19-22.] 



943 



The Ministry had been furnished with a list of certain 

 stations in important fruit and vegetable growing districts, 

 and had written to the ^Ministry of Transport with regard to 

 the resolution citing the cases of the particular stations named. 

 The ^Ministry of Transport replied that it had taken up the 

 matter with the Railway Company whose stations were named 

 and that they had answered that whilst they realised that such 

 telephones if fitted would serve a useful purpose they were not 

 essential and that the Company were unable to take any 

 further action in the matter. 



The Committee considered that this reply was unsatisfactory, 

 and that the question was one of general application and not 

 confined to the particular Eailway Company which had sent 

 this reply. In view of the fact that the lack of telephones 

 resulted in trucks not being available when required for urgent 

 transport of perishable fruit and vegetables, and that market- 

 were frequently missed and other losses incurred, the value 

 of which would many times exceed the cost of the installation 

 and maintenance of telephones, the Committee considered that 

 some special steps should be taken. It was decided that the 

 case should, in the first place, be brought by the Controller of 

 Horticulture before an early meeting of the Interdepartmental 

 Committee on Transport so that its observations may be avail- 

 able at the next meeting of the Auriciiltui-al Advisory Committee. 



(4) The Provision of Land Drainage Work for Un- 

 employed. — The ^Minister outlined this scheme in aid of whicl: 

 an allocation of .^650, 000 of the money which the Government 

 had decided should be spent in the relief of unemployment, 

 had been obtained for agiicultural drainage work. Advance'^ 

 were to be made through Drainage Authorities and County 

 Agricultural Committees, on condition that ex- Service men 

 mainly were employed and that at least 35 per cent, of the 

 money advanced be refunded to the State when the work wa- 

 completed. The ^Minister had been unable to lay the matter 

 before the Committee prior to the publication of the scheme 

 as the work was urgent. Some 30 schemes had already been 

 initiated in various parts of the country, and as soon as they 

 were formally approved they would commence.* No unnecessary 

 formalities would be allowed to stand in the way of work under 

 the scheme beiny at once started. The scheme wa'^ foi-malh" 

 approved by the Committee. 



« See also p. 922. 



