Parliament

Woodville Examiner, Volume XXIII, Issue 4052, 29 July 1907, Page 2

Parliament

FIU DAV. In the Council the Hastings Ricreation Reserves Bill wns committed and progress reposed. In the House Mr W. F. Massey advocated the setting up of a Public Works Committee to which all applications for expenditure of public works money should be referred.

The Premier said that no matter what the committee said or recommended, the Government had to allocate the amount available for public works to the best advantage and be guided by its officers. He added that no new railway works would be undertaken as there were seventeen or eighteen lines new in hand, and to open up new lines meant allocating public works money in driblets to convey the impression that new railways were being constructed in particular districts. He could not agree with Mr Massey’s suggestion fora Public Works Committee as members would have to travel all over the country duringthe recess inspecting and taking evidence. They would require to be paid, and the cost to the country would be enormous.

The Imprest Supply Bill was brought down by Governor’s Message.

On the motion to go into committee on the Bill, Mr W. Herriee, referring to the railways, said be did not see any indication of a greater effort being made to increase the rolling stock, and charged the Department with short-sightedness in that respect. He was sure that if the Premier asked for £500,000 to increase the rolling stock the House would gladly give it. He drew attention to the enormous increase in the cost of construction per mile. It was stated year after year that the cost under the co-operative system was less than by contract, yet the cost of construction per mile had stcadilv increased.

The premier quoted figures illustrating the great development which has taken place in railway traffic since 1895, and the efforts of the Government to cope with the increase. He pointed out that 129 locomotives and 468 passenger oars had been added to the rolling stock since 1895. He showed that in many other respects the demands were met by increases up to and over 100 per cant. Referring to the increase in the cos', of construction, he pointed out that the permanent way was built to a higher standard than in the early days. Dealing with the co-operative system he defended it in a vigorous manner, pointing out that work had been found by this means for large bodies of workmen who otherwise would have been workless.

Mr Massey said that at the present time the railways of the North Is* land earned more per mile than the railways of the South Island.