PUBLIC WORKS POLICY

Taranaki Daily News, 17 October 1935, Page 7

PUBLIC WORKS POLICY

OVERHAUL SUGGESTION

OPINIONS OF LABOUR MEMBERS.

CONDITIONS IN CAMPS CRITICISED.

MEN UNABLE TO EARN FULL PAY.

By Telegraph—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night.

An overhaul of the Publie Works Department was urged by Mr. M. J. Savage, Leader of the Opposition, when the House of Representatives considered the statement and estimates to-day. The time for a complete reorganisation was overdue, he said. In the last five weeks in the South Island, alone 1200 men had joined the New Zealand Workers’ Union, which covered public works jobs. That spoke eloquently of the conditions existing at the present time. , ’ ' He thought it was in the interests both of the department and the men that the conditions should be overhauled. Much time was now spent patching up disputes. , He spoke of the conditions under which men were working in the Hollyford Valley, where men were living in tents without floors with two feet of snow on the ground. In Central Otago on dam works men were living under very primitive conditions and the Government wondered what was wrong with the men when they complained. He said at some camps men had difficulty in keeping square with the storekeeper. The men were supposed to be receiving 12s a day, but were not getting it. Wages ranged from 6s to 9s. Men did not mind work but wanted proper organisation and decent conditions of work so that they could earn a reasonable living for themselves and thenfamilies. ... The year 1932, which saw the beginning of the Coalition Government, also saw the end of a decent standard of living for thousands of men and women of the Dominion. One Minister could not be saddled with the whole responsibility. It was the responsibility of the Government.

Men’s minds rebelled at the conditions and he took his hat off to the agitator? who were attempting to obtain better living standards. Communications that had been sent to him would break the heart of a Napoleon. He did not blame the officers of the department, but he did blame the Government. There were jobs such as the unfinished railways where men could be employed under decent conditions and become better purchasers of commodities. The department had immense possibilities and with-a Minister with vision and a Government prepared to finance him New Zealand to-day could be turned into a paradise. ENCOURAGEMENT WANTED. ■

It was humanly impossible for the men to do their best unless they were given. some encouragement. Mr. W. A. Bodkin (Co.—Central Otago) said men engaged ■ / public works today were as great a credit to the department as they had ever been. He said he had investigated some of the conditions of the men and was informed that inexperience caused men to earn lower wages than the standard rates. An engineer informed him that adjustments had been made.

He agreed that in some cases as at Lindis Pass the men were entitled to an increase in pay. He thought if men in the Hollyford Valley were expected to live dn tents without floors it was not right* as it was a wet locality and plenty of timber was available. Mr; W. E. Barnard (Lab. —Napier) spoke of the conditions of the men working on the jobs near Napier, He said the men had not been able to earn anything like the rate they were supposed to earn. They had been wonderfully patient and he said that was largely due to them being members of the New Zealand Workers’ Union, a body that would not act precipitately. ' He urged the Minister to make conditions. more reasonable. He contended that £3 a week was too low to expect men to live at Napier in decency and comfort.

Mr. J. Bitchener (Minister of Public Works): It is not my department that supplies the money. - Mr. Barnard said he appreciated that, but supposed the Minister had certain views on the matter and asked him to use his influence to have the conditions improved. Mr. Barnard severely criticised the No. 5 scheme. He said he knew of nothing that had broken the hearts of men and women more than the continuance of that part time scheme. He suggested the men should be employed on a 40-hours week basis. MINISTER WITH VIGOUR. Mr. W. E. Parry (Lab.—Auckland Central) said he was of the opinion that the encroachments that were taking place on the Public Works Department should not be allowed. If the department was to be so extended then a Minister with the necessary knowledge and vigour should be placed in charge of it. The department to-day was very anaemic and somebody was needed to put vigour into it. Mr. F. Langstone (Lab.—Waimarino) paid a tribute to the work of the Public Works Department on its roading system, but said people forgot that the roading work was done at the expense of the men who did it, the unemployed. He declared it would be easy if the Government knew its business to pay the men £1 a day. He criticised the policy of sending men into the backblocks in such places as the Hollyford Valley and Lindis Pass to make roads. Mr. D. G. Sullivan (Lab.—Avon) asked the Minister to inquire into the conditions at the Lewis Pass camp, where he said the conditions were very bad and men were unable to earn the 12s a day the Minister referred to so complacently in the departmental report. Mr. F. Jones (Lab.—Dunedin South) criticised the differential treatment accorded married and single men in camps doing the same class of work. Many single men had dependents or were looking forward to establishing their own homes. EXCELLENT TOURIST ROUTE. Mr. Jones made a plea for the completion of the Haast Pass road. He said such a road would make a valuable coppectior between Otago and South Westland and would open up much valuable land. It would be an excellent tourist route and was even more important than the Milford Sound road. He also urged that when this road was completed the Government would control, the service that used it. Mr. Bitchener: The Government has no intention of doing that. Mr. Jones said he was sorry to hear the Minister’s statement as he thought the service should not go into private hands.

Mr. A. J. Stallworthy (Ind.—Eden) said the public, works policy of the Government was built upon the filchings of the earnings of the people in the shape of unemployment taxation. Unemployment taxation had been a milch cow for the Public Works Department in recent years. The forms of the House would not allow him to express his opinion as he would like to.

Mr. W. J. Polson (Co.-Stratford): Give it a go. Mr. Stallworthy: My friend has got his

farmer friends into trouble. He is not going to involve me. Mr. Stallworthy went on to say that the unemployment fund had been raided by the Government for some very doubtful projects. As far as the farmer was concerned the whole thing was unsound, unbusinesslike and inhuman. He suggested the Minister should find some other way of financing the public works policy than by raiding unemployment taxation. Mr. Bitchener said he was thankful for some of the things- the members of the Opposition had brought under his notice. He did not know that some of the scandalous conditions that those members mentioned existed and ventured to say that some men were living in huts under, conditions to-day that were better than ever before in public works camps. He did not think rates of pay on the average'were as small as some, members said. He would be pleased to see all men in camps earning 12s a day. MINISTER QUOTES RATES. He quoted -rates showing that on the Te Anau-Milford Sound road during August married men earned from 12s 4d to 15s 8d a day and single men on the same job from Is to 13s ?d, and in the case of low earnings the engineers brought them up to stand, .rd rates. He also quoted rates of earnings on the Lindis Pass and Lewis Pass jobs on 10s 6d a day basis. The average earnings at Lindis Pass in September were 13s 4d for married men and 10s 8d for single, men. At Lewis Pass the earnings for married men averaged Ils 9d and single men 9s

3d. . He admitted that there were some low earnings, the average for one married party being 7s Id; He would ask the engineer to make it up and endeavour to see that the men earned a reasonably decent rate, up to the standard rate if possible. Mr.\Bitchencr said he would endeavour to have conditions on the Milford road bettered, but said some men preferred not to have boarded floors in the tents, as it tended to make them draughty. The House went into committee to consider the estimates, the passing of which was accorded urgency. The first item was passed without discussion. Other items went through quickly, a few members drawing attention to the wants of their respective electorates. On the item of £100,900 for dairy industry loans Mr. Savage said he supposed that was for new cow bails and so forth, but it seemed to him that it was starting at the wrong end. It seemed to be a matter of the price, which was all right at the present time. Was the money to be spent for three or four men running round the country advising farmers?

The Minister of Finance, Mr. J. G. Coates, said the money would be used to enable farmers to bring their properties up to date in the way of new milking machines and concrete and to lend money for rebuilding or improving dairy factories. That was the money it was estimated would be required in the present year, but the plan was not yet quite complete and it was thought best to proceed slowly in the early stages. On the electric supply account, the Rev. Clyde Carr (Lab.—Timaru) asked the Minister to make a statement regarding the rumours that the sluice gates were not working satisfactorily. Mr. Bitchener said there had been nc difficulty there so far «s he knew. The estimates, amounting to £5,200,000, were passed. -