BRITAIN CUTS DOWN EXPENSES

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 44, 15 November 1919, Page 7

BRITAIN CUTS DOWN EXPENSES

: MR. LLOYD GEORGE'S LETTER TO THE DEPARTMENTS THE PUBLIC TEMPER The following is a copy of a letter , recently addressed by the British Prime Minister to the heads of tho Govern- | incnt Departments on the subject of . retrenchment:— ! 10 Downing Street, f August 20, 1919. ' 1 "My dear , "I wish to call the attention.of my 1 colleagues 'to * the- feeling which exists, in tho House of Commons, in the Press, and among all classes of the community ' us to (ho necessity for an immediate 1 cutting down of Government expenditure. A general feeling undoubtedly ex- ■ ists that expensive and needless estnlv 1 lishments are being maintained because : of the reluctance of'those at the head 1 of the various branches of Administration in the Government Departments to ■ dismiss any of their employees. 1 do ' not think th.ft the strength of this fecl- ■ ing is realised by subordinates, and thi s i is probably due to the fact that tho need for immediately taking steps to curtail expenditure has not been sufficiently insisted upon. Do It or Make Room. 1 "Motor-cars are taken by some "of tho speakers in the House of Commons as a proof that unnecessary expenditure was still being maintained, and when tho public attention w;w angrily directed to tills ono specific item it was discovered -that considerable economies could bo effected without any perceptible injury to the public service, or at any rate with no harm to tho public service commensurate' with that, which is inflicted b.V excessive- expenditure. "The time has come when each Minister ought to make it clear to those under his control that if they cannot reduce expenditure they must mako room for somebody who can. is the public temper, and it is right. Office heads of Departmental branches can always find admirablo reasons for not re.ducing (he.personnel under (heir charge. It is an unpleasant duty, and they prefer to leave it to others. They must be compelled to use it. "The numbers still employed in tho public services have in the aggregate hardly decreased perceptibly since the war. That cannot bo defended. The state of the national finance is suchthat only what is indisiiensa.ble to sound administration ought to bo maintained. Everything in excess must be ruthlessly cut down. 11l the interest: of economy we must be willing to content ourselves with the sccond best where the best is too costly. Holiday Ministers, "Ministers cannot, until things 'are put right, hope to enjoy anything like tho vacations to which (hoy dl had beon accustomed to look forward in pre-war days. Although I realise that fomo rest is necessary, and we shnll bo tho better for it, complete rest in the sense of dismissing all thoughts of t.he tasks with which we are charged is quite impossible until the affairs of the nation return to the normal. "1 therefore earnestly trust that Ministers will, even during tlieir vacation, givo some thought io Ihe best method of carrying out this'urgent appeal with ji. view to reporting to mo by about the middle of September as to the steps which cither they have taken or propose lo tnko to conform to what is unquestionably tho general desiro of Ihe pat ion. "F/ver sincerely, "D. LLOYD GEORGE."