ESTIMATES REVISED

Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 66, 10 December 1921, Page 8

ESTIMATES REVISED

SAVING OF £260,000 DETAILS OF THE REDUCTIONS SALARY DECREASES YET TO COME The Estimates submitted to the House of Representatives with the Financial Statement some weeks ago were referred to the Public Accounts Committee at the suggestion of the Government, in order that reductions might be made. The Prime Minister explained at the time that the Estimates had been largely prepared before his return from England and that economies had been approved since that time. The Public Accounts Committee returned the revised Estimates for the 192122 financial year to the House of Representatives yesterday. The chairman of the committee (Mr. D. Jones) reported that reductions to the amount of £260,118 had been made. The details of the reductions were as as follow:— PERMANENT CHARGES.—SPECIAL ACTS. ReducVotes. tions. £ £ Miner’s Phthisis Act, 1915 and Finance Act, 1920 — Pensions and allowances ... 2,500 Pensions Act, Iff 13, and Finance Act, 1920— . Old-age pensions (off net amount) 30,744 33,244 STAMP DUTIES DEPARTMENT. New postage and duty dies 500 Special allowances to recorders 150 —- G5O POST AND TELEGRAPH WORKING EXPENSES. Salaries (total of) 16,000 Rural telephones 800 Temporary officers —postmen, messengers, and general division 18,000 Overtime and meal allowances 10,000 44,800 PUBLIC BUILDINGS. Contribution to Drainage Board for drainage, public buildings, Christchurch 150 Contribution to Drainage Board for drainage, public buildings, Dunedin 150 3OO MAINTENANCE AND IMPROVEMENT OF ROADS. Expenses incidental to the maintenance and improvement of 4oads 8,000 DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRIES AND COMMERCE. Board of Trade 200 Telephone services , 25 Travelling allowances’ and expenses 100 Credits increased by 17,500 17.825 COOK ISLANDS. Erection of fruit-packing sheds, Rarotonga 225 Installation of wireless telegraph system at Rarotonga and Niue 425 650 PENSIONS. Pensions to epidemic widows and widowers and their dependants 1,170 MINES. Advances to oil-boring companies 1,000 Assistance towards ambulance classes 50 Cost pf collecting goldfields revenue 25 Instruments and apparatus and chemical supplies 20 1,095 DEPARTMENT OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS. Assessment Courts under the Rating Act, 1908 ' 5 Astronomical stations, expenses in connection with 10 Bird-life, expenses in connection with preservation of 20 Protection of tuatara lizards 10 Temporary assistance X. 274 Fire drills, attendance at ... 10 Census, 1921, cost of taking 1,000 Museum publications, printing of 100 Specimen and pictures, purchase and preparation 0f... 100 Absentee land tax due by officer of High Commissioner’s staff . 1 Allowance to officer of Tourist Dept, for extra duties as Permit and Passport Officer 10 Cost of acquiring land for roads under section 115 of the Public Works Act, 1908 10 Expanses of Public Service Stores Tender Board 25 Returned Soldiers’ Assn., railway fares of delegates to annual conference 50 1,625 PRINTING AND STATIONERY. Machinery 500 Monotype metal 100 Type and printing material 100 7OO DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. "Journal of Health” 350 Medical and nursing services in country districts ?00 Medical research work' 250 Refuge and charitable institutions 2,560 St. John Ambulance Association 250 Salvation Army Prison Brigade work 450 4,200 NEW ZEALAND MILITARY FORCES AND CADETS. Total to bo reduced by 100,000 AVIATION. Purchase of aircraft machines and spare parts 5,000 Wireless sets, cameras, and camera-guns 1,000 Meteorological instruments... 1,000 7,000 MARINE. Salaries—Professional Division, Class C 250 Expenses connected with training ship Amokura ... 1,750 Working expenses and repairs, s.s. Hinemoa .. 3,750 Credits, increased by 500 6,250 DEPARTMENT OF LANDS AND SURVEY. Credits, increased by 10,000 AGRICULTURE. Agricultural instruction— Agricultural instruction generally 750 Departmental exhibits at agricultural and pastoral association shows 900 Utilisation of pumice lands 100

Special phytopathologies! investigations 25 Allowances to officers temporarily performing special or higher duties 30 Subsidies to cost of erection of cattle-dips 500 Stilton Poultry Farm 100 Poultry industry: Grants to— Cost of printing report of New Zealand Poultry Conference 10 N.Z. Poultry Association’s egg-laying competition, Papanui and Southland 127 Fostering the bee industry 50 Purchase of dairy requisites and produce for experiments 250 © 2,842 EDUCATION. Education boards: General ... 2,250 Inspection: Extra clerical assistance, 1 typing, etc 115 Organising teachers 1,600 Teachers’ libraries 250 District high schools: Salaries 1,500 Training colleges— Allowances to students, and fees 4,000 Salaries of staffs of training colleges 200 Rebuilding and furnishing schools destroyed by fire 3,000 Courses of instruction for teachers 150 Travelling allowances and expenses 300 Schools for feeble-minded: Salaries 1,250 Child welfare: Salaries 1,400 Conferences of education authorities 750 Subsidies to public libraries, etc 3,000 19,765 Grand total £260,116 ' * WAR EXPENSES ACCOUNT. The total estimate of expenditure for tho War Expenses Account was £1,830,888, but against this amount might bo set a sum of £507,000 recovered from the German Government as New Zealand’s share of the cost of the Army of Occupation. The Prime Minister stated, in reply to a question, -(hat none of the reductions affected salaries or rates of pension. The Leader of the Opposition asked if the reductions were merely for the period that had still to elapse before tho end of the financial year. \ The Prime Minister replied that the revised Estimates applied to the current financial year. The changes that had been made by the committee had nothing to do with the Estimates of next year. He could tell the House that he contemplated very important alterations in the methods of compiling the Estimates in tho interests of economy. The heads of Departments, in presenting their estimates under existing conditions, took caro to ba on the right side. They generally asked for larger votes than they.' actually required, and this did not make for economy. Some hotter system was required. The Prime Minister added that the Public Accounts Committee had done its work uncommonly well. He mentioned specially the work of a sub-committee consisting of Messrs. Jones (Kai'kpoi), McCallum (Wairau), A. Hamilton (Wallace), and Craigie (Timaru). “These reductions cover only the period covered by the Estimates up to March 31 next,” added the Prime Minister. “They do not. cover salaries, but there will be a reduction in salaries. The Bill dealing with these reductions is on the stocks now, and is not far from completion. It proposes to reduce tho larger salaries down to a certain point. Members will have an opportunity of reducing nearly tho whole of the salaries in the Public Service during the present session. I want to make that perfectly clear. The recommendations will be submitted to Parliament. . . I am willing to take the responsibility as head of the Government, but a verv largo proportion of the salaries are ’fixed by statute, and cannot lie altered except by statute. Even in the lower ranks of the Public Service there are thousands of men whoso salaries are fixed by statute. We have to make ends meet, and the only way to secure reductions is to submit tho proposals to Parliatnent.” REPAIRS TO GOVERNMENT HOUSE LABOUR OBJECTION TO LARGE EXPENDITURE. The Estimates this year provide for an' expenditure of £5OO On repairs to Government Housq, Auckland, and £2500 on repairs to Government House, Wellington. Tho Leader of tho Labour Party last night moved that the item of £2500 should bo reduced by £5OO. It was extraordinary, ho said, that £6851 should have been expended on Government Houses in 1920-21. It was the height of recklessness. > This was no attack upon the Governor-General, but the Government. , A

Tho Leader of the Opposition (Mr. T. M. Wilford) thought that the Government might explain how the expenditure became (necessary. He was. ho explained, strongly in favour of housing, the Governor-General in a manner suitable to tho dignity of his office. Government House in AVellington was no credit to the builders, said Mr. R. A. AVright (Wellington Suburbs). It was not jiroperly habitable. When the wind blew from ono direction the chimneys sent smoke into some rooms, and when it blew from another direction they sent it into others.

The Prime Minister said that Government House, Wellington, had cost a very large sum of money, but it had been placed on a most unfortunate site. For somo reason that ho-could not explain, the building had been scarcely habitable until the alterations which cost the amount mentioned by Mr. Holland had been made. The amount on the Esti- ' mates this year would probably not be required. Dr. A. K. Newman: Is this £2500 the last vote wo shall see for some years for Government House? Mr Massey: As far as we know. The Minister iof Public Works: Apart from ordinary maintenance. Mr. Holland’s amendment was defeated by 41 votes to 4. in the Council BILLS FROM THE HOUSE. The following Bills, received from +lm House, were yesterday read a first time in the Legislative Council-Customs Amendment, Maintenance Orders (facilities for enforcement) Bill, Education Amendment Bill, Native Trustee Amendment, Forests Bill. The Forests Bill is to bo referred to a committee after a second reading pro forma. MORE JUDGES A suggestion that New Zealand needed some extra Judges was made by Mr. T. M. Wilford (Hutt) during the consideration of the Estimates last night. Air. Wilford assured the House that the Judges could not get through their work at the present time. One extra Judge colild find full employment in Auckland. A 'judge was paid £2(100 a year, but it was false economy to save one or two of these salaries when great loss and inconvenience were being imposed upon litigants by long delays in the hearing of cases.

Tho Minister of Justice (Hon. E. P. Lee) admitted that the Judges were overburdened. He had considered measures for improving the position. He had increased certain fees so as to give the Justice Department a surplus of revenue over expenditure, and ho intended now to suggest that an additional Judge should be appointed. That tho standard of the Magistracy should be raised was urged by Mr. Tt. McCallum (Wairau). who said that the salary paid was not sufficient to attract the right sort of man.