EARTHQUAKE DAMAGED ROAD

Taranaki Daily News, 9 August 1930, Page 9

EARTHQUAKE DAMAGED ROAD

COST TO THE HIGHWAYS FUND. PREMIER REPLIES TO CRITICS. (By Wire. —Parliamentary Reporter). Wellington,'Last Night. Criticism regarding tho expenditure by the Highways Board on roads affected by the big earthquake last year was j eplied to by the Hon. G. W. Forbes in the House to-day. Mr. Forbes said ho had noticed that one or two resolutions had teen passed on the subject and he considered the people who had passed the resolution showed a very narrow and selfish spirit. The Prime Minister proceeded to show the actual position in regard to the expenditure from the highways fund on repairs necessitated by the earthquake. Tho amount from tho .Government expenditure revenue account, he said, was £48,335, from tho Public Works fund £24,878, and the amount authorised £13,737, a total of £86,950. Public subscriptions amounted to about £150,000 and the amount the highways fund was called on to bear was £106,917. “Was not that a fair contribution?” ho asked. “In a time of national disastc- when the roads in the affected area had been destroyed to a certain extent, was it not a fair thing for the Highways Board to do its share?”

As was well known the Government had to carry the burden of expenditure for everything that arose in the way of national disaster. The burden the Government would have to carry in regard to the earthquake district was not finished by any means for it would still have to give some assistance where necessary. When local bodies and motorists associations —he would not say motorists for the associations were not always representative of the motorists—passed sueli resolutions as he had referred to he thought they were totally out of step with the rest of the country.

Mr. A. E. Ansell: Are you not going to keep the promise made in regard to it?

Mr. Forbes: I have made no promise. If. you ean show me any promise I have made in regard to it I will be pleased to carry it out. He repeated that the resolutions passed entirely lacked the sympathy of the people of New Zealand. (Hear! hear!>