PUBLIC WORKS ESTIMATES

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXXIII, Issue 12580, 29 September 1908, Page 2

PUBLIC WORKS ESTIMATES

On the-motion lo j?o into. Committee 'r.f Supply on the Public Wwk' Estimates. Mr Masfeey said the most important feature of the Publi.- Works fttaccment w<us unquestionably the 'announcer-eni of the early competition of the North Trunk railway, it was a lino destined to be a very gre'i .i cccis, and to op>4^JJl« magnificent country between Waidtru and Tanmarunui. *ii<? most notable fact in regard to other n»'S was the very small amount in many cases in proportion „o the total vote. The votes for the North island lrunk and Midlaud had been exceeded. Why then was not tin same possible regarding other lines? It wae the same under expenditure with regard to roads. faking ordinary roads, tourist roads, and goldlields roads, the tot-ii vote had been under-spent by .£193,331. What, he asked, was the good of voting large sums 'f» there was no intention of spending 'hem It only meant dieappointment to the settlers, who were entitled to better treatment. Moreover it detracted a great deal from the value of the proposal to spend .£250,000 on back blocks roads. The Government's behaviour in regard to these votes savoured' of thimblerigging, and he felt little faith was to be attached to these election promises, which cropped up with clock-like regularity every three years. The fact was Parliament had no real knowledge what was done with the money voted. Since the House had given over control of tjie puree to Ministers it had ceased to be a dignified legislative assembly, and had become nothing^ more than a great unwieldy Road Board. He contended that the local Government system should be revised, and local bodies given what the late Premier called "assured finance." Speaking as a representative of a black-blocks constituency, he felt strongly that the settlers in the back-blocks were not getting what they were entitled to. Referring to the appropriations fos the year 1908-9, he said thest- amounted to 2\ millions, which was a very large sum for a. small country, and we should be careful of extravagance. Mr Rutherford failed to see what Mr Massey had to complain of. An analysis of the roads votes showed that of a total vote of ,£600,000, Auckland had secured no less than .£235,000, while the North Island had secured the large bulk of the total appropriations. The Hon. Fowlds said that when members referred to sums voted for the Auckland province they ought to bear in mind that they were dealing with a province comprising a quarter of the area and a quarter of the population of New Zealand. Mr Massey's contention that Parliament had lost control of the purse was hardly borne out by the keen criticism of the Estimates heard every year in the House. Mr Herries said "if, aa the Minister declared. Auckland was a quarter of the whole Dominion, it ought to get a quarter of the total votes, but nothing like that sum was appropriated for Auckland. He regretted to see no money on the Estimates for the utilisation of water power. With regard to the extra vote of ,£250,000 for back-blocks roads, it was to be observed that votes for other roads had been curtailed by something like ,£175,000, so that the real extra vote for roads this year was only jE75,000. Frequently not half the votes were spent on the roads, the rest going in salaries, .and he objected to the inclusion of salaries and surveying fees being included in road votes. Tins wa-s especially * hard on the back-blocks roads owing to heavy travelling expenses. Mr James Allen asked why the Government "does not expend sums allocated by Parliament. *•

The House resumed at 7.30 p.m.

Mr Allen, .continuing, said there wore only one or two possible explanations for

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the non-expenditure of votes — either Parliament was asked to vote too much, or the administration of the Department was bad. Referring to expenditure, he said it had increased by over two millions annually einco 1891. This wae largely, if not entirely, on borrowed money, a state of things which could not go on. It was shameful that 110 per .?ent. of the railways vote should be spent on the Midland Railway, which we had to take over from Englis'i speculators, while the Otago Central had apparently been dropped out of existence.

The Premier twitted Mr All.n with anomalies in hi& speech. He had com, lainul of under-cxpenditure, and yet fro..i the first page of tire Financial Statement he would find the Goverument average annual expenditure w,ca .£255,000 a year more thau the average expenditure of the Seddon Government. Then Mi*Allen complained of expenditure going up by leaps and bounds, but he overlooked the increase of revenue. Referring to the Opposition's criticism of extravagant expenditure on public buildings, members usually did so except so far as their own districts were concerned, but with respect to the latter they were ever • knocking at the Treasury door. Continuing, the Prime Minister said that the Opposition criticism on the expenditure on back blocks roads was unfair and misleading. The fact was the Government^had clearly earmarked a quarter of a< million annually for back-blocks settlers, and when it was stated that, with the amounts on the Supplementary Estimates, .£725,000 was proposed to be expended on roads i-nd bridges, he asked what mor: was expected ot the Government? Referring to the tourist roads, the Premier said they were always built with full regard to the requirements of settlers. As regards the Otago Central Railway, .£1,279,506 iiad been already spent on that work, and he .wished to say that a great deal of railway development in all parts of the country would be required for many years to come. As to the borrowing policy of the Government, he refused to tell the House how the Government was raising money. It would be wrong to do so, but everything in connection with the loan operations was most satisfactory. Concluding, he said the public works policy was progressive, and was developing the country in the best interests of all concerned.

Mr W. Fraser urged that public works should be carried out with more outside capital. We were relying too much on our own capital. Dr. Chappie thought th,e sturdy old pioneers of the (South had a prior claim to public money over the new comers of the North. , The Hon. C. H. Mills, speaking in all probability for the last time in the House, urged the completion cf the Main Trunk lines as a statesmanlike policy. Mr Hanan looked upon the whole debate as a demand for increased borrowing, and wondered where it was going to land us.

Mr Sidey advocated irrigation in Otago and the prosecution of the Otago Central Railway. ... The Hon. Hall- Jones said the Government had adopted a prudent policy. It had started no new railways in this Statement, but was vigorously driving to completion the railways in hand. Next year only ton items would remain on the list, and then the Government could consider what lines to prosecute — whether the Otago Central or the Otago East Coast. He justified the Governments railway construction policy, and said that in 'a few years the productive powers of railways would be enormous. Mr Hall-Jones said that, excepting the Main Trunk line, more mileage had been opened by him on the Otago Central than on any other line. Mr Flatman said ,the paying point on the Otago Central was always ahead of the line.

WELLINGTON, September 29.

After midnight, j\lr Allison said that more expenditure was called for in the North Island than in tLe South, yet more money was still provided for the South Island than for the Nyrth. Mr Gray combated this, and urged that the Southern Trunk Live should get a heavier vote next year. Mr T. McKenzie advocated the prosecution of small branch lines that would be heavy revenue producers.' Mr* MacPherson advocated at some length the claims of the Lawrence-Rox-burgs, and Otago Central railways. Mr Ngata congratulated Mr Parata on the enormous vote allocated to the SoufFiern Maori district, and protested against the small amount for the survey of native lands, which was as important a matter of policy as any Government had to consider. He hoped .£30,000 or .£40,000 would be placeu on the Supplementary Estimates. Mr Heke spoke in, support at length. Mr Carroll, in reply, said the Government had decided to make provision for . sum up to £30,000 under the Loans to Local Bodies Act. The surveys of certain r locks would be provided for on the Supplementary Estimates. The Government was fully alive to the necessity for a progressive native land policy. Mr McGowan said another side of native land development w.s presented by tho fact that the land must be roaded to be leased, and should bear some part of the load necessary for roading. He contended that the North Island had been fairly treated in regard to votes. The House then went into Committee on the Estimates.

At class 27, departmental total .£23,800, a short discussion took place on the water power vote, which was passed -unaltered. The House rose at 2.40 a.m.

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