1198 1198COUNCIL.] ltegislative Council. (vi) What were the costs per head frm station to disposal? Friday, 8th October, 1948. (vii) What is the total amount of money paid by the Government in facilitating the PAGE transport of cattle from the North-West Auditor General's report ... .. .. 1198 during the past 18 months? question,: Cattle, as to drt'~frm oth-West .... 198 et. bus 19 The CHIEF SECRETARY replied: ... liesluaios19 Mootor ae s to aliT (i) 2,150 head. Mon Railway gg unilforulyastPrt (ii) Onl "Moola Boola" 20 head; unable PidnerokenHill in............119% Transrailway continuation, as to alternative to state losses on others. routes, Spencer's Brook to Fremantle.....1203 (iii) 930 head. Resolution : State forusts, to revok, dedication .... 1207 Bills: IncrssofRent(WaReltesttos) Act Amend. (iv) In 1942-47 10s. per head. 1943- mat, Assembly's message............1207,.1225 Assembly's request lbr conference.....1237 not yet sold. Conference manager.' report ... ..1287 Assembly's further message .... .......... 1237 (v) So far as is known-20 head. Legislative Council (War Time) Electoral, an. 1207 (vi) In 1942-f3 Os. 5d. per head. Assembly's message ................ 1225 request for confree.......1230 (vii) The Government was not involved Con~ference"Assml managers' report .. ... 1237 Assembly's further message .............. 1237 in any expense with the transport of the Motor Vehicle (Third Party Insuance R .. 1207 Assembly's cessage ............... ..... 1227 cattle. companies 3........................... 1207 Assembly's message.............1234 'WOOL. Assembly's further message........1238 Education Act Amendment, 23.. Corn......1208 As to Railway Freight Paid by Remalning stages......................1223 Appropriation, 2R. .... .................... 1223 Commonwealth. Remaining stages......................1225 Lon, £350.000, 2a...................... 1227 Hon. G. W. MILES asked the Chief Sec- Emainin stag............1232 Traffic Act Amendment Act, 1941, Amendment, retary: 2&, remaining stages.. ................ 1232 was paid or payable by Complimentary remrarks............13 (i) What amount Adjournment, Special......... ..... ... 1240 the Commonwealth Government to the Rail- way Department in respect of wool from the outer Albany zone railed to Fremantle- The PRESIDENT took the Chair at 4.30 (a) during the 12 months ended 30th p.m., and read prayers. June, 1942; (b) during the 12 months ended 30th AUDITOR GENERAL'S REPORT. June, 1943? The PRESIDENT: I have received from (ii) What amount was paid or payable the Auditor General a copy of his report on by the Commonwealth Government to the the Treasurer's statement of the Public Railway Department in respect of wool ap- Accounts for the financial year ended the praised at Albany, and subsequently, under 30th, June, 1943. It will be laid on the instructions from the Central Wool Commit- Table of the House. tee, railed to Fremantle for shipment or treatment- QUESTIONS (4). (a) during the year ended 30th June, CATTLE. 1942; As to Drafts from North-Ws at. (b) during the year ended 30th June, Hon. C. F. BAXTER asked the Chief 1943? Secretary: The CHIEF SECRETARY replied: (i) What is the number of cattle which (i) (a) £911; (b) £3,619. have been brought over the Canning stock (ii) (a) £2,33Z;; (b) £C3,406. route during the past 18 months? (ii) What were the mortality losses on KOJONUP ROAD BUS SERVICE. such cattle? As to Revenue, Expenditure, etc. (iii) What number of cattle has been Hon. H. L. ROCHE asked the Chief Sec- despatched from Moola Boola Station during retary: the past 18 months? On the Kojonup Road Bus Service to the (iv) What was the average price per head 30th June, for the years 1942 and 1943, when disposed of? respectively- (v) What was the number lost by mor- (i) What were the gross proceeds re- talityI ceivedl [8 Ocroasa, 1943.]119 1199? (ii) What were the costs of- to another place for its concurrence. I am (a) general running; sure that members of this Parliament must (b) maintenance; have been a good deal disappointed when (e) repairs? they read in "The West Australian" of the (iii) What was the net profit on the ser- 29th September a telegram from Canberra vice for each of those yearsI as follows:- (iv) How many passengers were carried The Federal Government does not intend at in each year? present to proceed with the unification of the railway gauge between Port Pinie and Broken The CHIEF SECRETARY replied: Hill. The P rime Minister (Mr. Curtin) said (i) Gross proceeds, from 27/11/1941 tonight that the official Army view was that (date of inception) to 30/6/1942, £3,001; there were other necessary works to be car- 1942-43, £6,587. ried out occupying a higher priority. (ii) Costs were, from 27/11/1941 (date of Of course1 it would not be our wish to chal- inception) to 30/6/1942-(a) General run- lenge a statement made on the authority of ning, £.603; 1942,43, £1,770; (b) and (e) military opinion, hut it is very disappoint- Maintenance and repairs, £C351; 1942-43, ing, particularly in view of the fact that our £55; (d) Interest and depreciation, £214; hopes were built up by statements made by 1942-43, £435. the Prime 'Minister at the opening of his (iii) Net profit, from 27/11/1941 (date of election campaign. In his policy speech, he inception) to 30/6/1942, £1,833; 1942-43, said that the building of this railway line £3,827. wvas in the forefront of the Government's (iv) Number of passengers carried, from programme. Later, in some of his public 27/11/1941 (date of inception) to 30/6/1942, utterances, he said it was the intention of 3,573; 1942-43, 7,735. the Gov-ernmcnt to proceed with this pro- ject in spite of opposition from any of the MOTOR TRAFFIC. States. Those may not have' been his exact As to Tail Light Regulations. words, but that was the general tenor of Hon. A. THOMSON asked the Chief Sec- his remarks. So the hopes of those of us who have been retary: advocating this plan were buoyed up and it is with great regret that we find that a In view of the shortage of and difficulty project which looked like coming into being or their component in securing batteries has again been relegated to the background. parts for cams and trucks, will the Govern- Some members of this Chamber have been ment consider cancelling the traffic regula- keen advocates of this railway extension. tions which insist on tail lights burning while From timeP to time Mr. Miles has referred cams are parked, thus conserving the life of to it, and I spoke about it during the truck and ear batteries? Address- in-re ply debate at the beginning of The CHIEF SECRETARY replied: last session. It is hardly necessary to re- No. It would be toe dangerous. mind the House that this question came to the forefront, from a defence point of view, MOTION-RAILWAY GAUGE UNIFOR- back in 1910 when the late Lord Kitchener MITY. advocated the provision of a uniform railway As to Port Prie-Broken Bill Line. gauge as part of Australia's defence pro- RON. J. A. DIMMITT (Metropolitan- gramme. Later in 1921, the then Inspector Suburban) [I4371 - I move- General of the Commonwealth Military Forces stated that the work was an urgent That this House regrets that the Common- wealth Government does not intend at present necessity. In 1923 that high militai-y auth- to proceed with the unification of the railway ority again expressed the opinion that it gauge between Port Pinie and Broken Hill, as was a matter of extreme importance that the announced in "The West Australian" of the 29th September, and urges that the priority construction of the line should be undertaken ranking of this work be reconsidered; and that without delay. We can cast our minds back this motion be sent to the Legislative Assembly to January twelve months to appreciate that with a request for its concurrence. Western Australia wvs in dire peril. Had I hope that the motion will meet with the the Japanese, flushed with their success, approval of this House and that it will he come down from Java and Malaya. to this dealt with expeditiously so that it may go State the steel road, with its broken gauges, 1200 (COUNCIL.] of the railway would not have been able to carry sufficient advocated the unification of lines for interior and munitions in quantity and time gauges and the building troops That was the scheme that have enabled the defence of this padt of communication. to Commonwealth the Commonwealth to be undertaken. I had myself put up to the Lord Kitchener also pointed Thus the defence aspect of this question Government. take six months to trans- appreciated by all of us. We realise its out that it would is corps from one side of Aus- importance, which has been stressed by the port an army tralia to thq other. I think it will serve a Kitchener and other high military late Lord good purpose if this House carries the officers. But it has anl economic aspect as motion and the Legislative Assembly agrees That is borne out by the concluding well. to it. It will strengthen the hands of the of the Prime Mdinisters published paragraph Government in any approach it may make to which I referred earlier in my s~tatement to the Commonwealth to urge it to construct remarks. The Prime Minister said- Hill-Port Pinie line as a first that the gauge should be the Broken it was intended we can advocate the other lines the same as that in New South Walea-4ft. step. Then S%in.-to enable quicker transportation of being dealt with subsequently.