FINANCIAL POSITION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 463, 23 March 1909, Page 5

FINANCIAL POSITION.

MR, MASSEY'S VIEWS. GROWING COST OF GOVERNMENT. (BY TELEGRAPH—SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.) / Auckland, March <22. This afternoon Mr. Massey, Leader of the Opposition, accorded' me a short interview, and, in reply to a - question with Tegard to the Dominion finances, Mr. Massey said it was quite impossible to properlj' discuss she financial position until the accounts wero made public at the end, of the financial year ; but, from what had been divulged, it was evident that a considerable change, and not for the better, had taken place during tho last twelve months. For instance, during two quarters of the present financial year tho Post Office Savings Bank had shown an exccss of withdrawals over deposits. This is a somewhat serious matter, not only as proving that money is dearer as compared with previous years, and that the earning power of tho people has been curtailed, but it is serious also from the point of view of tho Government, who have been accustomed to borrow large sums of money from tho Savings Bank, and which, on this occasion, they will bo unable to do to the samo extent as formerly. Then, for some years past tho expenditure from the Consolidated Fund has been growing out of all proportion to the population. For instance, under the heading of annual and permanent appropriations for last financial year thoro was an increase of £440.000, and other items in proportion. Well, this sort of thing cannot go on for ever, and thero is no doubt from recent indications that the time has arrived for Parliament and the public themselves to check any unnecessary expenditure, and, without being parsimonious, to insist on economy in connection with public expenditure. • But, do not the Government say that they aro endeavouring to retrench and practiso economy in conncction with the Public Service? "When I see them practiso economy I will give them credit for it, and let mo say here, I have no fault to find with tho appointments of Messrs. Hamor and Donne to tho High Commissioner's Office; but when I seo tho Government increasing the number of Ministers by'2s per cent., appointing a Timbor Commission which will cost probably 50 guineas per day, erecting a temporary building for the purposes of tho Legislative Council at a cost of several thousands of pounds instead of utilising the existing premises, and going in for similarly unnecessary expenditure in other directions—then I can come to no other conclusion than that all this talk about economy is a sham and a delusion." Would you suggest slackening tho public works ? "Certainly not. Necessary public works must bo carried on, but wliat'l want to mako clear is first, that though tho country is a good country, in my opinion tho cost of Government in New Zealand, apart altogether from public works, is excessive, and, second that tho public sorvico as a whole must be placed on a better footing than it is now both from the point of view of tho public and from tho point of viow of the officials." .