BACKBLOCK ROADS.

Waikato Times, Volume 110, Issue 18407, 14 August 1931, Page 6

BACKBLOCK ROADS.

PLEA BY MR LEE MARTIN. METALLING URGENTLY NEEDED. INCREASING PRODUCTION. (Times Correspondent.) WELLINGTON. Thursday. A plea on behalf of backblocks settlers was made by Mr W. Lee Martin (Labour —Raglan when speaking on the Financial Statement in the House of Representatives this evening. He considered that a further £1,000,000 should be obtained from oil interests and used entirely for the metalling of back country roads. If that was done it would relieve the Public Works vote to a very considerable extent. Mr Martin said he was not concerned about main highways. The time had come when the Government had to turn its attention to the question of metalling these backblock roads. Settlers living in those localities were deserving of metalled roads. Some of them had been on their blocks from 20 to 30 years, and struggling through mud and slush all that time. If those roads were metalled it would lead to more production and enable us to overcome our difficulties much sooner. Further Economies. Referring to economies. Mr Martin said that in spite of what had been done by the Economy Committee he believed that quite a number of economies could still be affected. The position was not being dealt with as it should be in view of the large amount that had been extracted from Hie pockets of Civil Servants and workers generally. Savings amounting to £llO,OOO in various departments were not sufficient. One or two departments, Hie Town Planning one, for instance, might well be dispensed with. Mr W. J. Jordan (Labour—Manukau) ; And the Railway Board. Mr Martin: Yes tilers is a Railway Board, and then we have a Transport Department. The amalgamation of some of Hie departments and the cutting down of the number of Ministers should also be considered.