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Tuesday, 19 December 1911

Mr MASSY-GREENE (RICHMOND, NEW SOUTH WALES) (5:48 AM) . - I am, of course, very glad to see this money voted for telephonic and telegraphic works, but what we all most desire is to see these works carried out as rapidly as possible. The Minister was good enough recently to answer the following questions submitted by the honorable member for Cowper : -

1.   How many applications for country tele phone lines are now before the PostmasterGeneral?

2.   How many of these lines are approved for construction ?

3.   How many is it estimated will be erected in this financial year?

The answer supplied to the first question was 160. It was stated that 96 of these had actually been approved, and that the Department were going to carry out within the year only 48.

Mr Frazer - That reply disgusted me, and led to the instruction I have recently given.

Mr MASSY-GREENE (RICHMOND, NEW SOUTH WALES) - That is the sort of thing which has been disgusting honorable members for a very long time. They have found that although works have been approved, and the money appropriated by Parliament to carry them out, the Department will not carry them out.

Mr Frazer - When I found that only half of the approved works were to be carried out, it led me to make things rather interesting in another quarter, with the result that an effort will be made to secure the more rapid completion of approved works in the future.

Mr MASSY-GREENE (RICHMOND, NEW SOUTH WALES) - I am glad to hear that statement, which, I am sure, will give considerable relief to many honorable members.

I wish to ask, in connexion with the suggested transfer of votes, whether amounts transferred from one vote to another will affect in any way the total amount to be expended on any work.

Mr Fisher - No ; and the transfers will probably be to votesfor the construction of works of a similar character.

Mr MASSY-GREENE (RICHMOND, NEW SOUTH WALES) - What I wish to be sure of is that there will be no possibility of moneys appropriated for country telephone lines eventually being expended in the cities.

Mr Fisher - No; it is probable that if there is any transfer at all it will bethe other way about.

Clause agreed to.

Clauses 3 and 4 agreed to.

Schedule.

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