a wide degree. The Leader of the Labour Party, Mr. H. 33. Holland, asked whether it would be possible to alter the clause dealing with the transport of bulky freights so that it would not be confined to longdistance transport. He said that unless this alteration were made the whole question of the carriage of coal on the Westport-Inangahua section would be excluded from the inquiry. Mr. A. M. Samuel (Reform—Thames) said it would be futile to appoint such a committee. Railway construction was a policy matter and would be dictated by the Government. The only solution of the railway problem would be for non-political control. Mr. P. Fraser (Labour—Wellington Central) expressed concern that the Government should be now feeling un- : certainty on a matter about which it | had been so definite a few months .ago. \ Mr. C. A. Wilkinson (Independent—- [ Egmont) said he thought it childish that the problem should be tackled in the way the Government proposed and he protested against leaving the matter until so late in the session. It would be impossible to cover the task adequately in such a brief space of time.

Mr. W. J. Poison (Independent— Stratford) expressed regret that the Government had formerly refused to include railway construction in the work of the Royal Commission on the operation of the railways. He was glad the Government was now proposing to make an inquiry into railway construction, but he wished to protest against the manner in which it was being done. A full inquiry should be held during tho recess, and the Government should hold up work on the lines at present under construction until the committee had reported. Mr. Tj. McDougall (United—Mataura) pointed out that if such a course were

adopted, a. large number of men would be thrown out of work. Mr. A. E. Ansell (Reform —Chalmers) described the proposal to appoint a committee as a “deathbed repentance on the part of the Government.” He was pleased the inquiry was to be held, but it whs unfortunate that the Government had not as early as last year taken up the suggestion of the Leader of the Opposition that such a course should be adopted. Mr. D. G. Sullivan (Labour —Avon) said it -was a pity that the order of reference of the committee had not been extended to include road construction. Mr. J. S. Fletcher (Independent— Grey Lynn), suggested that the Government would be well advised to hold up the appointment of the committee till the recess. The Minister of Public Works, the Hon. W. 33. Taverner, said, opportunity was being given to raise railway construction above the level of party questions. He believed good work could be done by the committee it was proposed to set up. Mr. W. Lee Martin (Labour—-Rag-lan), and Mr. G. C. Black (United — Motueka), urged that the question should be one for a recess inquiry. The latter also asked that the committee should be given power to call for returns. The House approved of the amendment to the motion as outlined by Mr. Ransom and also that suggested by Mr. Holland that the inquiry into the transport of bulky freight should not be confined to long distance lines. MR. RANSOM’S REPLY Mr. Ransom, replying to the debate, said he thought it wise that Mr. Holland’s suggestion had been adopted. Pie did not agree with Mr. Samuel that railway construction was a matter for tie Government of the clay. Such national problems were issues for which the whole House should take a full measure of responsibility. For that, reason it was only fair that the House should have all the information that was at the disposal of the Government. He defended the delay in the appointment of the committee on the ground that it was important that before the inquiry began there should be available for the committee full details as to the estimated losses on tho lines under construction. This return had only recently been placed before the House.

One aspect of railway construction which had received the weighty consideration of the Government and which would demand the earnest attention of the committee was what could be done with employees if the work were stopped. Referring to the suggestion that the work should be held up till the committee had reported, Mr. Ransom said such an abrupt stoppage would create a serious economic problem as the result of the increase in unemployment. He felt the committee should be given the opportunity i to report at an early date and if necesi sary it. would then be possible to | appoint a recess committee to deal | further with the subject. This would i be especially desirable if the majority j of the House considered, the construc- | tion policy was wrong. i The motion for the setting up of the I committee was carried.