Queensland
Parliamentary Debates [Hansard]
Legislative Assembly
TUESDAY, 12 OCTOBER 1937
Electronic reproduction of original hardcopy
Supply. [12 OCTOBER.) Papers. 9U:
TUESDAY, 12 OCTOBER, 1937.
Mr. SPEAKER (Hon. G. Pollock, GregorJI}. took the chair at 10.30 a.m.
QUESTIONS. ExPENDITURE ON SCHOOLS, 1936-37. Mr. MAHER (West Moreton) asked the Secretary for Public Instruction- " What was the expenditure of his department in 1936-1937 in respect of schools situated within cities and out side citil's, respectively-(a) On build ing, furnishing, and repairs; (b) on. salaries and allowances, etc. ? " The SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC WORKS (Hon. H. A. Bruce, The 1'ableland), for the SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC INSTRUC TION (Hon. F. A. Cooper, Bremer), replied- " 1. The hon. member should address this inquiry to the hon. the Secrfltary for Public Works. "2. The compilation of this informa tion wiil entail considerable extra clerical· work. The information is being obtained, and will be supplied later."
MARGARINE PRODUCTION, 1936-37. ::\Ir. ::\"ICKLIN (Murrumba), for Mr. WALKER (Cooroora). asked the Secretary foi' Agriculture and Stock- " \Vhat was the tonnage of margarine. produced in Queensland in 1936-1937? " The SECRETARY FOR ::\H:"JES (Hon. T. A. Foley, Normanby), for the SECRE TARY FOR AGRlCUL'I'URE AND STOCK (Hon. F. W. Bulcock, Barcoo), replied- " Five hundred and sixty-four tons of margarine were produced in Queensland during the year 1936-1937."
PAPERS. The following papers were laid on the table, and ordered to be printed :- Annual Report of the Commissioner for Railways for the Year 1936-1937. Report and Balance-sheet of the Public Curator for the Year 1936-1937 '912 Prisoners' Parole Bill. [ASSEMBLY.] Supply.
The following paper was laid on the SUPPLY. .table:- RESU)IPTIOX OF COM~IITTEE-ESTL\IATES- Bv-law 349 under Section 134 of the FIFTEEKTH " Railways Act', 1914 to 1934. AKD SIXTEEKTH ALLOTTED DAYS. YOTE OF CREDIT. (Jir. Hanson, Buranda, in the ch.1ir.) Ox AccouNT, 1938-39. EsTBIATES Ix CHIEF, 1937-38. Mr. SPEAKER annoljnced the receipt DEPART1IENT OF JcSTICE, from His Excellency -the Lieutenant CHIEF OFFICE. CoYernor of a message recommending that proYision b~ made, on account, for the ser Tho ATTOH::'\IEY-GE::\EHAL (Hon. J. vices of the several departments of the 11ullan, Curpcntaria): I move- public senice for the year ending 30th " That £27,310 be granted for ' Depart J unc. 1939. of the following sums:- ment of Justice-Chief Office.' " From the Corbolidated Revenue Fund of Queensland (exclusive of the Mr. MAHER (West J:lorelon) [10.39 a.m.J: moneys standing to the credit of the Before we proceed to discuss this vote I Loan Fund Account) the sum of should liko to mention that the Premier £1.800.000; assured me that this morning the Committee From the Trust •and Special Funds, the \\'Ould discus.; the Estimates of the Depart· sum of £1,300,000; rnent of Publi<;: Instruction. However, I had a telephone call this morning from the From the monevs standing to the credit Secretary for Public Instruction, who of the Loan Fund Account, the sum informed me that the Committee would o[ £600,000. discu;,, the Estimates of the Department of l\Icssage ordered to be referred to Com Public w·orks. It seems hardly fair that lnittce of Supply. all this juggling should occur and that the Attorney-General should bring forward the REFOHT OF COMMISSIO!\ER OF Estimate<; for his department for discussion I'OLICE. this morning after 1 had been advised in CORRECTIOX OF ERROR. good faith by the Premier on the one hand that the Committee would consider the . Mr. SPEAKER reported that the follow Estimates of the Department of Public mg error had been disco1·ered in the Report Instruction, and by the Secretary for Publi2 ·of the Commissioner for Police for 1936-1937 Instruction on the other that the Estimates and had been notified to him :-In the last of the Department of Public \Vorks would line of the table, in the second column, on page 10- be considered. '· for ' 1935-36-Convictions 257. Dismis 'l'he ATTORKEY-GENERAL: I am very sorry, s,ds 3. \Yithdrawn 4, Total 264,' read but I did not know anything about it. ' 1935-36-Convictions 40, Discharges 1 Mr. TllAHER: It is a rather peculiar \\ay \Vithdra\Yn 1, Total 42.' " ' to run the affairs of the country. The He had author·i~ed an erratum ~lip to be Premier g·a ve me certain information and L<,,twd b:-- th<' Government Printing Office to that was countermanded by the Secretary all recipients of the Report. for Public Instruction, who telephoned me only this morning. I met the Whip of_ the SL:SPEXSIO)," OF STAXDING ORDERS. party. who also told me that the Committee would consider the Estimates of the Depart APPROPRIATION BILL, No. 3. ment of Public vVorks this morning. 1'\ow, The SECHETARY FOR PUBLIC LAXDS at the last minute, and without any notifica he doing to prevent it? Are the Govern Why not wipe all the machines out of ment getting some profit out cf the running existence? of these machines? If not, why is the Anyone who knows anything about fruit Minister not seeing to it that the law is machines knows that they are downright enforced? The Minister is charged with robbery of the persons who use them. Over· the administration of that law and knows 50 per cent. of their receipts go to the perfectly well that they are in existence. manufacturers or owners, and the users They can be seen in almost every club, recBive only a small percentage. A certain although to their credit some clubs refuse percentage of the profits goes out of Queens to break the law in this way. In one club land to America and other parts of the five or six fruit machines are always operat world. The pcrscns who use the machines ing. have no chance whatever. They are simply Mr. WATERS : Tattersall' s Club? money-making concerns for the owners, and Mr. GODFREY MORGAN: The hon. what is more objectionable. the money member can name the club if he wishes. invested on them does not remain in I am not prepared to name any particular Queensland. I should not mind so much if club. If he knows they are operating in th Mr. GODFREY MORGAN: I am long ling all day long. The heavy vehicular enough in Parliament to know what the traffic from the bridge over the Burnett Act says. River is also responsible for a great deal of noise. It is, of course, highly desirable The ATTORKEY-GENERAL: No Act under my that the officials and others should hear jurisdiction deals with fruit machines. eYery word spoken in court, but they are Mr. GODFREY M ORGAN: The Minister distracted by these disturbing noises. The is trying to squib now, the same as the acting clerk of petty sessions and his staff rest of them. The Minister has power to occupy a very small room, and ·all inter issue permits for " bingo," and if he does views with the public have to take place at not issue a permit he has power to prosecute a 6-feet counter. Business cannot he trans offenders, and in the same way he has acted because other persons at the counter power to control these fruit machines. The can hear eYery word that is said. In fact, Minister could say that the fruit machine the layout of the court house IS totally was an illegal game, the same as he said \Vrong. " bingo " was an illegal game. The citizens of Bundaberg will be pleased This is what the Act says- to have a visit from the Attorney-General, and when he is in the city he can inspect " The term 'unlawful game' shall not the court house building to see whether include any game of chance or game of something cannot be done to make for mixed chance and skill in respect of greater efficiency in court work and public which a permit has been issued by the business. Attorney-General." · l\Ir. BRASSINGTON (Fortitude Valley) The Minister issued permits for " bingo " [11.26 a.m.]: Hon. members opposite who and " under and over seven," and these endorse the opinion expressed this morning are similar games to the fruit machine. bv the hon. member for Dalby have a very The man running " under and over seven " cockeyed view of gambling. What is the has all the chances, and 50 per cent. of the difference between gambling on a fruit chances with the fruit machines. In accord machine and gambling on horses on a race ance with the Act the Minister could issue, course? I am not a supporter of the race if he so desired, permits for fruit machines. course, I am not even a punter to any appre The ATTORNEY-GENERAL: He has not. ciable extent, but I am informed that questionable practices take place there. Mr. GODFREY MORGAN: He has not There should be some assurance from mem granted it, nor has. he done anything to bers of the Oppo,ition, and particularly p;event these ma?h.mes from being used. the hon. member for Dalby, that they will ::\o doubt, the Mm1ster has been in clubs clean up all gambling shortcomings. Their as well as I have, and he knows the law attitude this morning is nothing more nor less is _being broken, but he has not done any than an attempt to gain political kudos, and th~n~ to prevent . it. That being so, the we might well ask them why when they were "vhmster mu;;t be m favour of the breaking in power they permitted the introduction of the law. and operation of fruit machines? They The ATTORNEY-GENERAL: You seem to be made no attempt even to keep them within getting your information m the wrong control. They should offer some evidence of quarter. sincerity, and show that they are really Mr. GODFREY MORGA:\f: It mav be honest in their views. from the same quarter as that from which Apparent!;, hon. members opposite had a I got my information in regard to "bingo." little consultation in their party room, and I \:Jrought that matter up in this Chamber decided to bring forward this hardy and it was published throughout the State, annnal for the purpose of E>rnbarrassing the and a few days afterwards play was stopped. Government A Fe-deral election takes I haYc had !otters from various public bodies place in the immediate future, and later congratulating me. It was remarkable how there will be a State election. With the the newspapers claimed credit for the stop· exception of one year I have been in this ping of the practice. I do not wish to Committee for the past eight or nine years, claim credit for stopping "bingo "-I do and have listened to similar arguments by not want any praise-! did what I believed hon. members opposite year after year. The to be my duty, and it has been stopped. day has arrived when they should become If I can stop the use of fruit machines, politically modern. It is about time we had which cause money to be sent out of Queens from them suggestions and figures that land. I shall haYe done a good service to "'ould be of value to the State. the depart the State. ment. and the Attorney-General. Mr. M cLEAN (Bundaber!l) [11.23 a.m.]: Hon. members opposite had much to say The homily delivered by the lion. member this 1norning on "bingo." Hon. me1nbers for Dalby reminds me of the following arc well aware that this game is defunct lines:- but the suggestion behind the remarks of hon. members opposite was that it was mecl " Tlle woes of the self-conscious man, as a method of raising electioneering indeed, are mostly the product of his funds. It is thus fitting that I should draw own imagination. He lies like a hedge attention to the methods they adopted to get hog rolled up the wrong way, torment funds. As they have indulged in political ing himself with his prickles." muck-raking, it is onlv right that we should I speak this morning principally to bring· cli>COYer the SOUrCe of their funds in this the state cf the court house at Bundaberg State. \Yith your permission, l\1r. Hanson, under the notice of the Attorney-General, I shall quote a few extracts from a circular with a view to having it remodelled or issued only a few days since by l\iajor reconstructed. The building served its pur General Si1· \Villiam Glasgow, when he pose in days gone by. but it is out of date made an appeal for funds for the United and unsuitable. It is close to a railway Australia Party. The appeal is allied with line on which trains are passing and whist- the majority of hon. members opposite. Mr. Brassington.] 918 Supply. [ASSEMBLY.] Supply. Mr. MAHER: We have a Country Party this money go to? "Why, of course, the here, and nothing to do with the United Colonial Sugar Refinery, the Broken Hill Australia Party. Proprietary Company, Limited, and other Mr. BRAS SINGTON: I notice that when monopolistic groups in the Commomv£alth of Australia to-day. an attack is to be made on thi~ Adminis tration, hon. members opposite sink their Mr. DANIEL: Why don't you be fair? political differences, and join forces for the J\1r. BRASSINGTON: Could we get any attack. It is only right that I should thing more unfair, more despicable, and paltry endeavour to show that hon. members in than this annual talk about "bingo" and opposition have various means of raising fruit machines? If that is evidence of states funds in an endeavour to defeat the Labour manship from hon. members opposite, it is Party, and generally place the people of no wonder they are in opposition, where this State in a worse position. they seem destined to ~tay for many years. This circular is headed: "United Aus Let me again emphasise that this tralia Party (Queensland), 181 Eagle street, £15,000,000 of remissions went to vested Brisbane, 29th July, 1937," and says- interests throughout the Commonwealth. " Further to o11,r conversation of a day We are not surprised that hon. members or two ago, I write to ask you whether opposite should attempt to defend those you will be able to arrange for financial interests and the Government responsible, assistance from amongst your friends in and generally should stand behind the con order to enable us to fight the forth tents of that circular. The Labour Party coming Federal elections with some has no apology to make to hon. members certainty of success." - opposite for its policy and the method m You will notice, Mr. Han~on, that the state which it is carried into effect, nor for the ment speaks of a certainty of success, and fact that thousands of working men and it is evident that these people-allies of hon. women throughout the State willingly and members opposite-are depending on ;incerely contribute to the party funds at unlimited supplies of money to indulge in election time to help it in its political fight. unfair propaganda to defeat Labour at the On most occasions wo are returned to power. polls on Saturday week. If they do not Contrast the difference between the methods receive enormous surr1s of money, how can employed to find funds for the Labour Party they organise their campaign and succeed and the methods adopted by hon. members in the attempt they are making? 'l'heir opposite and their friends outside, as out campaign is not based on a decent political lined in the circular by Sir William Gla,sgow! record or on sound political principles. They receive their funds from questionable sources sources that are endeavonring to To continue- control' the Commonwealth of Australia by ,, I am sure Y0\1. will appreciate that stifling democracy as much as possible. the present Federal Government has I snggest to hon. members oppos!te that quite a substantial record to its credit, they should apply themselves to makmg ?on in that it has achieved what its oppo structive, progressive, and helpful suggestwns nents could not possibly have achieved to the Government, the Minister and the that is, the restoration of our general department, so that the department ~ay credit abroa-d." continue to provide the very good services Of course, the gentlemen to whom this that it has given to the people in the years circular is addre~~sed would appreciate that that have gone. We have waited long for fact-the directors of the Colonial Suga.r those constructive suggestions but instead Refinery, and the Broken Hill Proprietary we hear them indulge only in carping Company, Limited, and every other anti criticism and resurrect the same old story Labour organisation in thi~ Commonwealth. year after year in an endeavour to gain a Why should they not subscribe to these mean political advantage. funds? Their interests are looked after by Mr. EDWARDS (Xanango) [11.38 a.m.J: the Federal Government in power, and it is We should be foolish indeed if we expected their business to subscribe to the funds df to receive a constructi ye suggestion from the anti-Labour organisations. It ill becomos hon. member who has jnst resumed his seat. hon. members opposite to make out a case He did not touch on the vote at all. He against this Government when they them selves seek funds to present a front against made a party political speech w~thout ":ny Labour. reference to the present positiOn m relation to gambling, and his remarks are worthy of There is a f11.rther illuminating paragraph no attention. Let us compare the methods of In this statement- raising funds set out in the pamphlet read " The first yea.r of office of the present by the hon. member with the methods Government produced a surplus of adopted by the Labour Party in providing £1,314 091, and there have been a series its own political funds. He said that the of sm;pluses ever since totalling some working people in this State were constant thing like £10,000,000 for six budgets." contributors to the political funds of the That money has come out of the pockets of Labour Party, but if the hon. member would the people in indirect taxation; yet they examine those methods he would find that talk about reducing taxation ! many of these persons were threatened with the loss of their jobs if they did not pay. "Despite this tremendons improve The hon. member would have done well to ment in Commonwealth finances, the keep quiet on the subject. He knows that Government also has been able to reduce " bmgo " stunts and other gambling mstttu taxation to such an extent that the total tions have been running in the intere~ts of remissions for five years have amounted their funds. to something like £15,000,000." I was surprised to hear the Minister say That is a statement in connection with that the money obtained from " bingo " was remissions of taxation according to Major used for educational purposes. Surely it is General Sir William Glasgow. Whom did a disgr&ee to any Government to have to [Mr. Brassington. Supply. [12 OCTOBER.) Supply. 919 make a statement like that ! What must I hope the Minister will take some definite any young fellow think when he is told that stand, as the Leader of the Opposition part of the cost of his education comes asked, and that he will make a definite from gambling stunts? Such a statement statement on the subject. lowers the standard of our education attain ments a'nd reduces our efforts to the gutter. Mr. GLEDSON (Ipswich) [11.45 a.m.]: I hope the Minister will explain exactly what The department is doing very effective and he meant because his statement was extra useful work. There is not much criticism ordinary. It was no credit to any Govern of its administration because the Opposition ment. I was also surprised that the Minister cannot point the finger of scorn at the did not make a definite pronouncement on Attorney-General, the Under Secretary, or the question of gambling on behalf of the his officers in the administration of justiCe. Government. GOVERNMENT MEii!BERS : Hear, hear ! The ATTORNEY-GENERAL: You know very Mr. GLEDSON: If hon. members opposite well that I made a very definite statement found something in the administration to some time ago. criticise they would get up and do so, but Mr. EDWARDS: The hon. gentleman did because it is above criticism we hear no not. He should do that instead of trying to such criticism from them. Hon. members shirk the responsibility by saying what the on this side of the Committee are proud of Moore Government did, or some other the department and the name it holds Government did twenty-five years ago. That throughout Australia for its freedom of those does not clear the present Government from things that are degrading, and those things the responsibility for what they are doing. that are commonly called graft. Not one Surely to goodness we have arrived at a finger can be pointed at the department or time when the Government or the Minister its officers iii this respect. The officers have is prepared to make a definite pronounce done what is right, fair, and aboveboard and ment to the community on the subject. It is haYe administered justice in a proper w~y. well known that prior to the last election The department has quite a number of gambling stunts were eliminated for a time, matters to administer. Firstly, it must but they afterwards went on the same as administer the statutes as it finds them. eYer. I expected the Minister to say that The hen. members for Dalby and Nanango gambling would not be permitted after the have referred to permits granted for the next eleqtion, but he did not do so. He purpose of running fairs throughout the sideetepped tho issue. I hope before this State. Persons running those concerns had discussion concludes he will make a definite to do so on a certain basis. An applicant statement. It is not a credit to our young was obliged to point out that it is for chari country that this sort of thing should be table or educational purposes for it was allowed, and when objection is taken that only on that basis that the applications were these gambling permits should be withheld granted. Some hon. members of the Opposi for a short period only. tion seem to think that muQh underhand work goes on at some of these fairs. I have never The ATTORNEY-GENERAL: Please tell me played " bingo " nor has my branch of the why you voted to legalise the very practice Australian Labour Party ever had one you are objecting to. penny from its operations for the conduct Mr. EDWARDS : I did not. of our elections. Mr. BRAND: It is not mentioned in the As far as I am concerned not one penny Act. comes from that source. I deny the charge made by the hon. member for Dalby and The .\TTORNEY-GENERAL: You cannot evade the hon. member for Kanango, who sug it like that. gested that we were mixed up in this sort Mr. EDWARDS: The hon. member for of business. If hon. members feel that any Maree referred to certain illegal practices wrong is being done why not make a definite adopted by money-lenders. The Minister statement and let the matter be investigated? congratulated him on bringing the matter I feel quite sure the Attorney-General would forward. have any such matter probed to the bottom. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL: I was glad to get An hon. member opposite said that the the information. Attorney-General said the money from Mr. EDWARDS: The Minister appre gambling and " bingo" went to the Depart ciated the information, notwithstanding that ment of Public Instruction. The Attorney the hon. member, as a member of the General did not say such a thing. GoYernment Party, has known for twelve Mr. EDWARDS: I did not say that. I said months of these practices and could have "for educational purposes." informed the Minister of them. He preferred to refer to them on the floor of this Com Mr. GLEDSON: The hon. member said mittee in order to get some kudos out of it. that. the young man who is growing up wiH He should have said to the Minister. " I realise that part of his education was paid! know these things are happening and it is fot out of fu_nds c;·eated by gambling device". up to your department to take some action." and now he IS trymg to excuse himself. The That was his proper course, instead of wait Attorney-Ge~eral did not say that money· ing all thi3 time. Gambling is going on in from gamblmg went to the Department o£· this State to such an extent-some of it Public Instruction. Hon. members kno'.v that under the lap-that the people are beginning every application for a permit has to be· to think, and often state, that some of the subr;1~tted ~o the depui:tment and thPy aro GoYernment members are mixed up in it. fam1har with the conditions upon which rn. That is not a pleasant rumour to be circulat permit is granted. It is essential that the ing-that Parliamentarians are agreeing to purpose must be charitable or educational. these practices because they are getting Ko doubt, the real grievance of hon. something out of it. It is a bad thing for members opposite is that anv money raised by the country, and is a blow to the prestige these means might be used to educate the of Parliament. people in the system of political economy Mr. GledsrYn.], 920 Supply. [ASSEMBLY.] Supply, fa mu red by this party. It is indeed time commcnded for the help he has given to that all the people were educated along theoe hon. members and the general public since lines in order that the,- mav not be misled bv the operation of the new Act. He has been the political economy adyaJ1ced by hon. men1- very sympathetic, and has gone out of his bers opposite. way to wipe away many difficulties that would otherwise have existed, and- so his I commend the department for the work efforts have made for happiness in many that has been carried out at Ipswich. In homes. conjunction with the Department of Public '.Vorks the Department of Justice has caused The work of the friendly societies in a new court house to be erected, replacing Queensland has increased year by year. It the old frcestone building erected in 1859. was certainly hit very hard in the depression. Visiting judges complained of the poor :Many members, unable to meet their com acoustic properties of the old court house. mitments, got into arrears. and others dropped out altogether, so that they were The new building provides a fine court room without the chance of medical attention and and the offices of the department are housed sick pay when they needed it. Every one of at the back of the building. the societies set to work and was able to An important matter was rai,ed by the prevent its members from running into l10n. member for Maree. \Yhen the :!\Ioney arrears and tide them OYer the depression. Lenders Act Amendment Art was passed in They had to come to the registrar for help. 1933 it was believed that would eliminate and found in Mr. Porter a very sympathetic exorbitant charges for interest on loans that officer who was prepared to meet them. His people required to carry them over a difficult aid was the means of keeping quite a period. Quite a number of men engaged in number of their members together who other money-lending have carried on their business wise would have found themselves out of in conformity with the Act. their friendlv societv and would have lost all the advaiitages o"f sick pay and medical On the other hand, as had been pointed attention. and would ha ye been placed in a out bv the hon. member for Maree, others more or less difficult position. make" every attempt to e' ade the law. In proportion to population Queensland The hc>U. member for Nanango asked why has more friendlv socicti0s than anv other the hon. member ventilated the matter in State of Austraiia. Their membe1:s have this Committee instead of interviewing the endeavoured to their utmost to stick to Attorney-General. This is a matter of public their societies. lVIany who have been mem. importance, and so may fittingly be brought bers for vears have never had the need forward in this Chamber. If hon. nwmbers to apply for benefits, and this has been of discovered that persons are endeavouring to advantage to others. evade' the law by charging procuration fees and exorbitant rates of interest it is neces Societies also got into difficulties with sarv that these underhand methods be ven regard to investments, including mortgages. tilO:ted publicly and that the offenders should \Yhen interest charges were reduced through recognise tha.t the representatives of the out the Commonwealth each and everv people are looking after their interests. friendly society was able to reduce it"s :~he.,· will thus be compelled to behave interest charge to members who had bor t:nexnselves. rowed from it. Mortgages were so arranged As to whether this can be done under the by the Department of Justice as to enable Act as it is is for the Department of Justice these societies to carry on their good work. Their position is better to-dav than before to investigate, but I . am sure that the thf' depression. " Attorney-General and h1s. officers w11l do .all t!::£t is required, and 1f necP-sary bnng I feel proud of ih<~ Department of Justice uown an amendment of the Act to prevent in Queensland for the high position it has the charging of procuration fees and the won for itself throughout the world. The infiation of interest rates. Hon. members of hon. member for Aubigny may snigger, but th:s Committee should be willing to pass if he reads the reports and world's history such an amendment giving the Attorney he will find that such departments in other General the necessary powers. parts of the world have not the same good The Estimates provide for a morgue name as our own ·department. I feel it is attendant. Perhaps the Attorney-General necessary that that fact should be stated. will elucidate the item. It may be that it While he laughs and sniggers we on this side has something to do with the coronia! court. are proud to hold up our heads and sa7 The hon. gentleman might give the Com that no one can point a finger of scorn a't mittee some information as to what this is this department. and where the morgue is situated, whether Mr. MA HER (lr est Jf oreton) [12.4 p.m.]: adjacent to Parliament I-fouse or elsewhere. I was rather interested to find that none of 'I'he ATTORKEY-GE"!ERAL: Not too far from the speakers who followed the Minister this Parliament House. morning attempted to deny that part of the money raised to pay for Labour election Mr. GLEDSON: The office of the Regis campaigns came from gambling sources. 'rhe trar of Births, Deaths, and Marriages has hon. member for Ipswich, in a pharisaical been very useful in the past year. Because sort of a way, said, " I am at least free of the passage of the Act dealing with the of such a charge," thus leaving it to the adoption of children the work of the regis rest of his colleagues to exonerate them trar and his officers has been increased, but selves as best they could. The fact is that those of us who had to transact business at the Labour Party has received funds from this office know with what unfailing courtesy gambling sources to help it m election and attention the registrar and his officials campaigns. treat us. They are ever willing to obtain The hon. member for Fortitude Vallev all information as to children about to be quoted from a circular supposed to have adopted, and to do so with the least pub been sent out by Sir William Glasgow making licity. They have attended to hundreds of an appeal for funds to help the United Aus cases of this kind. The registrar is to be tralia Party in this campaign. [Mr. Gledson. Supply. [12 OCTOBER.] Supply. 921 Before the hon. member proceeds to pick section of the Australian community for the mote out of another's eye he should first support. remove the beam from his own. I have That only proves the argument that I have here a circular letter issued by the Labour used from time to time in this Chamber Party, making an appeal not to the horny and out of it, that Labour has lost its so.ul. handed sons of toil, but to the rich mer Men of a new type have taken possessiOn chants of Australia, for support in the of the movement, and it no longer represents Federal election campaign. The capitalistic the workers as it did in days gone by. It classes are sought out and asked to make seeks the support of the richer and more donations towards the fighting funds of the prosperous section of the Australian people party. This remarkable circular, which is whom it purports to serve. signed by D. Mulcahy, chairman of the finance committee, says- ::\Ir. RIORDAN (Bo1ven) [12.10 p.m.]: - I congratulate the Minister and his staff on the " The Lyons-Page Government is administration of the department. It is to-day dominated by the low-tariff a glowing tribute to him and his officers Country Party. As Acting Prime Minis that in order to. criticise the department It ter and Leader of the Country Party, is nece•sary for hon. members on the other Dr. Page, after the recent Melbourne side of the Chamber to indulge in muck conference, announced that the principal raking. plank in his party's platform at the coming elections would be to bring the The hon. member for Dalby spoke of fruit tariff back to the 1921 level-vide the machine, and "bingo," and made some ' Sun,' 19th July, 1937:- imputations to the effect that someone was getting something out of them. His remarks ' The Country Party will try to bring could easilv be understood to mean that the tariff back to the 1921-29 level. someone inc the Department of Justice was Much good work along these lines has getting something out of them, and such already been done. In the British inferences should not be allowed to go preferential tariff there have been unchallenged. He also said that the Govern 1,431 reductions and in the general ment were getting party funds from these tariff 600 reductions. sources. It is a tribute to the Minister that " That policy means disaster for the hon. members opposite should find it neces manufacturer. Australian industries were sarv to sink to this level in order to criticise sa,·ed from total disaster during the thee department and its staff. world slump by Labour's tariff of 1929-30. Without that protection, Aus The Leader of the Opposition has just read tralia would have been flooded with a letter sent out over the name of D. cheap imports, produced under depression Mulcahy, of Sydney. conditions overseas. You cannot afford :\llr. MAHER: A Labour member of the to have the tariff dictated by !lr. Page. House of Representatives. " For the above reasons, the Labour Mr. RIORDAN: He said that he was party believes that the Australian manu cadging. There is one thing certain, and facturers are prepared to assist it in the that is that the Labour Party has never campaign ahead. Importers are heavily sunk to the depth of false pretences that subsidising the Lyons-Page campaign. the Country Party has reached in seeking "To secure funds to fight the Federal funds for fighting elections. Let them cast Labour Party's campaign, the party has their minds back to the Bowen by-election. appointed a finance committee, with They sent their ~organiser, who is now mvself as chairman. If you are pre secretary-organiser of the Country Party, pared to contribute to that campaign together with a lady organiser named Mrs. fund, you may forward amounts to me Snowden, round to hoodwink unsuspecting at the above address, cheques to be illiterate foreigners into signing agreements endorsed ' 1936 Federal Election Cam to hand over one-halfpenny a ton of sugar paign Fund.' cane, allegedly for a defence of the sugar " Your assistance will be appreciated. industry. but primarily for party purposes. It was not until legal action was threatened " Yours faithfully, in several instances that the collection of " (Signed) D. MULCAHY, this money at the sugar mills ceased. Certain " Chairman, Finance Committee. unsuspecting farmers in the Inkerman and Home Hill districts were also induced to " Federal Members' Rooms, agree to similar assignments. I had no " Commonwealth Bank, Sydney, intention of rising in the role of a muck " August, 1937." raker, but hon. members opposite must realise that they cannot make allegations (Opposition laughter.) The hon. member for a political purpose and get away with for Fortitude Valley read a circular issued it, because if there is any muck-raking to be by the United Australia Party appealing to done a few on this side of the Committee its supporters for funds in the present Federal can be found to indulge in it with even election campaign. The hon. member aided greater effect. There is no reason why and abetted by his colleagues, has tithe and unfair suggestions should he made against again in this Chamber, launched thunder· the Minister the departmental officers, or the bolts against the capitalistic class, but here Government,' or suggestions should be made we have Mr. Mulcahy coming along with his that they were getting something out. of cap in hand, seeking support-- it because the police were not taking actwn Mr. RusSELL: Cadging! to suppress the operations of frult machines. Mr. MAHER: Yes. cad~ring from the rich I congratulate the Minister on the com merchant§ of Australia to help the funds of pletion of a very fine new court house at the Labour Party. So we see that the Home Hill an improvement long overdue. Labour Party do not -derive their electioneer There is room for similar improvement in ing funds only from gambling sources, but other districts in my electorate, where many they make a strong appeal to the richer buildings, in addition to being old and Mr. Riordan.] 922 Supply. [ASSEMBLY.] Supply. inadequate for public purposes, are unsuitable the disposal of hon. members of this P':rty for the climate. I should like the Minister points clearly to the fact that the machma to investigate the court house at Proserpine, tion exposes the hand of vested interests, for instance, the centre of a very flourishing and tho hand of the party sitting opposite. district. I am sure if he does so he will A circular has come into my possession that have no hesitation in seeing to it that is being circulated in the Lilley electorate improved accommodation is provided there on behalf of the United Australia Party. also. I;; is unsigned, and it has for its purpose Mr. \VATERS (Kelvin Grove) [12.15 p.m.]: the defeat of the Labour candidate. It urges The remarks of the hon. member for Dalby that oortain people in the electorate should were iutercsting. He embari heads. proclaim their own political virtues racehorse or in playing cards. The objection to the multitude while tactics of this kind to " bingo " is the rate of odds against the are being indulged in with their connivance. unfortunate investor particularly as these They stand for it and are endeavouring to ill-gotten gains or p;rt of them are handed bring about division amongst the people over to Labour unions. We have all played because of an issue that really should not be " bingo," under different names perhaps. On raised at all whether in an election campaign interstate liners the same game is played or at any other time. Upon them must rest under the title of "housie. housie." Ten the responsibility for raising the sectarian per cent. would be deducted from the gross ·issue, by which some hope to profit. They proceeds for seamen's charities, and the should be brought to heel. investors would have the rest paid over to them by way of dividends. Nothing could l\Ir. RUSSELL (Hamilton) [12.26 p.m.]: be fairer than that, but "bingo," as plavecl At the outset I throw back in his teeth the here, gives an undue advantage to 'the insinuation of the hon. member that the interests behind the game itself. United Australia Party is connected with any s<;ctarian organisation or the issue of any " Bingo " has been banished, and about circular such as he read. The only circulars time, too ! As for despicable methods, nothing that we are responsible for are those that could be more despicable than getting money have the imprint of the organisation from ''bingo" and "liberty fairs." In its or of a responsible officer of the organi appeal for funds, the United Australia Partv sation. I am sorry indeed that the hon. has been quite open. The circular ~tate's m:mber for Kelvin Grove brought up that owing to their very fine record, the thiS matter .of sectarian. feeling in politics, Lyons Government are entitled to support and take It that he IS endeavouring to from all classes of the community. liVe make fasten upon t~e United Australia Party our appeal to every section of the people, the re.sponsib:hty for the publication of not only the manufacturers and business men, an unsigned Circular. I have already stated' but the workers themselves, because we con tha.t I ·deny. it in toto; that the organi tend that every "ection has benefited by the ~atwn to whiCh I have the honour to belong wise lf'gislation of the Lvons Administration. has ~10 connectio_n wha t0ver with any We make no apology for sending out that sectarran orgamsat.Jon, and I challenge him circular and 1 am glad to say that the to prove any "onnection between the "United response has been splendid. Labour is on Australia Party and tho organisation respon· the run. It was bad grace in the hon. sible for sending out that circular. member for Fortitude Vallev to allude to our " dishonest practice " ~hen we make :Much discussion hos taken place regarding our appeal openly. \Vhat is the difference the methods of raising funds adopted by between appealing through newspapers as political parties. The hon. member for the Labour Party does and sending out a Fortitude Valley commented on a circular circular to sympathisers? The whole case issued by the president of the United made out b" the hon. member falls to the Australia Party and declared that the pro ground. It ·seems to me that the hon. mem cedure adopted was a low-down method. It ber fo1· Fortitude V alley has seen the writing is quite an honest and open method and quite above-board. \Ve asked our sympa on the wall. thisers to fu;·nish us with funds to carry on Mr. BRASSINGTON: Not at all. the fight agamst what I term vested interests Mr. RUSSELL: That being so. he must the interests controlled by the Labour Party put up with the consequences. I am not to-day. We all know that the Labour Partv afraid of the result, and I am glad to say receives .enormous funds at election periods that the response to our circular has been bec':use 1~ has a system of compulsory levies fine indeed. Our candidates are making on !ts umons. Th~ system adopted by us in headway all over Queensland. askmg for subscnptwns from sympathisers I know, Mr. Hanson, that a good deal is certainly more honest than that of forcing of this discussion has been out of order, but unfortunate persons to pay these levies. \Ve when such statements are made in this had the despicable example in which the Chamber we should be allowed the oppor Australian Workers' Union levied on the tunity of replying to them. There should unfortunate intermittent relief workers at be no objection to the methods adopted by Breakfast Creek. any political party to raise funds provided The CHAIRMA~ : Order ! I ask the hon. they are within the four corners of the law. member to discuss the vote. The methods we have adoped are fair and honest, whereas those adopted by our Mr. RUSSELL: It is very difficult. You opponents cannot be put in that class. have allowed latitude in this discussion Mr. Hanson, and I certainly object to the 'state The ATTORNEY-GENERAL (Hon. J. ment made by the hon. member for Fortitude ::Ylullan, Carpentaria) [12.32 p.m.]: I should Valley that we resort to a low-down method like to refer briefly to one or two matters of raising funds when his own party have raised in this discussion. forced th.e intermittent relief workers to pay The hon. member for Dalby occupied his these ]eVJes when they could not afford it. time speaking about fruit machines, but let Mr. BRASSINGTON: I did not do that. me remind him that section 19 (2) of the Vagrants, Gaming, and Other Offences Acts, The CHAIRMAN: Order ! which I do not administer, provides. that Mr. RUSSELL: We know the Australian aH fruit machines shall be forfeited if found \Vorkers' Union in Fortitude Valley a.nd in the possession of any person or found 1\lerthyr derives large sums from the " bingo " on any premises. Nobody could have given game. Is this game or " liberty fairs " a fair permits for the use of these machines. This method of raising political funds? I have is a matter outside the ambit of my depart nothing against the game of " bingo " as a ment. game, because if played fairly it is simply a The hon. member also challenged my state game of chance. There is no difference ment that his Government legalised gamb between investing money in " bingo " or on a ling for the first time. I say again that the Hon. J . .Mullan.] 924 Supply. [ASSEMBLY.] Supply. Moorc GoYermnent passed the Art L"nion 'rho ATTORJ\iEY-GENERAL: I have Re'l"ulation Act of 1930, which legali,scd this said it now. method of gambling. Despite statements The hon. member for Bundaberg has asked made to the contrary I say that permits were for mere accommodation at the court house gn·en b_,. the then Government for games to in that city. The matter has been referred whieh they now take exception. I think the to the Department of Public \Vorks, and I hon. member for Aubigny will admit that hope that the work will be carried out as if he i. honest. promptly as po:"siblc. Mr. :\foORE: I do not know of any permit I was glad that the hon. member for given for " bingo." Ipswich was able to say that the new court The ATTORNEY-GE;'\ERAL: I can house at Ipswich had been completed, and assure the hon. member I ha vc particulars that it was in keeping with the dignity of herC'. that city. It was long overdue. :Yir. GoDFREY MoRGAK: GiYe us the name" The hon. member also wanted some of the persons concerned. infornuttion concerning a morgue attendant. The Coroners Act is administered by the The ATTOR:-i'EY-GEKERAL: I do not Department of Justice and at the morgue "~nt to go into that-- there is an attendant who takes care of :Ylr. G'ODFREY MoRGAor: Because yOLl can tl.' bodies that arc brought there for post· not. mortem cxan1inations. rrhat is why this The ATTORNEY-GE::\'ERAL: The hon. morgue l1ttendant comes under the jurisdic n1crnbcr can see the narncs if he wishes to. tion· of my department. I am telling him that the Government of The hon. member for Bowen refBrred to v;hichl he was a member gave permission for the new court house at Home Hill, which was '·bingo." bo.dlv needed. He also emphasised the nsed for 'wmo attention to the court house at ~vir. GoDFREY :MoRGAN: We want parti Proscrpinc. I have bP'·n to Proscrpine and culars. I have seen it. I agree with the hon. mem· The ATTORKEY-GE:\"ERAL: I cannot ber that something should ]Je done to gi:e give him the names of the parties. One impron•d accommodation. The matter ·Will p?rn1it v....-as given for a function at \Yynnurn, b~ referred to the Department of PubEc and there was another one for a game. \York' and it will he asked to provide perhaps not ''bingo," in Grey street. How great~·;. facilities as soon as possibl0. ver, I do not want to go into dotaib. At 12.40 p.m., :Mr. MAHER: That was a function in aid Mr. KING (Jfarcr), one of the panel of of returned soldiers. Temporary Chairmen, relieved the Chairman The ATTORXEY-GEKERAL: :\"o. in the chair. l\Ir. l\fAHER : It was not " bingo " in the Mr. ::-JIMMO (Oxley): The Minister ordinar0• sense of the term. repudiated anY personal association with The ATTORNEY-GENERAL: It was not gambling in Queensland, and so did the a returned soldiers' function. hon. member for Ipswich. They would have nothing to do with it at all. Hon. niPmbers opposite talked about The ATTORKEY·GENERAL: How can I taking exception to the use of the proceeds repudiate it? I take full responsibility for of art unions, raffles. and similar things for everything that is done in this connection. educational purposes. \Vhen hon. members opposite were in power they told us that Mr. NIM"NlO : They know perfectly well money might be raised for charitable that they take their election expenses with· religious, or educational purposes. ' out inquiring about the source from which The Moore Government pa.··sed the Act they come. authorising the expenditure of money raised I am very pleased that the Minister has by gambling for educational purposes. seen fit to abolish "bingo," because there Therefore, if wo give permission for the j,; no doubt that it was doing a great deal money to he raised for educational purpuses of harm. I hope that it is abolished for all surely. hon. members opposite cannot take time, and not merely until the elections are exceptiOn to our doing what they authorised over, when it will come into full blast again. us to do by law? Thel'e is no questicn abo!lt it, the Govern· ment are right behind this game of" bingo," Mr. M_AXWELL' \Vhy did you say that you running it for all they are worth. At the were gomg to cancel all the licenses? Roma Street railwav station there was The ATTORNEY-GENERAL: I sa-id nlmost a permanent l:iuilding for the game, that. I made a statement to the effect that so apparently the Minister for Transport we had abolished carnivals in which was in it, too. The building was brilliantlv '• bingo " i_n particular was being played. lighted, and the game went on at all hours ViTe have given that definite undertaking. of the night. It appeared quite a good thing. I do not know whether it was thtl practice Mr. GODFREY MORGAN : If they call it of the Minister for Transport to declare the " di~1go" neJ<.t year, will you allow it to session open every year, or what was really continue? behind the whole thing. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL: Call it Mr. PowER: You played there one night. >yhat JO~ li~;· I, personally, have nev.er Irked bmgo, aad I am glad it is abolished. Mr. NIMMO: I have mor.e sense than to I hope that it will continue to be abolished play there, where one had no hope of winning for al~ time. Does that satisfy hon. members at all. I like some chance of winning, but opposite? I hope that it will never be the way it was rigged a player had no chanctl granted again. Is that helpful? (Laught.er.} of taking anything home if he stayed long enough. The fact remains that the Govtlrtl Mr. MAXWELL: Why did you not say it ment were right bBhind it, but I hope that before? it has been abolished for all time, and that [Hon. J. Mullam. Supply. [12 OcTOBER.] Supply. 925 ·wlll:'n the elections are ovP-r the Government prominent. The police are engaged in enrol will not >oay, "\Ve shall have to get ready ling electors on the State roll. but have for the next elution," and "bingo" will no jurisdiction in respect of the FBderal roll. be' in full force again. At our seaside resorts There is no co-ordination between lhe State '' bingo '' and "libortv fairs" were run dur and Federal authorities. It is a costlY matter ing the holida,· season.. taking the !'pending to each Government to effect a 100 per cent. Sih-~r from the people with a resultant enrolment, w hi eh is the desire of the el we were unable to locate, still remained on address a certain hotel in C:unnamulla. the roll. These men followed the vocation of shearers The ATTORNEY-GENERAL: How long ago is and bush workers, but their address was that? given as this hotel. On making discreet inquiries I ascertained that the hotel had Mr. GODFREY :YIORGAN: A good many only twelve bedrooms, so how all these men years ago. co:>ld get accommodation there was beyond The ATTORNEY-GENERAL: Did you take his m• powers of comprehension. The rather na:ne off when you were in power? peculiar part of the busines? \vas they all had Mr. GODFREY MORGAN: Ko. I think the uncannv knack of votmg. I asked the it has been taken off. After a number of police officer, Sergeant Schwarz. if he knew vears they discovered that he did not vote. these fellows, but although he was acquainted The hon. member for Aubigny can quote \Yith one or two of them the majority were the case of a man who has been dead for unknown to him. At that time also there nine years and whose name appears on the was a number on the Balonne roll with the roll. I keep in touch with the rolls of my \Yan·ego River shown as their address. Of elector~te and there are names on it that conrFe. the \Van·ego RiYcr was there. are not known to the people in the district, There is no denying that fact. but unless you can prove they ha:e made At 2 p.m., application to get on another roll then names The CHA!R}IAN resumed the chair. remain on the original roll. :\lr. ::VIAHER: For example, there was J·. The Federal electoral rolls are ever so Smith, shearer. Warrego RiYer. That would much cleaner than those of the State. As has already beon pointed out this morning be a most excellent address for anybody who wished to dodge his creditors, bnt not g:ood bv the hon. member for Enoggera, there enough for electoral purposes. Such thmgs w~ould be ,a financial saving to the various illustrate the necessity for a close supervi.·,ion governmental bodies if there were but one of the rolls. roll. The Federal electoral roll could be so compiled that there would be no need to I think there is merit in the suggestion haYe another. There appears to be some that the three authorities, FederaL State, and objection to this, but why I do not know. local, should get together to see if it is not possible to compose their difficulties and save The electoral division of Dalby includes the taxpavers involved under the present the town of Dalby and various local autho arrangemc;,t whereby the Commonwealth rities, the largest of which is Tara. Some Government maintains an electoral office, and of the electors included in this division live the State Government and the local govern 90 to 100 miles awav from the town of ing bodies have to go to the expe_nse of Dalby, but the names ~re listed on the Dalby compiling their own rolls. Surely rf men roll irrespective of the actual place of resi of good will representative of those three dence, town and country residents being governin ~ authorities were to get together intermingled. I have already suggested to they could compose their differences. After the electoral authorities that the town of all, the gre':'tes~ d"ifficul~v in havin~r a c_om Dalby be made one division, named, per bined roll !res m the drfferent qualrficatwns haps, the town of Dalby division. and the imposed bv the different authorities. For Dalby country districts another. The name instance the State insist' on one distinct would be o{ small account, though Tara is policy ~ith regard to enrolment, and the the largest local authority included. This Commonwealth on another, and the tax would tend to efficiency and expedition in paver is saddled with the cost of the diffet· the compilation of rolls for loca; authority en~e of opinion. I think ever:y hon. mE;mber elections, and to a saving in cost. in this Chamber would recogmse the fairness The town of Dalby has now to compile its and convenience of an arrangement whereby own municipal roll at considerable cost, the we could have one roll for elections of both names having to be culled from those on the Federal and State members. roll for the eledoral division of Dalby. As the hon. member for Dalby pointed These rolls are also made use of when out. there is a Commonwealth electoral officer issuing circulars to the people in a district, in Dalbv. How simple it would be if that but persono wishing to circularise the 1,500 officer rlndertook the work of State enrol or 2.000 people of the town of Dalby have ment and if necessarv, local authority now to pick out the names from the roll for enrol~ent. ' Such a scheme would make for the whole division. com·enience and save expense to the people Now that the matter has been brought of AustraJia. There is nothing wrong with before the Attorney-General, I trust he will it, excep'; the difference of opinion betw.een give it his attention. Previously I brought the variJus Governments. If representatives it under the notice of the electoral office of those Governments got together I am sure officio.ls, but. to use the vernacular, they a compromise could be arrived at. The turned me down, I think wrongly. There State C'overnment allows one mo>Ith as the was every reason to agree to my suggestion, period of enrolment and the Commonwealth and now I trust the hon. gentleman will take Government a period of three months. Dif up the matter with these officials and tell ferences of that kind could be discussed, me as to why my suggestion was not agreed and I am sure a compromise could be to. arrived ·at agreeable to all parties. This is Mr. MAHER (West Moreton) [12.58 p.m.]: a reform the Minister might well tackle. It The instances mentioned by the hon. mem is a non-party mat.ter an? be should b.e ber for Dalby are not uncommon. In 1927 actuated by the deHre to mCl·ease convem I contested a by-election for Balonne. ence and save expense. A uniform set of The ATTORNEY-GENERAL: You are now rolls' could be established wherel:>y we going back ten years. should have one roll for every election cam paign. Mr. MA HER : Yes. I picked out from I know that the Minister will say that the electoral roll the names of approxi State electoral districts do not necessarily mately forty persons who gave as their conform to Federal electoral districts, and [Mr. Morgan. Supply. [12 OcToBER.] Supply. 927 there might lJo over-lapping-wme elector.; hat has been said--perhaps in a jocular would be enrolled twice and others not spirit-there is no cleaner roll in Australia -enrolled at all. I think ways and means than the Queensland roll. Our officers are could be dPvised for overcoming that diffi given a free hand. They are never inter~ .culty. At one time it was thought that we fcred with beyond being told that I want could not get along without having separat' a clean, up-to-date roll. The only way to taxation offices for the Commonwealth and get that is to eliminate the names of those the State. IV e got over that difficultv and who are not qualified to vote and to enrol in Queensland the State Commissioner 'is the the JlCrcons who E-hould be on the roll. <;ollecting authority fm· the Federal Govem \Ve have an annual roll, but the Common ment. That- E-vstem could be followed with wealth issuH a roll only prior to an election, :advantage on the electoral side. I am sure that is, every three years. O!.!r roll would if the job was tackled in the right spirit be obsolete in three ycq,rs. In many of our ,, \\'here there is a will there is a way" electorates the changes in names and exi,ting difficulties could be surmounted. I addresses am·ount to about 80 per cent. of sugge::t it to the ::.Vlini:-:ter as a n1oans of con the total enrolment for the electorate. That Yen ience to those who use the rolls and on is because electors change from place io :the score of expense to the people who ha,·e place, although it is almost unbelievable to find the money for the over-lapping tho,t thl' changes would amount to 80 per departments of State. cent. of the total enrolment. That takes The ATTORNEY-GE2\'ERAL (Hon. J. place particularly where there are tenements, Mullan, Cr.rpr nlaria) [2.4 p.m.]: I have flats, hotels, etc. A triennial roll "ould be listened carefullv to tho remarb made bv no use to us. the hon. member. for Enoggera and also those Seeing that we h 've the printing office, by the Loader of the Opposition on the that we print the Commonwealth rolls now, qurotion of uniform rolls. The subject has that we have the police to cam ass the rolls, been discmscd in this Chamber bv Go,·er!l I think it is possible to come to some mcnts for probably twenty years.' I went arrangement about this matter. Surely to into the matter ···crv carcfullv over a number goodness the Commonwealth Government can of ye Under Secretary (Mr. Colledge) down, have at the toll bar on the Cairns Rang;e road. rendered particularly meritorious service m It was very comfortable, and he was quite· this sphere of governmental activity. happv in it, and wished to remain there. In all, there are 170 officers on the staff, The 'Department of Public Works imposed exclusiYe of workshops employees, Machinerv this jerr;y-built house on him against his and Scaffolding Department officers, and will and charge·d him £1 a week rent for it. mrscellaneous workers. which bring the T1Iat is a scandalous bit of business. I pre numPrical staff up to 419 persons. sume he comes under the :Main Roads Com mission, but so far as I can ascertain the Mr. MAHER (West Moreton) [2.24 p.m.]: building was constructed by the Department The report of the Under Sccretarv of the of Public Works. The building is an abso Department of Public Works indicate' a lute disgrace to the contractor, and the great rise in the cost of public buildings. A inspector from the department wbo pas,ed it Yery large sum of money has been expended should be sacked. I protest against such on the constructiOn of the No. 5 tvpe of waste of public funds. teacher's residence. For example, t'hat at The Department of Public \Vorks is one of Darra is shown at £1,082. and that at Rock the departments where adjustments of expen hampton at £1,149. In districts further diture take place for the purpose of budget north the cost has risen beyond £1,200. There balancing. The method adopted is to charge must be some reason for this extraor.dinarv to loan account expenditure on buildings that, rise in the cost of buildings erected unde'r under sound financial methods, should be· this department. It is onl v a vcar or two charged to revenue. In that way revenue since the residence at the· State school at expenditure is lessened and the deficit is Roscwood was erected for a sum in tho reduced. \Ye have departed from m0thods vicinity of £700. This good little residence of sound finance and adopted this method of was constructed by the Department of Public using over-increasing sums of loan money for 'vVorks, and as Roscwood is a fair-sized the construction and maintenance of public township I presume that it would be a Xo. 5 buildings. The following figures from building. In spite of standardisation. there 1912-13 to 1914-15. inclusive. show the· appears to be an increase of from £300 to pmition before Labour came into power:- £400 in the cost of a Ptato school residence. T'his is remarkable. 'vVhat is the cause of it? Per Is there any connection between the increase centage· and the operation of the Sawmills Licen"ing From From from Act passed last session? Have the sawmillers Revenue. Loan. Loan to increased the price of timber in consequence £ £ i{evcnue. of the close co-operation that prevails there 1912-13 to 1914-15, to such. a poi!'t that they are now able to inclusive 525,626 193,870 27.0 obtam !ncreasmg sums from the Department Labour stepped on the gas: of Public Works for the cost of these buildings? 1915-16 to 1928-29, The rise is apparent not onlv in the cost inclusive ... 1,476,006 ,2,475,545 62.7 of public buildings. The same movement can be .traced in the cost of workers' dwellings, Then the Moore Government came into· wh1ch was from £600 to £700 a year or so ago, power- and ha" now skyrocketed to a verv high price 1929-30 to 1931-32, indeed. It all falls back on the shoulders of inclusive 246,507 387,823 61.2 "· D.ummy,'' those who ha Ye to pav the cost. L . rs. a srgn of the times that the cost of In the years under the Forgan Smith Govern bmldmg has become remarkably high and is ment, from 1932-33 to 1936-37, the percentage· reflected in the higher rentals dema,;ded of from loan to revenue has increased from the tenants of cottages, the workers of the 81.4 per cent. to 82.2 per cent. Those figures. State. The increased cost of building also show the drift that has taken place. puts a home ooyond the range of the average There are two things wrong with such young couple who desire to marry and settle financial jugglery. Firstly, it creates a down. fictitious improvement in the budgetary posi When in North Queensland during the winter tion. The more monev used from loan fund' months I had my attention drawn by a man for the construction of public buildings the· in Atherton to the toll house on the western more favourable becomes the budgetary posi end of the Cairns range road. It is occupied tion. Secondly, it creates unproductive debt hv :\fr. Titlow, and was erected at a cost of to an unjustifiable extent. When dealing £530. All I can say is that whoever constructed with the Financial Statement, I had occa that house ought to give up the business of sion to draw attention to the unremunerative carpentering. and the inspector of the Dcnart debt of the State. I showed that 58.4 per· mcnt of Public \Vorks who pa~sed it ought to cent. was unremunerative, a dead-weight be sacked-and that is a strong term to use debt not returning interest to the taxpayers in this Committee. I inspected this building of this country. and found that the doors will not shut. The If we persist in investments of this kind studs are fractured, and some corners of the it will not be many years before the State· building have ~-inch gaps. The front wall will find itself in a chaotic financial position. is 2 inches out of plumb. The corrugations \Ve have to look with a measure of concern• of the iron are not parallel with the rafters. to the fact we arc drawing an ever This is enough to label it a jerry-built increasing sum of money from loan fund house without taking into account what was for the construction and maintenance of discovered underneath. To put the tank in public buildings instead of using a fair a stump had to be taken out and the part of revenue for such purposes. This. overflow pipe of the tank is so placed that is a serious position and is contrary to a the water runs under the house and creates resolution of the Loan Council passed in a nuisance. July, 1932. There is another aspect of the story that That was the first Loan Council meeting should be brought under the notice of the after the present Government assumed office. Committee. Mr. Titlow had his own residence The resolutions prescribed that loan moneys. 1937-2 G 111 r. 111 a her.] 930 Supply. [ASSEMBLY.] Supply. woul.d bo used for the undertaking of public will come in from the investment of millions and private works of a permanent and repro of monev on those buildings to which the ductive character, and that thev would be Under Secretary refers with pardonable spent, on the recommendations of an indepen pride. He is looking at the matter from dent honorary body. on such works as would the point of view of the successful adminis provide employment and increas<> the national tration of his department, and he is only wealth. Can anvbodv sav that the construc carrying out the policy of the Government. tion of public btlildin'gs on the palatial scale Hc> refers with understandable pride to his undertaken bv the present Government is a achieYemcnts, and I compliment him on the reprodt!itive 'work? Can anvbodv sav that efficiency of his department in that respect. there is anv increaec in the r1atio.nal wealth I am looking at it, however, from the point from the expenditure of the record sums of view of the Government's policy. I am x<>ferred to by Mr. Colledge in his report criticising that policy. for this purpose? Is the wealth production Such a policy appropriates an ever of the State being increased by the expendi inf'reasing sum of loan money, and no ture of these cver-increa~ing sums fron1 loan revenue at all to the construction of public funds? :\' o, :Mr. Hanson, of course it is buildings. It is all adding to our unre not. Th" position of the large body of tax munerative 11ublic debt, and making things payers is becoming progressively ,,·orso extremely difficult as the years go by. because of the Government's pursuance of this policy in all clepartll1ents of the State. In On the subject of contract and day-labour the Railway Department tens of thousands of jobs I should like to read an extract from pounds of loan money are being used instead the Brisbane "Telegraph" of 23rd Septem of revenue. This policy is being pursut:'d in ber last to illu,trate not only the inefficiency every direction throughout the governmental of the day-labour system compared with departments to-clay, ~>ne! obviously we are contract, but also to show the great losses proceeding along a road that must ev<>ntually incurred bv the State in pursuance of this land the State into a most difficult financiai poliey in the construction of public build l'osition. ing·s. Mr. H. H. Gayford, secretary of the Queensland :!\faster Builders' A"-sociation, is It is r·~markable that the Government haYe not made an:v effort to comply with th<> reported as follows :- conditions set clown bv the Loan Council in " Day labour is a costly experiment 1932. An honorary "independent Employ to the taxpayer said the secretary of ment Council in Queensland was cre'atecl. the Queemlancl ]\faster Builders' Associa That council was abolished and the tion (Mr. H. H. Gayford) to-day, com Bureau of Industry created. The Statn menting on the remarks made by the Employment Council, ·in its early days, Minister for Labour and Industry (Mr. recommended certain relief schemes. such as M. P. Hynes) in favour of day labour loans for ringbarking, loans for cotton plant when openino- a nDw building for Govern ing, clevelopm0ntal roads, sewerage reticula ment offices" in Townsville. It would tions. and house connections. I desire to seem from the newspaper reports that -ask the Minister Cioes the Bureau of Industry the cost of the building was £23,009, recommend the expenditure of ·such a large labour r<>prcsenting £13,720 and material -amount of loan money c'n unreproductive £9,289." buildings? Is there any recommendation ?'his is the point I should like to emphas 'from the Bureau of Industry, a department that has superseded the honorary body that Ise- existed in 1932, that we should expend loan " Labour on this class of building moneys on reproductive works to the volume should not exceed 30 per cent. of the that the Minister is doing to-dav in pursu whole cost, whereas in this case the ance of his public works building pro la hour represented 60 per cent. of the gramme ? whole cost." Mr. DuGGAN: Do you not think that those There we have the opinion of a master 'buildings were very necessary? builder, a practical man who says that the labour on a public building of that kind Mr. MAHER: Anything is necessary if should not exceed 30 per cent. of the total we have the money to pay for it. I do not cost, yet the actual result shows that the mind if rr~otgnificent public buildings are labour has absorbed 60 per cent. of the total -erected in Brisbane and in the larger pro cost. vincial cities of the State if we have the revenue and are prosperous enough to pay Mr. DuGGAN : Such a man has a lot to for them. I do not object to the spending los<' by the application of a day-labour -of a reasonable amount of loan money to policy. accelerate the rate of improvement and main Mr. MAHER: That is nonsense. Mr. tenance of public buildings, but I do object Gayford is actuated by a sense of responsi to a policy that is getting a way from sound bility as secretary of the Ma.ster Builders' 'finance and is bringing us to a point where Association and a citizen to see that the no revenue at all is being expended on taxpayers get a fair deal in the expendi .the construction and maintenance of public ture of large sums of loan money on public buildings and only loan money is used buildings. He also says- for this purpose. Those buildings have only " Assuming the figures given are cor a limited life. 'fhey are school buildings rect and that only £9,289 was expended that were erected fifty years ago. In my in mat-erial, the total cost of this job ·electorate the school huilclings are all show if built bv contract, would not have ·;ng the effect of the weather and they have exceeded £13,000. This building took -to be replaced. two years and four months to complete It is obvious, looking over the next half and was stated to carry an average of ·century, that the buildings that we construct thirty men throughout. If s He goes on to say- Mr. POWER: One of your Communist. " Buildings of a somewhat similar friends in the Aust,ralian Labour Partv character have been, or are in course moved that motion. He will be expelled .at of erection in Townsville. \V e will call the noxt meeting. the three jobs 1, 2, and 3, and make the :Mr. MAHER: The hon. member should following comparison:- not become too dictatorial. I have quoted: enough to illustrate that the difference in Total Em- Time favour of the contract system as against day Cost. p!oyees. Takm. labour is strongly in favour of contract. I find too, for example, that in the erec ------tion of State schools the contract svstem· £ Month~. 1. Day labour .. 23,009 30 28 compares more than faYourably with day 2. Contract 31,000 30 lH labour. The Kuraby State school, erected' 3. Contract 35_000 28 12 by day labour in 1928, cost £588 2s. 7cl., whereas the \Vooclriclge State> school, near Kingston-a similar type of school-was These are three jobs going on in Tov;nsville erected in 1931 at a cost of £290. We have side by side. alrC'ady quoted in this Committee the case Mr. Gayford further says- of the Maryborough Hospitals Board. " If the Minister's figures arc cor Hero the hon. member for T\1aryborough rectly reported then the labour costs found it necessary to adopt the common (£13,720) of the day-labour job would sense action of giving a tender for additions be only about £1,500 less than the tu the :Maryborough hospital to a local' labour costs of tlw two contracts put contractor whose price was £30.000 against together. In addition, the two contracts the estimate of the Departnwnt of Public of £66,000 will be completed in three \Vorks of £44,000. If the hon. member for and a-half months quicker time than the :\1aryborough had not b<' en courageous one day-labour job of £23,009." enough to take this stand in opposition to the principle of his party, the people of \Yhat an indictment of the slovenlv policv Maryborou~;h would have been saddled with, bein& undertaken by the Depart;,ent of an additional cost of £14.000. In 1929 the Pnbhc Works! Whose job is it to see that Ipswich Trades Hall was built bv contract. th~se men work' H0re is a job that has The Brisbane Trades Hall was also built by taken twenty-eight months to complete and contract. the labour charges are excessive, wher.eas Mr. POWER: Then there is nothing wrong two contract jobs proceeding in TO\vnsville with the Baroona bra.nch of the Australian ~icle by side with it are being carried out Labonr Partv. m three and a-half months less time and at a lower labour cost. Compare the dav Mr. MAHER: It shows that the mem la~our jobs undertaken by the Governme,;t bers of the Labour Party blow hot and cold' wrth the contract job. Those results speak on this principle. volumes. 'l'hose are a few of the results that indicate I have another instance of the insincerity in most cases where the contract svstem of the Government in certain respects. The has been in competition with clay labour, Baroona branch of the Australian Labour the results are heavilv in fa.vour of the· Party adopted the contract system in pre contract system. It seems a pity that in ference to the day-labour system which its many instances the Government have· members espouse. The " Courier-Mail " of resorted to the day-labour system with 8th October last states- disastrous financial results to the department and consequ0ntly to the people who hav&· " The Baroona branch of the Aus to meet the interest on the monev. I have tralian Labour Party decided on shown that in public works, the trend' Wednesday night to have improvements is '"' very unfavourable one, and that the to its hall property in Caxton streec Minister has a good deal to answer for to done by contract. the public in the ever-increasing expenditure " After branch members had discussed of loan funds, and lheir almost exclusive use· it on \V ednesday a motion was carried for public buildings. in favour of letting a contract for the My main criticism is directed to the spend work, and an amendment seeking to ing of too mnch money on palatial build have it done by day labour was ings in this city and the larger provincial rejected." cities in the State and the waste of loan An OPPOSITION MEMBER: Who is the presi money under the day-labour system. It is. dent--the hon. member for Baroona 1 obvious it can he no satisfaction to me as Mr. PowF.R: Yes, and he accepts full Leader of a Country Party, which is prin cipally concerned with the betterment of responsibility. c-nditions in the country and recognises that Mr. MAHER: This report states- no good can accrue to the city unl<·ss the conntry is in a prosperous condition,,. " A motion that the Baroona branch to sec hundreds and thousands of pounds of the Australian Labour PartY should b~ing spent on palatial Government build support the men on strike at th'8 Castle ings in this city and the larger provincial maine-Perkins brewery was ruled out cities, whilo the producing section cf the· by the chairman (Mr. \V. Power, State are n he n iscd. Tho hon. gentleman quoted ::Y1r. builders. The hon. member for Toowong Cadord, ami heatedlv asked " What has the appears to know a good deal about these Ministet· to say in r~ply to such an indict matters. but he will not contradict the fact ment·;" \Yh,, is ;\fr. Ga vford? He is not that Mr. Gayford is the paid secretary of a practical builder. He is the professional the Master Builders' .. \ssociation. Had he sccretar.J of the I\1aster Builders' Associa be.en a member of that a-sociation we cer tion who.·c job it is to writ<· up material tainly should pay much greater attention in the interest- of the master builders. to his criticism than we do when it comes During the period of office of the Moore from a paid secretary doing a little bit of Govprn1nent. Y\·ho vi·erc in favour of the propag-anda in f.avour of the contract system. ·contract system, the master builders could \Ye will leave Mr. Gayford in his pleasing not employ a secretary or at least they could occupation. The master builders are still not pay him the salary they are able to pay financially able to pay him a very good lmn to-day, because many of the builders salary for such propaganda. were going bankrupt. It is true that the house on the Cairns Mr. ::\IAXWELL: They had a secretar:-·. Range road referr,ed to by the Leaaer ?f the Opposition is out of plumb. Certam The SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC \YORKS: corner~ are out of alig-nment, but "hen it The hon. member knows that he did not was passed by the inspector of the depart get as much as :Yir. Gayford gets at present. ment it ,,-as not so. Had the hon. gentleman that the master builders are much better able to pay a secretarv now and that dur known anything about building and had he ing the time I refer to petitions been honest with the Committee he would bank~·uptcy have informed them that at the site of this 1 n regard to contractors were going through the c0urt every day. building there is 30 feet of soft chocolate soiL "\Yhat has happened is that one or two Let us get back to Mr. Gayford. As to of the stumps under the house have sunk day-labour costs I note that recentlv with in this soft soil and thrown the building out making any inquiry from the ·depart out of alignment. I am not hedging at mental officers--who are alwavs readv to all, but a person who has a ":nowledge of help, or elsewhere-he proceeded to condemn buildino·s and is aware that th1s house was that s:.--,tem and used certain figures that built {;;, 30 feet of soft chocolate soil and, were very probablv not comparable with moreover, knows the heavy rainfall in this those for work carried out by the depart locality, can appreciate that what has hap ment. I take thts opportunity of pointing pended could happen. out that the cost of the work r-eferred to - by Mr. Gayford included a considerable 'Nlr. BRAND: Was it not diagonally quantity outside the actual building costs stayed? because of the extra excavations that were The SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC WORKS: essential. Mr. Gayford did not take into I do not think it was. That is actual! v what consideration the fact that w" had to make happened. Anybody with a knowledge of a huf\e exca:ation in which to put that the chocolate soil on the Atherton Table bmldmg, whtch necessitated the employ land and Dther places knows that it is very ment of a number of men for some time. difficult to get a foundation. 'The stumps Apparently ~1r. Gayford overlooked that sank in the soft chocolate soil and threw matter, but 1t added much to the cost of the house out of alignment. the- building. Probablv Mr. Gavford ne1·er The hon. gentl.eman on the other hand ,,.a w the buil·ding. It is Yery probable that referred to the wonderful little house occ the Leader of the Oppooition or 'Omcbody pied by Mr. Titlow previously. This dwelling Blse told him about it. ' was constructed of bush timber and in If any comparison is tD be made between place> 1\;aS falling down. It was not at all the day-labour and contract svstems the the type of house that the department Anzac Square building' in Brisbane pr~vide required for a toll master, a building that a good bas1s, Two units were built under will be seen by tourists from all parts of ·Contract, and in round figures they cost the Commonwealth when traversing the £200,000. . A. thi1:d unit, probably more Range road. If the hon. gentleman thinks ·expens1ve m mtenor decoration, was built the house previously occupied by Mr. Titlow ·under day labour at a cost of £105 000 i;; a good house then he would have the average person residing in a blackfellow's I\Ir. MAXWELL: Tell the whole s;ory: gunyah. Mr. Titlow did not. desire to leave ,The SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC WORKS: this dwelling and pay rental for the more 'lhe !ton. member can tell it afterwards if up-to-date premises constructed by the he has the intelligence. The interior decora department, but this building would be seen -twn was more expensive but the units are by passing tourists, and it was our policy virtually the same. that it should at least be up to date Mr. Q.avford speaks of the cost of labour Mr. MAXWELL ('l'oou'onrJ) [3 p.m.]: The compared. with the material on a contract Minister told us that Mr. Gayford, being a job. Naturally, under the contract system clerical man, knew nothing of the subject they rush their men and scamp the work he wrote a.bout. If that is so, what is the in order to make as much profit as possible hon. gentleman's position? If he is right ·On the labour cost, but they have to pay in the first instance, I am justified in saying the full cost for the materiaL Consequently. he is not in a position to condemn or criticise they can only get their profits by pushing employers or master builders. I presume the ·the la bour9r to the limit and stinting the Minister meant that the master builders ·labour as far as possible. Naturally, in were in such affluent circumstances owing these conditions it is possible to point out to Labour rule that they were prepared to that under the ·contract system less labour have a paid secretary. Let me say, Mr. ·ir used than under the day-labour system. Hanson, that they always had a paid secre ·so much for Mr. Gayford, who I repeat is tary, and gave him a good rate of salary. not at all a practical builder, but paid to It stands to reason that if you bring in a :put before the public the view of the master day-labour system it does not improve the [ F1 on. H. A. Bruce. Supply. [12 OcTOBER.] Supply. 933 pooition of ma,ter builders. Do not forget of money by letting contracts, they do not that master builders and the persons engaged hesitate to do so. m the vanous trades associated with them My mind goes back to another instance, .are taxpayer~ of the State. If contract is the Brisbane w .>ter and sewerage works in good enough for certain men associated the olden days. It was estimated that certain ;vith the Labour Party who nevertheless sit !Nork would cost about £180,000. Up to date m caucus and elsewhere and advocate the 1t has cost OYer £8,000,000 and it is not day·labt;ur system and insist upon effect fmished yet. You, Mr. Han'son, will remem· bemg grven to rt, why is it not good enough ber the royal commission that was appointed .to use the taxpayers' money in the same to investigate the matter thoroughly. Mr. way? 'l'here is an inconsisfency. Oliver was appointed, and he made certain . .\n example was quoted of contract work recommendations. He informed the Govern l'I connection with the Labour Partv hall mPnt and others inter<>sted that the proper at Baroona. ~ course to adopt was to do the work by con· Mr. PowER : Can you prove any contract tract, but his recommendation was not '\vas signed? accepted. The wisdom of Mr. Oliver's recommendation is proved by the enormous Mr. MAXWELL : The hon. member is sums of money that have been spent up to ·president of that organisation and he is not date. alone in that kind of thing, 'because others _have done the same thing. I could give a Then we have the railwav works at ·willow· hst of work done by contract by ho Mr. MAXWELL: The hon. member may work was completed in the State Insurance· know something about other things but he building by contract, and according to the knows nothing about day labour and contract, statement made it cost £7 ls. a square foot unless it is that contract is good enough as against £9 14s. on the railway building. for him "~hen it comes to building a hall for The time to complete the work on each· a branch of the Australian Labour Party building is intere:,ting. The work on the because it means a lower cost. He is not State Insurance building was begun on 5th· sati,fied to have such a building erected in May, 1931, and completed on the 14th June, accordance with the policy of his party. 1933, a period of two years and one month. That is what I find fault with-their incon The railway building was begun in Novem sistency. ber, 1933, and was completed in .NJ:ay, 1936, I my again that the department is to be a period of two years and srx months. congratulated for having efficient officers. I According to my information from this com know what I am talking about. I am in petent authority, had the first-mentioned' a position to criticise anything connected work been undertaken bv contract it would with building. The Minister referred to have been completed in" twelve and a~half the State Insurance buildirig and the offices months. of the Public Curator in Anzac Square. He I am not attempting to say that the advo said that l\fr. Gavford did not know much cates of day labour are dishonest, but it is about certain buiiding', but he knows more unjust to allege that the only way a con about those buildings than the Minister trartor can make a job pav is b3 ~can1plng knows about the buildings in Anzac Square. the work. That is not only untrue but \'Yhat is the proper meihod of arriving at unfair. If the statement were true it would the respective costs of buildings? I askeii not say much for the efficiency of the depart certain qu0stion~ in tllis rhamber concern mental officers. They do not allow con ing the cost of the buildings in Anzac tractors to 'camp their work. I h "'-'heaper let them compete with the other This is not peculiar to Queensland. A men. But they do not do this. I know of shortage of skilled artisans exists in Eng- instances v. here they would not do it. They land. Skilled engineers in Australia can give the job to the builder. I have been obtain a free passage to England and a sum associated all my life \vith these builders of £26 on arrival provided they pledge and they are a fine honourable body of men themselves to remain in England for six that I take mv hat off to. \Ve have monu months. Can anv better reason be advanced ments to thei1: work in this State that are for training· oul' own trade5men? There equal to any in the Commonwealth. and it can be but one answer to that question, and is regrettable that a Minister should say I disagree entirely with the policy enunci that these men skimp their work in the ated bv the .Leader of the Opposition, which endeavour to make money. can only have the effect of producing a I trust the ::Yiinister will take a broader similar state of affairs as that which Exioted view and follow the example of the presi under the Moore regime. dent of the Baroona Branch of the Australian The policy advocated by the hon. gentle Labour Party and adopt the contract system. man for the reduction of loan expenditure If he doe~ eo I am satisfied evervthing will is the same as that adopted by tbe previous go along all right. leader of his party. He does not believe in the expenditure of loan money, and thE're Mr. W. J. OOPLEY (Bnlimba) ['3.20 p.m.]: I wish to thank the Secretarv for Public can be only one result, the inevitable sack Works and the Secretarv for Public Instruc ing of men on public works. Are we pre tion for the verv fine scJ1ools that have be0n pared to sack 1,500 or 1.600 men in the Brisbane area and throw them back on the built in the Blilimha electorate during the 9 last twelve months. The one at Morningside labour market No sane Administration is an infants' school, and it is the nucleus would contemplate such action. of what will cventuallv he a fine block of The hon. gentleman was very unfair to buildings. The Bulimb'a school reflects great the men employed on public works when he credit on the Department of Public \Vorks. asked. "\Yhose job i'· it to see that tlwsc the inspector•·, the foremen, and all the men men work? " Speaking from actual know engaged in its construction. I understand ledge of the average man on public worl" it has been done und0r the estimate. and in the metropolitan area. I reply that such I trust the Minister will be able to complete a question is an insult to these employees. the work hv the erection of a concrete wall The Minister will bear me out when I say on the ,ide" nearest to the tramline, thereby that contractors have informed him that realising the objective of the local committee within the last few years the Department of to make the school. which is situated on one Public \Vorks has grabbed the cream of th·• of the finest sites in the metropolitan area, employees in the building tr:>de and they modern in every respect. have to take those that remam. The Leader of the Opposition advocated The Women's Hospital in Brisbane, near the curtailment of loan expenditure on ing completion, stands as a monument to public works, which he said were not repro the initiative of the Secretary for Health ·ductive. Anyone who has seen one of those and Home Affairs in pushing on with this old school buildings such as the Bulimha buildinrr with the funds of mammoth State school, the old gallery system that " caskets." to the officials of the Depart OJWrated there, and the bad lighting that ment of Public ·works. and to the day-labour 'had an injurious effect on the eyesight of svstem. \Vith the Freemaso111s' 'Women's the children, cannot help arguing that the Hospital in England, this J.!risba_ne h?sp1b.l building of new schools is work of a repro will rank as the hest of Jts kmd m th_e .c!uctive nature. After all. the childrPn of world. I hope that the Minister will see h1s this State are entitled to every considera wav clear with the loan funds and other tion. ·we spend over £1,000,000 a year on resources ~t his disposal, to keep, in employ education. and I heJieye the Government are ment the number of men who have been pursuing- a wise policy in demolishing the engaged on public works in the past two or old buildings round the metropolitan area, three years. and constructing new ones. As a Government we cannot afford to I entirely disagree with the view of the retrench in our expenditure on public works Leader of the Opposition. I believe that any more than in anv other activity. These loan money should be pumped into industry, employees have played the game by their and until we are able to further reduce the unemployed comrades. unemployment figures by a considerable percentage, there should not he any curtail Thev took the initiative in the demand for ment of loan expenditure. I hope the return a 40-hour week, and they are one secti?n ·of a Government to the Federal Parliament of unionists in the State who voluntanlv who believe in the judicious expenditure of sacrificed four hours' pay a week in order to loan money on reproductive work will cause bring it about in the building trade, and much more money to be pumped into indus thus give employment to more men. That try and spent in and around the Greater speaks volumes for the integrity and decency Brisbane area and also in thP country. of the men in the trade. I hope that in thereby producing work on full-time wages other sections, as in the Metropolitan Water for our unemployed. Supplv and Sewerage Department, where employees a;e paid for all holidays .. the day Everybody knows the position as far as is not far dtstant when the Industnal Court public works were concerned during the administration of the Moore Government. will be able to give the men a 40-hour week For three years not one apprentice was with the rate of pay that exists for a -employed in Queensland in the Railway 44-hour week. If it is right that there Department or the Department of Public should he a 40-hour week, I do not see the "Works, and so to-day there are jobs that real justification for allowing these men cannot be pushed on with owing to the to forgo four hours' pay to bring about a inadequate apprenticeship policy of the past. 40-hour week. Mr. W. J. Copley.] 936 Supply. [ASSEMBLY.] Supply. I have trust in the future policy of the to make tlw attack that he has done in Minister, and I trust that figures like those thic, Chamber to-dav. There arc quite a ,,hown hen will be continued. number of men of t'hi:o type, and if I were in power I should tell the public the records Mr. POvYER (Baroana) [3.32 p.m.]: The of some of those persons who have tried Leader of the Opposition tried to make to undermine me in the last few days . by political capital at my expense, and so also publishing unfair statements in the " Courie_r did the hon. member for Toowong, by ::vJ:ail " about the liquor trade trouble m supenision and because of the fact that the barracks at Petrie terrace are up to that men rLalise that the jobs can last onlv for standard the members of the police force a limited tim~. thev arc anxious to· gi,:e would be very well satisfied. of their best w that when one job Is finished and another is available the fore :.Vlr. GLEDSOK (Ipswich) [3.45 p.m.]: The man can confidently say to the supervisor, old worn-out theme of dav labour versus .;, So and so is a good n1an and has o-iYen contract has been resurrected on this Yote . godd service." Xaturally, such a 1n~n is Every public man must admit that tho cir transferred to the new job. That i' >vhat rurnstance:; of each case n1ust decide the happens with all classes of work. Even in issue. There are certain >Yorks that can be the Opposition there are some hon. members ccnYeniontlv carrie-d on under the contract who do not devote the whole of their time systern. an·d v-.·e haYe illustrations of this to Parliament. Quite a number of them work in Yarious districts. It has bec'n said arc engaged in other businesse9. That maY that certain trades halls haYe been erected be all right when Parliament is not sitting, under the contract sy~tcm. The qw,,tioCI but they arc paid for their senices to tlre whether those buildings should be con countrv and so should devote the yvhole structed under the da v-labour or contract of t!.w1r time to the work of Parliament. systerns depends entirCl:· on whPthcr the They should not be so critical of the unfor authority interested has not only the plant. tunate man who has to swing a pick in the but also the organisation to do it. If it has street. Tlw employees of the Department neither, then the work must bo undedaken of Public \Voi·ks have given good sen·ice. by aornconc- who has tl1cm. That is a factor and I hope that tlre department will go ahead in public \YOrks aho, and there arc instance·-~, and cons~ruct many more public buildings ,,·here public works can be conYcniently .and so give useful employment. carried out under either svstem. There are The Leader of the Opposition expressed several examples that sh,;w how inefficient .the opinion that we should not spend so and costlv the contrac·t svstcm has been to much money on public buildings. Have not the comi.;,unity. , hon. membero opposite always advocated The hon. member for Toowong- ycmkccl the curtailment of public expenditure? Have himself into a frenzy on this subject. It is they not alwavs ohstructed eYery [lrogressiyc well within the recollection of manv hon. move in the interests of the peovle ; \Yere members that he was connected YYith a local they not returned to power in 1929 on the authority, which undertook certain Sf'Werag-e promise of finding £2,000,000 to provide work under the contract svotem. \Yhat 10,000 jobs? They did not honour that pro happened" That work had t,; be completed mise and now they urge lhe Government under the daY-labour system and the mis to retul'n to the tragic conditions of 19Zd takes of conh:actor, rectified. when they were in power. I hope that the Government will borrow as much monev as 'rhcre are many factors to be considereo they possibly can to provide further ,'Vork in the costs of dav-labour work. This for the uncmploved workers of the State. depa,rtment carries ot1t many public works HaYe we not th'e right to build beautiful on behalf of other departments. If the ,cities? ::Y1ore public buildings are required work wa, left entirclv to its guidance it not only in Brisbane, but in other citiE:s would know exactlv where it was and \dtat throughout the State as well. I am not it had to do. It ·:..·cry often happens when ad,-ocating the expenditure of all the loan the d£'partment is undertaking work on money in Brisbane. There are many public behalf of another department that certain buildings in various parts of the State that alterations are required. Alterations must are tumbling down and new ones are be made in the plans and fresh materiab required. The public works policy of the ordered. 'l'his entails some disorganisation, Government is worth while and I hope that and adds to the expense in addition to delay when the· Treasurer attends Loan Council ing the work. If the department were meetings he will be able to convince its allowed to proceed straight ahead with members that the Government of this State public works it would ha,ve a different tale haYe spent loan money wiselv and have to tell. -every justification for asking· for a still The :Minister has been listening very greater slrare. attenti,-ely to the debate. Doubtless, he I also congratulate the State Advances heard the hon. member for Toowong remark Corporation on having been able to obtain a ing about public works in Ipswich. The further sum of £200,000 for its housing Mmister visited Ipswich three years ago and schcn1es. examined certain public works. I desire to remind him of two instances. One was the The CHAIRMAN : Order ! I should like to point out to the hon. member that the nurses' quarters at the Sandy Gallop Asylum. operations of the State Advances Corpora l should like the Minister to give the nurses tion are coyered by Trust and Special Funds in that institution some idea of when this not by this vote. ' huildmg- will be started in order that they can look forward to impro,-ed accommoda Mr. POWER: I am glad that I have tion within a short period. If the present been able to persuade the Minister and nurses' quarters were owned pri,-ately our the Government to go on with an urgent health officers would see to it that proper job in my electorate, the construction of accommodation was provided. l hope that new police barracks on Petrie terrace. The the Minister will look into this phase of Premier assured me that the work would the matter and expedite the work. be begun this year. The building is required Another public work in Ipswich reqmrmg in the interests of the recruits who have to urgent attention is a new police station. live in barracks. The condition of the present building is not all that it should be, T heard t.he hon. member for Baroona and. after . seeing the new V alley police thank the Minister for the promise of a statwn, whwh the hon. member for Forti new police station at Petrie terrace, a,nd tude Valley was able to induce the Govern I should like to be in a position to do men to build, I am satisfied that if the new likewise. The police station building a,t Mr. Gledson.] 938 Supply. [ASSEMBLY.] Supply. Ipswich bears the year is was con&tructed- statement, as must also the Leader of ihE"· 1859. Opposition. The Trades and Labour Coun Mr. TAYLOR: \Vas that built by contract or cil has been consistent in its policy, and used day labour? the day-labour system on its own buildings. The police station referred to hy the hon .. Mr. GLEDSON: It must have been built member for Ipswich was built under the bv da v labour, because it is still standing; system that hon. members opposite . .'\Ould if it had been built by contract, it would like to see as the only system preva1lmg in probably have fallen down. The Secretary Queensland-by contract. for Health and Home Affairs visited that area and inspectPd this building, and said, Mr. MAXWELL: How do you know that? " I would not put my pet poodle in here to Mr. TA YLOR: That was the policy of· live." As a reeult of his visit other accom the friends of the hon. members on the Oppo modation was found for the watchman, but sition benches. Low cost was the main con now we find that single constables are sideration, whereas we claim that efficiency expected to live in that building. It is and a. solid job should be the main factors in absolutely imperative that a. new building public works. And we get them. The Aus b;; constructed in order that these men may tralian and Queensland workers are just as. be properly housed. I believe the Minister good and efficient as their counterparts in is sympathetic, and I hope he will be able any other part of the world, whether under to have this work carried out. the contract or the day-labour system, but Mr. MAXWELL: Much money was wasted I have known of instances in which con up there. tractors have not observed t.he specifications Mr. GLEDSON: I do not know of any in regard to materials. The onus for bad instance where it was wasted. The hon. work cannot be placed upon the shoulders of· member forgot to tell us that when his the workmen. A case in point is certain party was in power it sacked all the men sections of the sewerage works in Brisbane. who were employed on building a new rail It was not the manner in which the work. WiLY station at Ip,wich. was actuallv done. but the quantity and quality of 'material used that caused the· Mr. MAXWELL: It has not been gone on damage. That is the greatest bugbear of the vnth since. contmct system. Mr. GLEDSON: \Ve have not been able The Department of Public Works in the I o get the mone;t from the Rail way I.)epart last four vears has not onlv demonstrated its. nJf>nt. We are now dHaling with the vote ability to' do a. job and cl-;, it well, but has for the Department of Public \Yorks, and also helped in solving the unemployment that is a. matter over which the Secretary problem of Queensland. Had it not been for Public \Vorks has no control. for the programme of the department, the Tenders were• called for the construction building industry of Queensland would be in of a bridge at Ipswich, and the Ipswich City a. very sorry plight. lJnfortunately, the Council-not a Labour council-decided to programme has to be curtailed this year. build the bridge bv day labour, and ou.ved The department has had to reduce the about £1.200. The hon. member for number of its workers, beca.usP the friends Toowong should make a note of that. of the Opposition in the Federal sphere,. The officers of the Department of Public who control the finances and actions of the \Y orks have been very helpful in improving Loan Council, placed an embargo on the our school grounde. The Minster inspected public works and devC>!opment programmes. sonw of them. and he was satisfied that of the States, and so caused a. diminution something should be done to make them of employment. That state of affairs has· >-uitable for children to play in. A school been Ycrv much in evidence during the last was built on an area on Limestone Hill that six or ei.ght months. consisted of rocks and roots. but as a result of the help given by the Minister and his The hon. member for Toowong and his· officers the grounds have been converted into colleague the Leader of the Oppositinn have· very good plavgrounds. They must be beC>n telling the people in their various elec gratified with the work done, rLllcl I commend torates that thev should vote for the Corn· them for it. monwealth Govc1·nment because that Govern I have no dC>sire to say anything further ment made more employment available to the than to ask the Minister to investigate the people during the past three years than any two ma.tt<:'rs I have referred to once again, other (iovcrnment. The Federal Government. arid see if something cannot be done. They arc prepared to spend their money in build have been promised for many years. ing up the profits of armament firms and putting more money into defence works. J\h. TAYLOR (Enoygrra) [3.55 p.m.]: The than into development works. If we coulrl LC>acler of the Opposition and the hon. mem get Borne consideration from tbe Loan Council ber for Toowong brought forth once again and from Mr. Casey, the Federal Treasurer, the harrlv annual of contract ver~us day with the Commonwealth Bank at his di•• lobour i1! the building tmde. They sub posal, and allocate that money to public· scribe to the former. Efficiency is of no deYelopment works, we should have no kick concern to them. It is purely the cost of the coming. The position in Queensland to-day is, work that counb. \Vhen producing extracts that the Department of Public Works have· to sustain their arguments, they iudeecl had to put men off because the necessary stretch the truth and in effect make state finance is not available to carry out any ments not in accordance with facts. Both further work. It is a tragedy to think that have sai.cl that the Brisbane Trades liall one <;an pick up in any State of Australilk was built under tlw eonlract system of the balance-sheets of huge financial institu labour. That is not so. The 'frades and tions-banks and such a concern as J. D. Labour Council erected that building by day Ware and Company-and find that they arc· labour, and the supervision was maintained making huge profits out of Australian wealth bv a. committee of representatives of that production, and at the same time s.tate cZlllncil. The hon. llJf""b"r fr>r Toowong must works programme•, have had to be curtailed. have been aware of this when he made his On that matter I cross swords with members [2J,fr. Gledson. Supply. [12 OcToBER.] Supply. 939 ,of the Opposition who attempt to criticise wrong with the contract s::stem. The hon. the policy of efficiency of the Department of rnen1ber, as a practical tnan, 1nust kno\Y Public ·works in Queensland. that the inspectors cannot be on the job all I congratulate the "Cnder Secretary and the time. Ho knows that they may be able his officers on their splendid \York, but I to go along once or twice a week b' t they .believe as much attention as possible should cannot be there all the time . be given to the training of apprentices in I put a simple problem to the hon. member the \'arious activities of the department. Vie for Toov\ong. If the contractor uses the are beginning to find out this year at any same class of tradesmen. pays them the rate that because of the Moore GO\·ern· same award rates, and employs them under mont's action in cutting out apprentices and th industry, and other industries previously son with a difference of only £5,000 in the unknown to Queensland. 'l'hc hon. member cost under the dav-labour svstem as com for J'\anango is a practical farmer who pared with that of contract 'is a very fair travl'ls c.·cry week from this area, yet be comparison indeed. The work has been well does not think Queensland is developing._ carried out. I do not think anyone will I am sure he must be blind, either pur contest the assertion that the buildings con pos·cly or actually, when he makes such a structed by the department are always well dctement. The vBry fact that new buildings and truly bu.ilt. We may spend a little arc re'luired in Queensland shows that this more than a contractor in the finish or the <.·ountry i, developing. If the State ""'' at decorative effect, but generally the build a stancbtill we should not bB wanting new ings arc a credit to the department and the schools in various parts of the country. State. ::\ew hospitals vvould not be necdccl, nor now I agree with the hon. member for Bulimba court houses, They are all urgently needed. that the building trade'· union acted on sound The point is that I do not erect buildings union principles in applying to the Industrial ill the bush where there has been no devclop Court for a 40-hour week for the building nlent. "C"nfortunately, I can erect thcn1 trade, and at the same time accepting a onlv where thov have boon wanted for reduction in their weekly wag-e by four hours. ye.a:i~s, 'Yhere the u people are crying out for In the final analysis conditions of work are them. Hon. members opposite have come \vorth n1ore than pay. becau~e pa~' is to me pointing out that their electorates governed largely by the demand for services. have developed to such an extent that thf• whereas conditions of work may be held and schools cannot accommodate the children enjoyed for a long time. The.se men estab .attending them. lished the principle of a 40-hour wee-k in The big hospital about which there was Queensland. so mnch dispute in the hon. member's elec In conclusion. I should like to mention ~,:;cate is needed to-day because that district that I have had the utmost co-operation of has developed. I cannot call to mind just all my officers since I have been in charge how many thousands of pounds will be spent of the department. I r, ant particularly to on that ho•pital, but most of the people congratulate the architectural branch, and then' say that it is needed, and the persons I take this opportunity to say that it dooo interef'ted in private hospitals constitute the a greater amount of work than a private majority of those who arc opposed to this staff of similar size, and that ih work is new hospital. I quite agree with the hon. of the highest sta:;dard. uwmbcr that we should not erect these build ing-s unless the State is adv-ancing-. I am Mr. GODF.REY MO.RGA~ (Dalby) [4.42 thankful to say that Queensland is adv-anc p.m.]: The Minister said that the depart ing at a 1:ate of which we mav justly feel ment did not spend loan money in carrying proud. although not quite as rapidly as we out improvements to public buildings. I should like. Our main problem to-dav is think the Minister will agree that if his to cmvloy m·cry man in the State so 'that department decides to demolish a public h0 '1{-a_Y rear his family and increase our building originally constructed out of loan poptha tron. funds with the object of erecting a new The hon. member for Toowong. when one out of loan funds, the State has only speaking- about .\nzac Square, criticised some one building- representing two lots of expen figures that I produced earlier in the after diture from loan funds. If a proper public works policy was pursued. enough money IIOCIL The hon. member knows very well that I won! d not trv to mislead him deliber should haYe accumulated in respect of the .ately. I know that that would be difficult fil-,t building to permit of the new build c'vPn if I de,ired to do so. Perhaps there ing's being constructed, in part at any rate, is a littk difference in the angles from by expenditure from consolidated revenue. which the hon. member and I are approach If, for instance, the original building cost ing this question. I tried to give a very £1,000 and the new building £2,000, the hir balance between certain units of build total of £3,000 is represented by only one ings that were very similar, for the purposes building costing £2,000. That occurs m the of compari,on. The hon. member for Too .Railway Department in the renewal of wong- replies that the floor area constructed engines. Engines arc comtructed out of under contract was double that built by dav loan funds; they depreciate and are replaced labour. In addition, the contract work by new engines also constructed out of loan mcluded the Edward street wall and two funds. The unfortunate position is that if lift wells. The hon. member's reference to we were to . value the .whole of the public certain details may be approximately cor buildings in the State it would be found rect. but there are other details of very that the assets in this respect would repre considerable additional expense in the rail sent only 50 per cent. of the total expendi· ·way unit that would very largely offset the ture since the establishment of responsible expenditure he mentioned. My figures were government here. That is unfortunate. giYen as a reasonable comparison. The two The present Government have spent many building-s first mentioned cost approximately hundreds of thousands of pounds on new £200,000 each. The unit erected under the public buildings, particularly in the large day-labour system cost £105,000. In the centres of population. It is true that a State Insurance building is one very large certain amount of money has been spent in floor without any partitions. I think that the country, but where the Government have is a refre,hment-room. Obviously, that spent '-mndreds of pounds in the country would cut clown some of the expense in that they have spent tens of thousands of pounds building. As against that, the decorative in the city. People in the country are com effect in the railway building-due very pelled to contribute to the cost of that work. larg-elv to the use of Queensland marble What I complain about more than anything over two or three sections-would increase else is that the building trade in the large the cost but I think that an hon. member centres of population is being boomed while who ha's made a thorough inspection of development in the rural districts is retarded those buildings will agree that a compari- by lack of public money. I admit that this [Hon. H. A. B1·uce. Supply. [12 OcTOBER.] Supply. 943 policy of erecting large public buildings in conservation. If the greater part of the the cities and towns provides employment money that has been spent on public build for those workers who were thrown out of ings in the cities and large towns had been employment during the depression. The spent on improving tho land I vAnture to Minister must recognise that this depression prophesy that the carrying capacity would existed throughout the, world, irrespective of have been increased by 2,000,000 or 3,000,000 the politics of Governments. It affected the sheep and 1.000,000 head of cattle, and whole of Australia alike, notwithstanding primary production would have been greatly the fact that four Labour G·overnments were stimulated. It appears to be easy enough in power when it began. Thousands of for a worker in the city to obtain a loan tradesmen were thrown out of employment. to build a worker's home or a worker's Eventually Australia emerged from tbc dwelling. but it is not so easy for the farmer depression under circumstances over which to get an advance from the Agricultural no Government, either Federal or State; Bank. Labour, United Australia Party, or Coun The TEMPORARY CHAIRMAX: Order ~ try Party; had control. The principal The hon. member must confine his remarks. reason was that the prices of primary pro to the vote under consideration. ducts increased by 50 per cent. Therefore, increased credit was made available overseas, Mr. GODFREY MORG'AN: I am point which swelled the circulation of money in ing out that the expenditure of huge sums Australia and materiallv aided in the rehabi]i. on public buildings is not in the best tation of industry. My complaints regard interests of the State. While that expendi ing expenditure on Government buildings is ture is being carried on we neglect our most. that general development is being starved important primary industries. I like to see. while to a large extent loan money is being public servants working in good buildings used on the construction of palatial build and enjoying comfortable homes, but I ings. I admit that these, although costly, maintain that we should first of all concern lire very fine buildings in every respect. ourselves with essentials. The average man The department has not been stinted and who takes up a selection does not spend the· has had unlimited monev to build them with. greater part of his capital in building a. In almost everv instance it made a good palatial residence; on the contrary he lives job of them. \Vhat I am complaining' about in a tent or a bark hut and uses his money is if we want a few thous:tnd pour:ds to to improve his property, and when hi's develop the country by ringbarking, or income increases he builds a decent homo water conservation or fencing, the money is for his wife and family and himself. That not available. It is required for bui'ding is what has been done bv the men who were in the larger centres of population. That successful on the land. ·The man who goes policy retards progress and developme:1t in on the land and spends three-quarters of his those districts that produce the wealth that capital on a palatial home and an expensive enables the public servants to be employed. motor car does not last long on the land ; As the Minister probably knows. there are he is forced to sell out because he spent. fewer sheep and cattle in Queensland to-day his money on something that was not pro than there were many years ago, and owing ductive, just as we arc spending large sums to the drought principally less butter and on huge buildings that are not productive. other ag-ricultural commodities are being Their construction gives a certain amount of produced. work for six or twelve months, but after Mr. TAYLOR: Do we use mutton for build that they provide almost no work, whereas ing purposes? if that money was spent in the country work would be provided indefinitely. The increase :!\!Ir. GODFREY MORGA:L\: We do not, in the carrrying ea pacity of a grazing pro but the wealth obtained from our primary perty means an increase in the number of industries enables us to borrow to construct sheep, necessitating the employment of more those buildings. But for that fact the credit shearers and more staff on the property, a,nd oi the Government would not be so good as increasing the revenue of the Railway it is to-day. It is the money we get from Department as a result of the growth in wool that enables Australia to e'Cist. EYen the number of bales of wool. Employment a child at school can tell us that we are is created where production takes place and living on the sheep's back. \Ve all have to more people are employed in handling the admit that our prosperity in the past, as it increased product till it is exported. will be in the future, was dependent on the The TE:\IPORARY CHAIR:\1AN: Order! great wool industry. Our prirnary industries I remind the hon. member that the vote bring huge sums of money from the othee before the Committee deals with the Depart side of the world. \Yhen all is said and ment of Public 'Norks. done. we should not be abk to erect our large public buildings but for the primuy :Mr. GODFREY MORGAN: I realise that. industrie~. Even the Premier. togdher The Minister argued that the construction of with a number of hon. members opposite. these buildings was reproductive work, but has recognised during the present Federal I sa,· it is not. The policy of the depart e:ection campaign that Queensland is a ment is wrong. I believe in a building primary producing State and not a manubc polic•.- in moderation, but not to the extent turing one. Her development and pros:Jerity that it ha- been carried on during the last arc therefore dependent on her primary three or four years. L'art of the money products. Thew huge sums of money cou:d that has been spent on buildings could have have been spent to better advantage. Even been spent •vith advantage in the far distant if the housing conditions of public senants areas of the State-in the wealth producing were not quite up-to-date, the new buildings areas-instca d of in the large centres of c·ould have been done without for a little popu:ation. longer and the money could have be~n With the respective advantages of the day used to develop the producth·ity of the labour and contract sy0tems I am not con country by ringbarking, fencing, and water cerned at present, but the contract principle. Mr . .Morgan.] 1!44 Supply. [ASSEMBLY.] Supply. is the better eventually and this has been and trusts to be formed in the Siate with proved by hon. members opposite. When it the consent of the Government of the day. is a case of spending their own money in nine times out of ten they let a contract, It can be said truly that during the last but, of course, when it is a matter of spend three years the cost of building has gone ing the money of the other fellow they up by 25 per cent. \Yhat does that mean deem it political policy to do work by the to the worker who wants a home? It means -day-labour system. They do not practise that ever:;' worker requiring a home h11s to what they preach. V\-ithout mentioning pay 25 per cont. more than he would have nallH's we know of numerous instances in had to pay three years ago. Has the wage which, when the responsibility was on them of the worker been increased to that extent? to expend their own money, that they \Ve know that his wage has not gonu up -departed from their political policy. by nearly that ftmount. These costs caused by legislation fall upon the backs of the The Minister asked how when the cost worker). \\T ages may have boon increased bjr of materials and all other things are equal 10 per cent., but the cost of living and the cost a contractor could do a job cheaper than of buildin~ have gone up 20 per cent., and when it was done under Government super therefore it can be said that the purchasing Yision. I will tell the hon. gentleman the value of wages is le's to-da~' than five or six simple n·ason why that comes about. A years ago. Nobody knows that better than contractor has the opportunity of choosing the Minister. his team of workmen t,. a greater extent than any department of the GoYernment. For many reasons the present policy of the If a man is inefficient or unsatisfactorv he Government is not a wise one. I do not say is not retained. Ultimatelv the contractor that we should not build new buildings, but has a team of efficient and capable workmen. when the Government have monev at their Irrespective of the politics of the Govern disposal they should allocate som~ for new ment in power no administrator can get out buildings and some for renovation of build of workmen the same amount of work as a ings. I know that in my own electorate contractor. vVhen the Ryan LabOLlr Govern there are several buildings I should like io ment c.tme to power in 1915, there was a Bee rebuilt, because the district has developed small sawmill in my electorate run by the and some buildings are forty and fifty years Government for the purpose of cutting old, but if I wore asked whether I should sleepers. like £10,000 spent in some town or split up amongst ten settlers, I would ask that the The TE:\'l:PORARY CHAIRMA~: Order! mon<'y be given to the settlers. The country Sawmills are not under this vote. "·ould benefit more. A good deal of the moncv ;>,fr. GODFREY MORGAN: I am illus spent on these huge palatial buildings cost trating how any Government cannot get as ing thousands and tens of thousands of much work out of workmen. The employees pounds, could be spent in the making of at this sawmill were cutting a certain number permanent work for thousands of people of sleepers-- who want employment in Queensland to-day. The TEMPORARY CHAIRMA::"<: Order! OPPOSITION MEMBERS: Hear, hear ! The hon. member must deal with publiu works under this vote. The SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC WORKS (Hon. H. A. Bruce, The Tableland) [5.3 Mr. GODFREY MORGAN: I will not p.m.]: It v, as interesting to hear the hen. deal with the matter if you do not allow me, member who just resumed his seat, because Mr. Gle·dson, but the moment a Labour he is more often than not illogical and Government get into power the workers think they have a right to loaf on that erratic in his arguments. Government because it is their own party The statement that one of the reasons that is in power. They do not give the why the contractor could do a better job san1e amount of "\vork for the sa.rne amount than the Department of Public V\T orks was of pay as they would to a contractor. That that workers loafed on the job is entirely is one of the major trouble-; and hon. mem incorrect. I have given the unions to under bers kno,. it. The Government are not stand, ever since I have been in office, that able to dismi'S workmen whom the ordinary in order to justify the day-labour system, -contractor c::mld if he thought they were I wanted the same efficiency as they gave not giving a fair day's work for a fair outside employers, although I agree that som0 day's pay. ::luch employees remain on the men who are physically unfit or suffering in job until its completion, whereas a con other directions are not sacked, as they would tractor gets rid of the inca pables or loafers. be if they were employed by a contractor. There is thus better organisation. The con For the Government should be able to carrv tractor employs only those he wants to, and a slightly greater degree of inefficiency than naturally gets more work out of his men than a private employer. I have told unions that any Government will get, irrespective of they must give me efficiency, and I am the political views of that Government. going to see that I get it, within rc•ason. The Minister referred to the existence of They have given me efficiency. a brick ring in Queensland. Legislation of The hon. member also said that we spend the present Government is responsible for a more money in the metropolitan area than timber ring and also a coal ring, nevertheless in country districts, and he went on to say he says that increased costs for brick build that we spend thousands in the city area ings can be attributed to the operations of and virtually nothing in the country. He this ring. The Government apparently used the same cry during the Bowen know that such a ring exists. They have it by-election. It was part of the tactics of within their power to introduce legislation hon. members opposite, but it was quite to deai with it. The Labour Government untrue. They hoped it will help them now are supposed to be up against combines,• and in futurP electioneering campaigns, but monopolies, and trusts, but we know from they must not forget that in the first place experience that they have aQ!ually passed we will not let them get away with it, and legislation enabling combines, monopolies, in the second place, the people will not [Mr. JJlorgan. Supply. [12 OcTOBER.] Supply. 945 believe it. Fo1· the information of the hon. those prices drop they move on. K ot one men,ber I desire to quote the total expendi penny of public works money has been ture on public works from 1932 to 1937 in the expended in those localities for that reason. metl··)politan area. as compared with the Mr. GODFREY l\10RGAN: You condemn ·eotmtry districts. It is- yourself with your own figures. £ The SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC WORKS: l\Ietropolitan area 939.718 I do not. My l1gures arc correct and my Country area~ 1,180,040 argument logical. Anybody who argues !hat }1r. GODFP.EY i\lORGAX : \\"hat do YOU call Brisbane would not need larger bmldmgs .the "country ar~as "? Townsville? ~ be"au,;e of the greater concentration of population, and that Hockhampton, Too The SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC \VORKS: woornba, and Townsvillo would not need Tlw hon. mcmbr need the words, " J\Ietro comparatiYely larger buildings than those politan arL'a." There is a Yery pleasant that would be warranted in the smaller little town called Dalbv. When I first towns does not understand the position. l>e"ame Secretary for Public \Yorks the The ~mallcr the population the smaller ~he !JOn. member who has just resumed his seat l1uilding until \Ye come to thB prospectmg a.pproacheJ me advocating the erection of localities, where not cne penny of public a bnilding by the Department of Public \\·orks rnoncv is expended. \Ye endeavoured to \Yo,.ks in Dalbv. He said that the tJwn apportion 'the expenditure in accordance had ad vane •cl but that the public works \\'ith the populatiDn, but obviously it c.an had not kept up with the town. \Ve erected not be mathematically accurate all the the buildinf' and the hon. member must time. admit that in the court home at Dalbv he The hon. member for Dalby referred to has a buildinp: that is much better than possible avenues of expenditure' in the coun an~· pri,·ate job in that town. try, but I should ~e out of order in replymg l'IIr. GonFREY MonoAx : I admit that. to his remarks. The department 1s spendmg approximately £1,500,000 in the country, but The SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC WORKS: when the Government of which the hon. The hon. nwmber fmnklv admits what I member for Dalby was a member were in say. and "·hat hap]ldlcd in Dalbv has hap power, they did not spend anything like pened in cverv other nart of 'the State. that sum. The hon. member has made h1s \Yherever I erect public ·works the jobs are apology. He is often illogical and irrational. P<1un 1 to tlw ono in Dalbv. Thev are as First of all he said that the building trade good as. if net bctt.,· than, any of the had rpvived on account of the incre>tsed private worb. I refer now to such places price for wool but the increased price• did ~'- Cairns. Town"·illc. Toowoomba. and not take place' in 1932, and so his argument \Yarwick. If the hon. member is going to in that respect. fa,]ls to the >:round. Later argue that jn }Iount G-arnet in my electorat0 on he said that if I as 1Iinister took an \'\'f' ~houlcl erect a building equal to the one interest in the affairs of the country I constructed in Dalb,·. or that Ravenshoc, in should know that there were fewer sheep my electorate. should have a buildincr enual in the State. that the price of butter to' one in Toowoombn, his argument becomes had fallen, , that the pnce of meat ridiculous. It is obvious that the greater had fallen, that there was less produc the nopulation in an area the larger the twn. He contended that prosperity had buildinp: it needs. The population iil Rock returned to the building industry hecause of hampton. Toowoornha, Townsville, and the improvement in the prices of these pro Dther such places. "·arrants huildings not ducts, but after wandering through the bush quite ns large as those in the metropolitan for a \vhile, and getting lost, he turned and area, but larger than those constructed in battered down that argument on the same the smaller towns. The tendencv of hon. g-round,. \Ve believe in S)Jendin\( public members opposite is to make out that we funds in proportion to the population as are spending more in Brisbane than in any far as possible. The hon. member for Dalby other district. was lucky in h~ving the public buildings Mr. ::'viAHER: Of course you arc. Read that he referred to erected during the early thf' figures again. years of this Government The hon. mem At 5.8 p.m., ber for Ipswich has referred to the urgent need for nurses' quarters at Sandy Gallop, The Cn.umrA:: are public buildings even to-day that are Labour has governed Queensland is in strik a disgrace to the Government, but we are ing contrast with the policy of the l\'Ioore· not respon,ible because Governments of the Government. I am dealing only with the· past failed to carry out their obligations in period that I have represented this a~ea in this respect. Parliament and have had the duty of look Mr. HA YES (Ziunrlah) [5.15 p.m.]: ing after its requirements. desire to make a few observations on this Mr. EDWARDS interjected. important vote. I realise that the depart ment is faithfully carrying into effect ~lr. HA YES: I know more than the ban. Labour's policv with a view to overcommg m cm bcr. who knows only about peanuts. the effects o( the depression, particularly Progr0es and development of that district. those that were aggravated during the latter al'e taking place with the he! p of the period of the Moore Administration. In Government. During the administration of 1932 the Government inaugurated a gigantic the previous Government, and apparently public works policv. The report of the o\Ying to lack of energy of its reprcsenta department reflects the effect of that policy. tiw•, he being of the political colour of the· For example, take the Government work Opposition, necessary \vorks \Vere not done, shops on Ipswich road. ·we all know of but I am looking forward to the time when, the conditions obtaining there during the with the help of the present Government, latter part of the Moore regime. The opera ;.;undah will be in the position to which tions were considerably shortened, and the it is justly entitled. Innumerable works limited number of employees were only were crying aloud for attention when t~e engaged half-time. It is pleasant to find in d i&trict was previously misrepresented In the report that last J("ar the workshops were this Parliament_ working at full pressure in the manufacture The present Government have been respon of fitting-s and furniture for various Govern sible for the erection of the first section of ment buildings. a new Stat01 school there. This institution There are a number of directions where \vas in dire need of attention. There are a public works policy could be embarked epproximately seven separate buildings, an upon. For instance, take my own electorat<•, v.-ith Entirelv different floor levek It was Xundah. Although it is a metropolitan comparable- with !he huts erected during electorate it has extensive boundaries. the war period at Frazer's Camp at Enog Several police stations are situated within gera for the accommodation of soldiers. it. Past conditions compelled police stations It \\"as a conglomeration of buildings. some to be erected, together with a cell, for !.he nearly seventy years old, but something reception of delinquents, on a large area of land, in wme cases aggregating srweral "-orth while has been done by the present acres. J\1odern police methods are unlike Government. There are 800 children in those of the past. \Yonderful work is being regular attendance, and for their accommo carried out by the present Commissioner, dal ion an additional two sections will have and much reot"ganisation has been ont,ered to be Ql'ccted. upon. The area of land necessary for a The hon. member ior Dalby sairl the police Etation or b3..rracks six or ten years cities benefited at the expense of the coun ago is not now required. This area could try. but the rPport of the Department of be used to erect residences for police con Public \Vorks should convince him that this stableo attached to the various stations. The is not so. Innumerable buildings are being report of the Commi;;sioner of Police The Government have the power to amencl trade probably are not getting the contracts the laws where that is proved to be neces that they received previously. No doubt sary, and, of course, to enforce them always the same motives actuate all hon. members An occasion for such an amendment occurred opposite . .sonlc tin1e ago \vhcn an .adYertisement The hon. member for Dalby made an appeared in the Press to the effect that a audacious statement when he went so far tradesman required work, and was pre as to protest against the erection of homes pared to accept it at half pay. I admit that for the workmen. He said that public ser the situation is a difficult one, but a great Yants or workmen living in the distant parts public work' progra1nrne \Vas initiatell by of the State should not have the amenities this Govcn.mcnt. and such an advertisement of life that are enjoyed by people in the is surely not necec.sary. \V e should nor city at present. permit a newspaper to accept such an J\!Ir. PLT:XKETT: He never said that at all. adverti,emeut. Our opponents gloat onn· ·such things. Mr. WATERS: I do not take much notice The CHAIR:\1AN: Order ! of what the hon. member for Albert says. His interjection does not destroy th.e fact :\lr. HAY ES : A good trademun can that the hon. member for Dalbv d1d say ·easily obtccin a job. ili". . The CHAIR21.1AN: Order! The hon. Mr. PLT:;o;-KETT: He did not. men1ber is \Yandering away fron1 the \~ote Mr. WATERS: He did. Such a remark under discussion. shows the attitude of mind of hon. members Mr. HA YES: I am sorry if I have wan opposite. They do not believe that the to administer the Department of Public BUILDINGS. Works. Item (Department of Public Works-Chief The SECRETARY FOR Pl:BLIC WORKS Office) agreed to. (Hon. H. A. Bruce, Tableland) [5.48 p.m]: I move- SERVICES-PuBLIC BUILDINGS. " That £85,000 be granted for ' Build- The SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC WORKS ings.'" (Hon. H. A. Bruce, l'he Tableland) [5.44 p.m.] : I move- This amount is the same as provided last year. I feel particularly gratified in being· " That £51,500 be granted for ' Ser- able to state, as is indicated in the depart vices-Public Buildings.' " ment's annual report, that the increase of The proposed appropriation for this year i; £20.000 granted last year on the appropria an increase of £910 on last vear's appropria tion of the previous year has been wholly tion and £1,430 more than the actual expen and wisely distributed. Unfortunately, over diture last year. The increase is due mainly a period of a few years it was found neces to the increase in the number of public sary to curtail the allocation on the depart buildings, which neceMsarily involves ment's revenue vote by approximately increased amounts for water rates, gas. £50.00J per annum. This had the effect of electriG current, telephones, cleaning, aud leaving year by year a large part of the watching services. State's building assets in a more or less Under this vote are included rents for unsatisfactory state of disrepair. The addi public offices throughout the 1State. which tional sum voted last year has, under wise happily are being gradually reducecl as management, been used to commendable permanent Government buildings are erected: advantage. and with a similar vote this water and gas rates, which are now more or year the department will be able to remove less State-wide: sanitation. cleaning, and for some years at least much urgent work watching, primarily in the metropo1itan from the deferred list. area ; electric current and telephone rentals. I hope hon. members will realise that the To-day ou1· buildings are being better department is rendering a great public equipped bv reason of the utilisation of these service to the other departments, a fact that services. which are also largely a vailed of is all too readily forgotten by some of those for general public benefit. who benefit by the improved conditions In the manual training and domesti: brought about by the operations of my science classes in our Sta.te schools consider department. able development has taken place, to the advantage of those scholars who are privi The interest of the Crown in its funetion leged to have the use of such services. In d pr,n-iding employment for artisans asso this respect mv 1:Tnder Secretarv brought c-iated with the building trade is very back much vaiuablP information" from the !fraphicall:-- illustrated when consideration is South that clearly showed that such services given to its State-wide activitie, during the were much more appreciated by private 1936-37 year. In the year just conelud"d bodies in the schools than they are here. extensiye works were in course of exerution I hope that in the not far distant fnturc as far north as Laura and Cooktown, at our governmental expenditure will to wrne ::\"ormanton on the Gulf of Carpentaria, at extent at least be even further relieved hv Mount Isa in the far Korth-\Vest. at C;tmoo the provision of such utilities in the ·hools weal on the north-we~t border of Queensland and other public buildings bv thoce authori and Central Australia, and at \Yindorah and ties that can supply the t;nits of senicc Cunnamulla in the extreme South-\Vest. for which gas and electricity are neceg,ary. Public building_s of importance were l:nder this heading I wish to take this ere-cted or were 111 cou1~se of erection in opportunity of dealing with a matter that rc·ntres like Cairns, Innisfail, Tully. Her gives my administrative officers and me a berton. South J ohnstone. Atherton, Lam· a. Yerv considerable amount of anxictv. and Towmville. Charters Towers, \Yinton, Home incivde:ntallv involves a tremendous aircount Hill. Hughcnden, Halifax. Ayr. Mackay, of routine" correspondence. I refer to that Rockhampton, Emerald. Clermont, "\lpha, section of this vote which covers mis~el Blackall. ::Vluttaburra, :Maryborough, Bunda laneous services such as cleaning and "~atch l:rrg, Childers, Gayndah, Eidsvold, Kinga ing. Very large numbers of appliotions rov ::\anango, Toowoomba, Charleville, are being made almost daily for positions S!lr'at, 2\forven, \Yestbrook. Pittsworth. as clf'aners, watchmen. lift attendants, and so Ipswich, Esk, Bcaudesert, J\Iount Crosby, on. while the extent of the department's Coomera, Beenlcigh, and G..ttton. in addi rc;.ponsibility in r83pcct of clc-:mers in par tion to the exten"-iYe operations in progres~ t;rular has had to be extended considerably in the metropolitan area. to cover additional buildings. I have few It can be claimed that the Crown is the opportunities of placing additional persons in larg•_'"~ single employer of artisans in the mch positions. Generally Breaking, the per h1ilding and allied trades in tho State, and lnancnt en1ployee.:; haYe done good service the steady average empl. yment of 1,100 and ffi(~rit their continuous en1ployment. Next wurkmr·n over the whole year. the expendi to that is a verv considerable number of ture of approximately £250.000 in direct raf-unl en1ployecs=-persons who can only wages, and its completely State-wide pro recoiYe conlparatiyo]y small amounts for :•hort gramme of building construction work, periods cf work and only then as a rc"'lt of unforei3cen circun1stances or leaye o·1 the C'tablish this fact. pa,rt of regular 0mployees. Hence. I as:{ T am n:t closing my eyes to the fact that hon. members to en de >vour to apprcci- te t'oe rveu with this increased vote we cannot position better than can l::c conveyed by " mLct all the urgent claims that reach the stereotyped formal letter. depa.rtment for attention, but it will enahle Item (Services-Public Buildings) agre"d the department to do much towards that to. result, particularly in the country districts. [.Jfr. Waters. Supply. [12 OcTOBER.] Supply. 949 Mr. MAHER (West Moreton) [5.52 p.m.]: has been expended on a useless work, and I wish to say a few words on this vote in l can show tG the Minist,er hundreds of reply to what the Minister said in respect objects on which this money could be better of my criticism of the departmental policy employed than the construction of this toll in constructing a new toll house on the house. The tollkeeper already had a com Cairns Range road. fortable little home in wh1ch he was happv and contented, despitB the Minister's criti The CHAIRMAN : Order ! This vote cism of it, and he did not ask for a new only deals with alterations, painting and house. It was "wished " on him. \Yhat repairs, and not the construction of new an extraordinary policy- buildings. The CHAIRMAN : Order ! The hon. Mr. MAHER : The toll house is in need gentleman is getting wide of the vote under of repairs. lt was a new house constructed consideration. b~- the department, and I urged that the house was in need of immediate repair. Mr. ::vl:AHER: The taxpayers will have The SECRETARY FOR PuBLIC \VORKS: It has to meet increasing sums annually under nothing to do with the Department of Public this vote for building repairs and mainten Wo-rks; it concerns the Main Roads Com ance of this toll house and other buildings niission. erected from time t-o time on such jerry built lines. Mr. MAHER: It is for the Chairman to indicate to me if that is so. The Minister 1\1r. POWER (Baroona) [5.58 p.m.]: A is attempting to usurp the function of the r<'quPst has been made for a new State school Chairman. If the Chairman directs me to building at Kelvin Grove, and although refrain according to the rules of the House T am aware that the department has not the I shall do so, but I am not going to allow money for that work, I ask the Minister the Minister to usurp the Chairman's func to go into the request made by a deputation tions. for improvements to be effected a~ thB Girls' and Infants' School. The buddmg The CHAIRMAN: Order! On the has beBn in use for a number of years, is in Minister's statement I shall have to rule that rather bad condition, and r,equires a fairly the hon. gentleman is out of order. large amount of money to be spent on it. Mr. MAHER: The Department of Public The layout of the school is such that the ·works constructed this building; I am h~ad teacher is called upon to walk a great pointing out it is in need of repair. distance outdoors to reach the teachers of The CHAIRMAN: The Minister sa vs it the various classes. The buildings are badly concerns the Main Roads Commission. • in need of painting and many of the water pipes are broken. The sanitary conveniences The SECRETARY FOH PcBLIC WORKS: It had are situated at snch a distance from the nothing to do with the Department of Punlic schoQl that it is ra.ther umafc to allow voung VI orks except possibly that our inspector girls to go, to them, because of a camp of inspected. nnemployed in close proximity. Requests Mr. ~1AHER: That is my point, that the ha ,-p l~een made for improvements to the inspector of the Department of Public sanitary com·eniences and to have them \Vorks passed this building, which was not brom;ht clo,er to the school. I do not know up to requirements. As things stand to-day whether that can be done. as I do not know the inspector has fallen down Qn his job. whether the department has prepared plans Here is a building that is in need of repair, for the erection of a new school. and that wmes specifically under the terms Furthermore, the fence round the school is of this vote. On<· would think the Treasurv in a bad state of repair. Bccau-;e mH.m was overflowing with money when £53.0 ployed are camped close to the school and can be found for a building of this kind the fence is broken down, teachers have a when the man has his own house which fear that some of the young children might he is using and in which he wants to stay. be molested, and brought the matter under The building is jerry-built, and money has mv notice so that I would make representa to be found by the Crown to repair it. On tions to the Minister regarding it. The the Minister's own admissiQn it is out of school has been up for a long time, with the plumb. The Minister told us that is due exception of a more or less recent addition. to the fact that foundations are being built The interior of the building is in a bad i'l 30 feet of soft chocolate soil. Why was state of repair. and requires painting. As this building not diagonally stayed ? The a result of an inspection I made some time locality is within the cyclonic belt and there ago, I found that a small fire which had is therefore all the greater necessity for its occurred in one of the rooms charred the being well and truly bolted down. If walls of that room, and that charring must; buildings are constructed in the haphazard have a detrimental effect on the lighting and jerry-built style of this toll house the and eyesight of the children. I urg<:: the taxpayers will be involved in greater department to give consideration to this Pxpcnditure for repairs and maintenance matter in the near future, and if it is not under this vote. Obviously this building has po'8ible to erect a new school I trust some not been faithfullv constructed >end in conse ])ainting will be done inside the building. quence the taxpayers will have to meet I ask the rll'partment to prepare an estimate annually expenditure for repairs to it and as to what it will cost to repair the school other buildings not up to the standards of and attend to the ,overflow pipes and drainage· i.he department. I am justified in bringing gC'nerally. In painting a drab colour should this matter under the notice of the not be used. Minister and his department to en'ln·e that Mr. WELLINGTOK (Chart, rs Tou-cn) something be done to prevent a recurrence [7.4 p.m.]: I do not profess to be a buildBr or of ,a. matter of this kind. contractor, but I witnessed the erection of Certainly, the sum of £530 is a mere the Eventide Home at Charters Towers bagatelle as compared with the millions of under the -day-labour system. This home is pounds spent by the Government, but it a large building, and people come to it from frir. Wellington.] 950 Supply. [ASSEMBLY.] Supply. all parts of the State from Now Zealand. \rould make for greater efficiency if the and overseas. The Charter, TowerA mater Minister could see his way clear to station nity ward was also erected by day labour, an inspector at Bundaberg also. Certainly and no person has taken exception to its it 'vould relieye the other man of a great cost. Builders and contractors acknowledge deal of work. The present inspector, Mr. that these buildings were erected by day Thomas, is doing his work in a very ctcclii; labour as cheaply as they could have been able way, but, unfortunately, his territory is erected under the contract system. The ward s" v.ast that the visits to each place cannot for induetrial disPases, which is situated in be made as often as is desirable. I have t!10 ho-;pital grounds, was a!"' built by been endeavouring to get in touch with ::\Ir. day labour. I saw the dismantling of the Thomas, but have been unable to meet him Queentown State school and the erection of for several weeks because he has been awtty a school in the Intermediate and High School on a tour o£ inspection. I believe that the grounds. Those grounds are situated in the .appointment of ·another man would make centre of Charters Towers, and I live for eeonorn v in administration, and I am direct!,· opposite them. I took an interest confident th.at there would be enough work in V\'atching the n1en work at th0 building in Bundaberg to keep him fully occupied, of this ·chool. Other people iiving in the vicinity took the same interest in tl;at work Mr. CONROY (Jfaranoa) [7.10 p.m.]: This as I did. I take pleasure in savin" that vote makes provision for " Courthouses and dueing tho courr,;e of disrnantling ira~sport Police Buildings: repairs, painting, altera i11g, and re-erecting that buildiw; vnv little tions, furniturP, etc., £16,800." The amount of the timber went astray. o ' required is £2,800 in excess of the amount appropriated 'last year. I should like to I congratulate the stafl' of the Dcpart draw the attention of the Minister to the mc11t of Public \Vorks and the men employed state of the court hou.se at Roma. It was uncler lt 111 Charters Towers upon the excel erected many years ago and is a very fine lent work thev have done. Whilst the building, but it is in a bad condition. I Scceetarv for ::VI:incs \Vas in Charter:- Towers believe that it was inspected by an officer recently· I took him round th~ town to show of the department a little while ago. The him the improvements that ll" ve been foundations have gone to a certain extent, effected at the College and othPr places. there are large cracks throughout the build Footba]l fields, basket-ball grounds. and ing, and unless attention is given to it in tenrus courts have been provided, all the near future the cost of repair will be ~nhancing the a.ppcaranre of the <;;urround mgs of the college. considerable. It may involve a considerable amount of ·work, but the building is worth The on! v other matter to which I "·ish to preserving. refer is tlie need for co-operation between the Dr 11-artment of Public Instruction and the Some time ago it was proposed to make Department of Public \Vorks in connPction alterations and additions. The idea was to with the one improwment that is still needed remove the present Lands Office, which is a al the college. I feel sure that the Secretarv very old building, to the site of the court for Public \Vork, will carry out the thoughts house, and to make alterations to other of the Secretarv for Pub'lic Instruction on offices, I should like to remind the :Minister this matter. ' that when the court house was erected one room was provided for male witnesses and Mr. McLEAX (BundalJcrg) [7.7 run.]: One another for female witnesses, but the Depart matter that I desire to bring under the ment of Labour and Industry has taken pos notire of the ::Ylinister is the contract between session of one of th0se rooms and the the Department of Public Instruction and Department of _\griculture and Stock has the Department of Public Works. If it is taken the other. That means that when possible I should like the Department of court eases are being heard witnesses have Public Instruction to hand over the whole to stand outside the building. Seating of the work to the Dep-artment of Public accommodation is provided on the veranda. \V orks. As many- hon. members have s tid, Still, these rooms were provided as court an)' requests by them to the Department of house facilities and a town like Roma is Public Instruction for the erection of new deserving of better treatment. I do not schools or improvements to present buildi1ws suppose that similar conditions exist in any have been met with the statement that the other town in Queensland, that is., that matter has been handed over to the Depart other departments have taken possessiOn of ment of Public \Vorks for further action. rooms associated with the court house. I This causes delay. and the people on behalf sincerely hope the Minister will make a of whom the requests .are made experience note of my remarks, because I ca;n ass~ue annoyance and anxiety at the delay. Not him that unless some improvement IS earned only that, they begin to feel that there has out at the court house in the near future the been a dereliction of duty by their repre work will be a very expensive job. sentative in Parliament in not doing his bes'' to bring about a realisation of their wishes. Mr. RIORDAN (Bowen) [7.14 p.m.] : I I trust th.at in the ;-ery near future there should like to bring under the notice of the Will be an amicable settlement of this vexed Minister the necessity for improvements to question. the Proserpine State school. I raised the Another matter to which I wish to draw matter in this Chamber last session, and it the attention of the Minister is the duties is absolutely essential that the work should of the inspector of the department in my be undertaken as soon as possible. The electorate. One inspector is stationed at srhool is one of the most dilapid&ted and Maryborough, and he has to do the inspect antiquated buildings in Australia. It is a ing in both Maryborough and Bundaberg real "Black hole of Calcutta." During tli.e and the smaller places included in those dis Bowen by-election the then Deputy Premier, tricts. In the course of his dutieil he has the Secretary for Public Lands, visited the to traverse a very wide are&. One tour of school and I am sure that he was not very inspection over the whole takes so long that impre~scd to see children endeavouring to +he periods between visits to the various learn their lessons under such deplorable parts are too infrequent. I believe that it conditions. [Mr. Weltington. Supply. [12 OCTOBER.] Supply. 951 The Home Hill State school has not fallen and cement building, and we have a new into the same state of disrepair as the court house, and renovations have been made Pro~erpine school. Recently I had some Ll the nolice station. The work that was correspondence with the Secretary for Public carried 'out certainly enhanced the appear Instruction. He informed me that the depart ance of Government buildings in Rock ment was going to remodel the building. It hampton. should not be remodelled, but demolished, I wish to bring before the notice of the and a new building should be erected in its Minister what appears to me to be the lack place. It is absolutely necessary that some of co-ordination between the head office and attention should be paid to the accommoda the outside offices in respect of many petty tion required. The present building is only needs of school buildings such as broken about half what is needed to enable the window panes. There are two broken increasing number of children to be educated window panes in the lavatory of the Techni under decent conditions. cal College in Rockhampton and they have It is absolutely necessary that additions been in that condition for two years. There and improvements be made to the Proserpinc are also such things as a broken sash cord hospital _also. The:e are _forty-five ~o. fifty on a window, which has been in that condi· patients m the hosp1tal, whiCh was ongmally tion for eighteen months. It only needs erected to accommodate twenty. The institu someone to give the window a hard pull and tion has been recently districted, and the the whole thing will collapse and instead of hospitals board will labour under difficulties having to repair one sash ~ord the depart for some time to come, as under the ,-olun ment will have to repair two and perhaps tary system it had drifted to such an extent a window pane as well. The drain-piping that there are many things other than_ the appears to be all coming away from the building itself that the board must cons1der. building, and it only requires one or two In other words, they c.an only give imme nails to fix it up. It seems to me to be a. diate attention to the essentials. case of "A stitch in time to save nine." One The average nu!T'.ber of patients a.t the down-pipe seems to be clogged and the water Bowen hospital has increased from six to overflows on to the veranda and percoiatcR seven to an average of twenty-five to thirty. through the veranda, and the plastering This hospital was inten_ded to accom~o~ate underneath the veranda is falling away. I thirtv-five to forty pat1ents only. S1milar recently had the pleasure of taking the condhions prevail at Collinsville. E~sen~ial Secretarv for Public Instruction out to a social service like that given by these mstJtu little school at Frenchville. There I pointed tions should receive first consideration. The out to him a hole in the tank that had been estimates for the coming year are now under there for' the last eighteen months. The'e review. I trust that the Minister will are all petty things that require a little investigate my request for additional accom attention. The school committee has written modation at these hospitals as well as the to the authorities concerned, but it appears State schools I have brought under his that these defects are to remain unrepaired notice. I feel sure if he seeks the opinion indefinitely. of the Deputy Premier he will be assure_d I also wish to bring under the notice of that the work at the Proserpme school IS the :\linister the state of the gymnasium ecsPntial. I am aware that the :Minister's attached to the Technical College at Rock activitv is restricted by the amount of money hampton. That building is in a very dilapi that is' set aside for his department, and that dated condition, but that would not matter it is very difficult to cope with all the >O much if the floor was in good condition. demands made upon him. Nevertheless, l At the prc,ent time the floor is covered with hope that as a result of my representations about eig·hteen inches of sawdust and one and his inquiries some good will result. can imagine the atmosphere there' on a hot Recentlv additions have been begun at the summer's clay when this sawdust ·gets dis Bowen State school, c-osting in the vicinity tm·bed. I certainly should not like a child of £1,600. That work was long overdue. of mine to exercise in such unhealthy sur The work was carried out quite satisfactorily, roundmgs. I ask the Minister to see if he and in a few weeks will be completed. cannot have a wooden floor pnt down in that The court-house at Home Hill was an old gymnasium. The Technical Colleo-e0 in Rock dilapidated building that was an eyesor.:; to hampton is pecnliarly situated in that it visitors. It is said that on one occaswn. is right in tl1e middle of the tm~·n. There is when tourists were being shown round the very little room for the children to play. and town and were inspecting the beautiful they, too. are compelled to eat their middav public buildings, including the post office, meal in the school. Tables could be erected one of them pointed b the dilapidated court around the tin fence that surrounds the house and asked, "Is that the farmer's school and a form of lattice-work could be fowlhouse ?" Since my return as hon. mem b_uilt anc! bougainvillaea-which grows luxu ber for Bowen I have induced the depart nantlv m Rockhampton-could be trained ment to erect a new building. The cost is on i( thus providing a nice shade under estimated at £4.560. It was erected under which the children could eat their meals the dav-labour svstem Labour was drawn instead of in the schoolrcom where the on the" priority principle from the registra eating of meals soils the desks and attracts tions at the Labour Bureau, and this proved vermin. The repairs and alterations I have a wonderful success. I commend my requests suggested could be carried out with little to the Minister for his immediate and care expense. ful attention, particularly that for improve Mr. HILTO.\' (Garnarvon) [7.25 p.m.]: I ments at the Proserpine school. commend the Minister ~nd the department Mr. DA:-iiEL (I11 ppcl) [7.20 p.m.] : I con for the attention that has been bestowed on gratulate the Minister and his officers gener our public buildings, including schools. I allv for the fine public building, that hava do not wish to adopt the role of critic bnt been erected in Rockhampton during recent I feel it encumbent on me to make 'some years. The Department of Labour and suggestions regarding the schools in the Industry has he en housed in a new brick Stanthorpe area. Jlr. Hilton.J 952 Supply. [ASSEMBLY.] Supply. The Stanthorne district IS the coldest in general interests and welfare of the teachers Quccmland and the heating of schools in and scholars. For the bigger schools I that area should receive greater attention. suggest a system of hot-water radiation which Standardic,ation is all very well so far as would be economical to instal and run. I say it goes, but local needs and circumst The cement between the bricks is now work down a piece of cedar that was behind the ing out in certain places, and the committee judge's chair. have urgently requested that thev be Mr. 11AHER: Behind the grandfather clock. strengthened, and that the \mildin"g be pamted. The Leader of the Opposition can Mr. GLEDSON: If the hon. member for not say that I am stonewalling because quite \ye-,t_ Moreton did his duty as member for a number of his constituents attend that col h1s drstrrct he would know that manv of his lege. Therefore, I am asking that the build electors who came into the court house were mg be repal!'ed for the benefit of his electors. impreseed with that beautiful piece of wood. :Mr. _MAHER: What is the good of asking Mr. MAHER: Not my electors-speak for the Mmrster here? Go down to his office. your own. M~·- GLEDSON : The Minister is prepared :\fr. GLEDSON: Many of the electors to hsten to any request from hon. members from \\\ ·t l\loreton who came to the court opposrte, and I take it that he is prepared house were verv impressed Y.'ith that beauti to hsten to mme. This building has not £:.11 piece of re:d cedar, which had been up been painted or repaired for nearlv t>' elve smcc 1859. That was taken down bv the voars. If we own workers' dwelling"s we see department, beautifully polished. and put th~t they. are pamted eYery five years, yet mto the n<'w court room, and it is a beautiful th1s bmldmg has been allowed to go without thfng to-day. Now, any person ·who com pamtrng for twelve Years. The buildino- is nllts a misdemeanour and is brought into urgently in need of painting and of certain the court and looks at that beautiful niece re pans. of timber determines to go straight' for the rest of his days. I ask the Minister also to go into the matter of effecting certain repairs that are A request was made by the residents < f needed at Sandy Gallop Mental Hospital. Ipswich a11d, I believe, by some in the There are 160 patients in the No. 1 ward \Y<,,t :\Iorcton electorate, that in carrying of that institution, and they are in nc~d of a out the repall's the department would not dressing-room outside the bathroom for the interfere with the old building-that it old men. This matter has been before the should be allowed to stand so that the people Minister for ROme time, and I hope that he could still see what it was like when it was 1nl! mvestrgate it to see if something can erected in 1259. That was done in the not be done in the near future. At present interects of tradition. The stone was left in the old men are dressing on an open Yeranda its criginol state, and the building was and if the Loader of the Opposition were t~ r0paired and painted, but when it was make an inspection of that place in winter fini-,hed it had a piebald appearance. It time or at the beginning of the vear when was one colour in one place and another the . westerly winds are blowing "he would colour in another, and so we had to approach reahse that 1 am not stonewalling when I the Minister to have the building painted the make this request. He would admit that same colour all over, and that is now being these repairs are urgently needed. done. The amount of £85,000 for buildings is Mr. MAHER: It should not have been neces the same as was voted last vear and hon. sa.ry to ask for that to be done. members will admit that £"85 000 for the Mr. GLEDSON: There is no need to make purpose of effecting all the rep~irs that are the Minister do anything. He is prepared needed throughout the State is not a huge to do all this work so long as he has the sum. The need for repairs at the Ipswich money. He would even do the \York required Technical College has been before the by the hon. member for 'I'oowong. ·Many Minister for twelve months. hon. members opposite point out to the Mr. BRAND: You are lucky if it has been department _work that it ought to do, and only twelve months. · then, after It is done, thev ask the depart Mr. GLEDSON: As a rl:tatter of fact we ment to do something else: That happened endeavour to keep our buildings up to :date to this court house. The department had and in good repair. If the hon. member to send workmen back to this job and carry had been listening to my speech he would out repairs and painting. Thev are now have heard that nothing has been done in engaged on that job. ' the way of repairing or painting the building This vote has en a bled the department to for twelve years. It is twelve months since carry out certain very necessary works at the request was made by the committee that Sa,nd:v Gallop. I commend the department something be done along those lines but a for the way in which it has refurnished the sum of £85.000 will not go Yery far i~ carry children's 'ward. I visited the institution mg out rep a rrs to all the public buildings in yesterday and went through this ward. The the State. Th<> money is required for repairs furniture has been specially made to suit painting, alt<>rations. and furniture for Stat~ the requirements of the juvenile inmates. school buildings, technical college and High This thoughtfulness on the part of the school buildings, and court houses and police department adds to the comfort of these buil-dings. little ones. ~Ir. MAXWELL: And you are not stone I could go on illustrating the splendid walling! work of the department throughout the :Mr. MAHER: Of course he is. State. Last year I was a member of the Minister's party that visited l\'orth Queens Mr. GLEDSON: What is the matter with land. At Bowen his attention was drawn the Opposition? \Vhen hon. members on to certain parts of the court house which this side speak on matters concerning their had deteriorated and gave the building a electorates they are accused of stonewalling, dilapidated appearance. The ::\1inister did but when hon. members opposite talk all not reply in the usual red-tape way by asking round the clock they think they are doing that the representations should be sent in the work of the country. writing to his department. Perceiving the During the past twelve months monev has !'eces•,ity for the work, he gave immediate been spent in repairing the court hou;o at mstructions for it to be carried out. This Ipswich. One of the jobs was to take was done, and the roof was painted as well. Mr. Gledson.] 954 Supply. [ASSE.:V1BLY.] S1tpply. Thi, prcmpt action of the Minister not only the brass plate and prevents damage to protected the property of the Government either the floor or the linoleum. and an asset of the people, but also added I haYe no desire to delay the passing of to the comfort of those whose bu·iness takes this itcnr. because I am sure hon. n1ernbers them to the court house, and improve·d opposite are yery anxious to proceed to the the appearance of this important public vote for the Department of Railways and bnilding. That is another illustration of the Department of Labour and Industry, what is done under this vote. and then on to the Department of Public J commend the Minister on the widespread Instruction. In order to afford them that activity of his department. \Ve find opportunity I conclude by congratulating "herever we go throughout the State, from the department upon its renovating and Cape York to Point Danget·, and from Bris repair work done under this vote and. trust bane to Bi rdsville, that public buildings. it will continue to renovate and repa1r our including court houses, State schools, and public buildings so that the •;tall's of the asylums, are repaired, painted, and furnished clerks of petty sessions. schools, and asylums· frum this vote of £85,DOO. One wonders mav work in a~recable conditions-better hr:w all this work could be accomplished con.ditions than those that were provided w1th such a small vote. One marvels also \vhen hon. members of the Opposition were at tlw splendid work of the Jepartm~nt i~ entrusted with the administration of the ronoYatiug and repairing furnishings. State. Evidence of the beneficent rcsuiP of this The SECRETARY FOR PL.:BLIC \YORKS ,·oh• is to be found in the court house at (Hon. H. A. Bruce, The Tableland) [7.57 Ipswich. Since the old builclin~ was p.m.]: It would take a considerable time to repaired and renovated it has a "totally deal \Yith a 11 the requests made by hon. mem different appearance. rrhe interjor co:our ber•. The Secretary for Public Instruction is ~c!H'lll0 is sitnilar to th0 colour f'C'hm11e in in a box "--eat. in C(;rnparison with the Secre tl1is Chamber, in the choosing of which the tarY for Public \Vorks. The usual practice in hon. nwn1ber for Toowong had a Yoiee. do1i1e:-.tic nHtttcrs concerning sC'hoo!s, ctC'., is WhPn this Chamb0r was being renovated I for an hon. rnember to make representations nohced the hon. member walking ronnel in to the Department of Puhlic Instruction, company with others and suggesting· colours a1Jcl when the ?vlinister can resist the request that would be appropnate. and if the hon. no longer he replies by stating that the member inspects the interior of the old matter he s been fon·, arcled to the D part court. ho"""' at Ipswich I am sure he will be ment of Public \Vorks for consideration. It equally pleased with that colour scheme. i' the department under my adminiotration that has the duty of erecting the school. The renovation of the old furr;iture in that ::\Iine i:o the building authority, but when lmilding has produced wonderful results. the building is completed the Secretary for The old c·eclar was taken oclt and polished Public Instruction officially upens it. I aHcl placed in the new court house and the regret to say that at present there are people came from far and near to see the approximately 400 recommendations hy the heautiful timber. (Opposition laughter.) Department of Public Instruction for the 'I'he. cedar tables with turned legs in the old erection of schools in this State. court house were covered with linoleum and oilcloth that had stuck to them; the officers }lr. EDWARDS: Give them them. of the Public ·works Department removed it The SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC WORKS and polished the timber. and the tables that \Ve are short of that very necessary aecom· had been in use for seventy-five years now modation sometimes called " the root of all look as though they had just come out of evil "-moneY. \V e have not sufficient of that a furniture shop. commodity to carry out all the work, and, as Mr. ::\IIULLER interjected. I said previously, the work most urgently needed is performed. Mr. GLEDSON: The hon. member has The hon. member for Carnarvon men· been long enough in this Chamber to know tioned the court house at Stanthorpe. I that I neYer occupied the position of Secre. saw that building three years ago, and I tary for Public Works, and that, therefore, could make that building -out to be much I never had the opportunity of doing the worse than has the hon. member. It is a good work the present Minister has done very old building. The timber was evidently under this vote. The old cupboard, that sawn in the pit-saw days. The same remarks were used for storing books and the old could be used of the court houses at Too· cedar counter have been renovated, and woomba. The nurses' quarters at Sandy when the public see the beautiful polished Gallop are urgently required. There are ??d>;r co.unter that is now' installed they say, hundreds of these very urgent requirements, Who 1s respons1ble for thts? " and they and we ha ye to use discretion in choosing the are told " The Department of Public most urgent buildings irrespective of the Works." The money that has been expended membel' or the locality concernd. all over Queensland for this vote has resulted in an enormous amount of repairs and Sometimes I am rather moved to smile renovation to furniture in public buildings. when metropolitan members and others come The only new thing we had to get was the to me and tell me that they must have their door. The old door was of cedar and the school gr Jund ievelled as it is dangerous for the children. Such a school ground weather had so rotted it that the hinges might have a nice gentle rise or fall of could not be fixed to it. The department about 15 feet. I know one school in the forwarded two new doors and they were Herberton area where the youngsters have hung· last week, and, I suppose, hung in to climb 200 feet before they get to school, the new style. In the past doors were apt and when they get there the only level art;a t? fall and catch in the floor, ruining the i; an area that the miners blasted out m hnoleum. The new style provides for a hole the early days and is now, I think, a tennis in the bottom of the door and the insertion court. No youngster at that school has of a brass plate. The door now swings on broken an arm or leg up to elate. I believe [J,f r. Gledson. Supply. . [12 OCTOBER.] Supply. 955 in g1vmg all facilities where possible. The soil. The man in charge took me in and requests made by hon. members will be showed me all the things mentioned by the noted and consideration will be given to Leader of the Opposition-the jamming of them when money is available. the cloorE, the fact that the building ml's As to court houses. the Attorney-General out of plumb, and so on. Although I do sends recommendations to m~· department. not claim to 'be a builder I h.1ve enough know Court houc<'s will be attended to when ledge of the subj oct to know that a couple sufficient monev is forthcoming. of stumr, had wnk in the ground. \Ve m the Department of Public VV' arks have the The hon. m~mber for Carnarvon opened greatest difficulty in reel soil areas snch as up the wide subject of lwating schools in at Too·.-coomba and on the Athcrton Table thP Stanthorpe district. From his point land in getting proper foundations. In the of view, no doubt, it is important. It would, Toowoomba area we have put down con of course, increase the c st of building. crete floats ancl erected buildings on them, \Yhilst there is a very sound ground for but lat• r on the same old trouble has hie. argument I would point out to him that developed. Similar difliculty is experienced in many parts of the North and Central on the Atherton Tableland. Somebody asked Oucnnsland we should have to instal air me if this house was horizontalh stayed. c~nditioning plants because of the extreme I said I did not know. but the Leader of heat in those partB. the Opposition has emphasised the need for Mr. MAHZR: Do you not build chimneys having it horizontally stayed. on Stunthorpe public buildings? Ylr. :C.l.,HER: No, I said diagonally brao(d. The SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC WORKS: The SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC WORKS: The only public building I inspected at I do not ]mow whether the Leader of the Stanthorpe was the conrt house. There Opposition knows the diffc~·cnce between was a little iron stove in it. diagonally braced and sphcmg the mam Mr. J\fAHER: Your architecture is all wrong brace. if yon do not provide firepla.ces -in Stan J\Ir. J\LI!!ER: I do. and I know that it has thorpe. not been cl iagonally braced. The SECRETARY FOR PT.:'BLIC WORKS: The SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC WORKS: I realise that if vou close a r om an 1 burn I say emphatically that the. hon. member charcoal fires it' is very injurious to the does not know what he is talkmg ab~mt when hralth of the persons in that room. he savs that it has not been diagonally The hon. mcmqpr for Bnnclaberg raised braced. John Titlow, who occupies the bnild the qn<'c,;tion of my inspectorial staff and inrr is a very old friend of mine. and I the areas to be con'recl by them. Queens thi~k the Leac!Pr of the Opposition must land is a large country, and although we have told him that he was a LabouT repre have many inspectors they have to cover sentative, because I do not think that. J ~hn tremendous ar<:'as of country. The inspector Titlow >;ou]d have allowed h1m to go ms! thro,tghont the State. It has also been sug Mr. KA"'E (Ea,t Toou·oomba) [8.18 p.m.]: gE-et~d that aecommDdation sh~ uld be pro I desire to join issue with the represenh ' idcd in school grounds where children tives of Northern electorates in their mav lnYc their meals outside the school claims for better accommodation for State bniiding·s. S mething along thDse lines schools. The rpsidents of the North know should be done. The cost would not be nothing about the inconveniences suffered vcr;· gr<·:t.t. It is not conducive to the in cold weather by the children attending health of the children to compel them to our Sb.t.tl~ schools in the South. That is r.an' their meal, in the school itself. particularly true of the outdoor classes. I Every consideration will be given to the have no diffidence in suggesting that a dif representations by all hon. members, but of ferent typL of school to that built in the cou;·se prekrcnce will ha··c to be given to "'orth be decided on for the southern areas. the most urgent work, and the programme Classes can be taken on the Yerandas of will be clictakd iargelv bv the amount of Northern schools, but not in the South. It is money available to the department. true that classes on the veranda might have the advantage of the sun in a short period Mr. CLARK (Fit ray) [8.13 p.m.1: I in the early morning, but in the afternoon agree w1th the hon. member for Ipswich these classes suffer from cold we,terly winds. that .l- sum of £85.000 is not ven much If instruction must be imparted on tho when spread over tlw whoh of the St:cte. verandas then they should be gla~sed in. I n alisc that the Department of Public Work-- is only a building authority, but in The Leader of the Opposition complained the fnud unalySI" we look to this depnrtment this morning of the inadequacy of the build to carry out the '\York that is ncC'ssary. ing operations in country centres. . Th1s morning I had the pleasure of seemg 111 h1s Fir t of all I should like to Grino- under electorate one of the fint''it country schools tho notice of the Mini~ter the clil;pidated that have been erected in recent times. It c end HIOn of the AllctJSto•::n State 'ehool. had the benefit of glassed-in verandas, just whicb has been erected for sixtv odd vears. as 1 am advontirw. I h.ovc good reason for I trust thr•t \Vhcn he is allocati;,o- funtis for seeking similar tro~ttn1cnt to that giver~ to his school builrlings he will place this school electorate. \Y c should not standardise our at t.be head of the programme. It is in a school buildings, but build according to the '·:ry bad state of repair. All the stairs are climate in each district. in need of immediate attention. Unless \Ve haYe in East 'I'oowoomba. ono of the something is done to them in the very near finest provincial State schools in Queens future some· of the children will be hurt. hnd. It only needs a concrete and cham I also desire to m<>ntion to the Minister f~nce to complete the beauty that so . vn;ll that, although the Gra.cemerc school is in sets off its utilit-c. The North school 1s m a fair state of repair, som!> alterations or the course cf comtruction, and the South aclclitiDns are required. I lwlieve that the school is promised. \Ve are not complain committee has already asked the :Ylinister ing particularly about the absence of that. t~ she~t up the verandas s:> as to protect because it is +.he only one that is outstand t<~c clnlclren from the cold winds that blow ing. \V c realise that if it were not for the a()ross the plains towards the mere 111 fact that a new road up the Range is under wmter time. consideration and a new water works at a Another school I wish to call the cost of £300,000, we should have more public Mm1ster's attention to is the Boys' Central. buildings. Rockhampton, which is on the boundary of The 1\Iinister said we needed very much the. Rockhampton and Fitzroy electorates. better court-house accommodation in this It 1s a very l_ar~e school_. It is very much State. We certainly do. ~n need Df pa:ntmg. It. 1s a long time since We have no complaint to make of tho It has been pa.mted .. Th1s _work is very neces expenditure of publ:c money in the elec sar_y. to keep_ the bmldmg m a state of repair torates of Toowoomba and East Toowoomba. consistent _w1th. the d1gmty of the city. It is Although we should like some renovations sttuated nght 111 the heart of Rockhampton, we feel that we have no reasonable cause and 1t should be kept in such a condition as for complaint. Some of thcse buildings were to make one proud of our publiq buildings. up-to-date twenty-five years ago, but the Secre . Another building requiring some attention tary for Agriculture and Stock has increased IS the .M<~mnt Morga.n Central State School, hie services and on a. Saturday morning, when the prmc1pal State school in Mount Morga.n. all the officers come into town, the building A larg~ number of pup1ls attend there. It accommodation is so crowded that they have IS a m1xed school, including infant classes. to avail themselves of temporary accommo The committee has. already hrought the need dation. The State Insurance Department is for several alter a twns before the attention a. trust department, and pays its own way, of the dep~rtment, and I understand that and if extra storeys were placed upon that the work 1s now in hand. The school buil-ding that would meet the requirements l'rounds :nay be compared with the one in fo.J; the present. It is not the court house the Mlr:!ster's electorate he mentioned. that we are so much concerned about, It consists of red soil and dangerous because that is only used occasionally, but !'ulhes are washed out by every storm. This the clerk of petty sessions and other offices, 1s a. danger to the limbs of the scholars which are continually in use. Here extra. many of whom receive injuries from falls: accommodation is urgently needed. That ~ hope that something will be done in this work could be carried out at a minimum of Important matter. expenditure, and requirements would be pretty well met for the present. I should _In conclusion, I convey to the Minister and like to see the buildings in the outside h1s staff my m~ed of yraise and appreciation places, such as schools and police residences, for the way 111 wh10h they have received built on modern lines. It is essential that my representations during the last twelve we build a buil-ding that will be up-to-date mo!'Jths. Every official has given me great in twenty-five years' time, and this is a assistance, and I am pleased at this oppor factor that the department takes cognisance tunity to pay this tribute to them. of. [Hon. H. A. Bruce. Supply. !12 OcTOBER.] Supply. 957 During the discus~ion on an Appropriation port hon. memcers would be well repaid by Bill the Loader of the Opposition said that a ,-i,Jt to this school to see the excellent we must reduce our taxation. that we must work done by the department. live vvithin our revenue, and we n1nst not The school at rppcr l\lount Gravatt is use loan money on building programmes. If ahnost a ne'< building·. An increase in popu we do not use loan money in building we lation warranted an increase in the capacity shall reduce employment, and if we reduce of the budding. Additions have been macle, taxation we shall have less revenu<·. and t!Je buildings painted, the ground under the if we live within that lesser revenue we schoul concreted and concrete paths pro shall have a poorer standard of living. vided from the road to the school. The The CHAIRMAN: Order' J'\ew buil-dings grounds ha,,e been levelled off. This work VOTES PASSED UNDER OPERATION OF STANDING ORDER 307 AND SESSIONAL ORDER. At 9.30 p.m., under the prO\·isions of Standing Order 307 and the Sessional Orders a.greed to by the House on the 11th August and 15th September last, the questions for the following votes were put by th.:' Chairman and agreed to:- Department of Public \Yorks £ I nspeetion of machinery, scaffolding, and weight,, and measures 41,426 0 0 Balance of vote 2,377 0 c Department of Labour and Industry 57,579 0 0 Department of Pu blie Instruc· tion 1,667,325 0 0 Department of Railways 5,565,000 0 0 Trust and Special Fund~ 8,532.217 0 0 Loan Fund Account 3,369,000 0 0 Supplementary Estimates, 1936-37- Rcvenuc 152.228 17 10 Trust Funds 594,150 5 4 Loan Fund Account 147,980 12 1 Vote of Credit, on account, 1938-39 "' 3, 700,000 0 0 The House resumed. The CHAIRMAN reported that the Committee had come to certain resolutions and asked leave to sit again. RPsumption of Committee made an Order of the Day for to-morrow. RECEPTIO:-; OF RESOLcTIONS. The SECRETARY FOR FGBLIC LANDS (Hon. P. Pease. Herbcrt): I move- " That the resolutions be received to-morrow.'' / Question put and passed. The House adjourned at 9.37 p.m.