INFORMATION WANTED

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

INFORMATION WANTED

SOME PARTY SKIRMISHING ECONOMIES AND EXTRAVAGANCES While the reductions recommended by tho Public Accounts Committee were being considered, in connection with the Estimates last night, Mr. C. E. Statham (Dunedin Central) protested that the ilouse was in an awkward position in respect to these reductions. it war .without information. He moved that tho vote for the Post and Telegraph Department should bo reduced by £5 ns an indication that the House did not take the responsibility. in the absence of full information, for the reductions proposed. Tho vote actually before tho House at the moment was that of the Post and Telegraph Department. The Postmaster-General said that re-, ductions had been rendered possible by" the reorganisation of the Department, by the dismissal of employees, and by retirements on superannuation. The last batch of officers to go numbered 300. From tho time —about 12 months ago — when tho staff was at the “peak” of its numerical strength, a few more than 900 employees had gone out. Tho number included superannuated employees. Among those who left the Department wore young ladies, who preferred married life to working for the State. The saving in overtime and meal allowances had been effected by allowing time off instead of overtime.

The Hon. J. A. Hanan assured the House that there was gross extravagance and inefficiency in public Departments. The Economies Commission had' admitted that to bo the case.

Mr. W. T. Jennings (Waitomo) charged the Post and Telegraph Department with failing to provide for the needs of the back-block settlers in the matter of telephone extension. Tho Leader of the Opposition (Mr.’.Wilford) supported the amendment. He said that no members of the Ilouse had 1 any information regarding the reductions that were proposed. The Government, ho said, had got into the habit of bludgeoning the House by the use of the Reform majority, and of refusing to givo information that -ho House was entitled to have. The Prime Minister said that some of the criticism that was being directed at the Government was grossly unfair. Had members forgotten the war, which unavoidably had swollen' the expenditure of the Government Departments? Had they forgotten the slump in ■ the prices of produce, which had reduced the public revenue and caused the Alinistry. to. have most serious difficulty in keeping the expenditure within the revenue? The Government had not shirked the difficulties. It had faced them, and it was proposing now to give effect to very important economies ihat had been recommended by the Economies Commission. Did the member for Dunedin Central object to the reductions? Mr. Statham: Of course I do until I know more about them. Mr. Massey replied that members had been given very full information. He had put the fullest information before them when he was explaining the Financial Statement. He would be prepared to go to tho country to-morrow and explain every action of the Government in connection with these matters. The Government had reduced the expenditure by £2,000,000 already. The Estimates had been comlied, and every items that could be cut down had been cut down. So far as ho knew there was only one salary that had been touched, and that was an item that he did not think was within the law. But salaries were going to be touched. Did the Opposition members suggest that the Government ought not to retrench? Did they say that it had been wasteful? If so, where had ii failed in its duty? He did not believe that members could point to any instance of waste. Mr. AVilford: I will show you if you come out to Trentham. Mr Massey: What would you show me? Mr. Wilford: I would show you stores full of stuff going to waste. Mt. Massey: War stores returned to this country. . . Mr. Wilfoid: Stores you have kept there for two years in some cases. Mr. Massey: They are stores that are not wanted. , Wilford: There are 70,090 overcoats among them. ... , . < > The Chairman (Mr. Malcolm) objected to the continued interjections and insisted that members must confine their remarks to tho Estimates. The member did not win the right io go ( Standing Orders by moving a reduction of a vote as an indication that something should be done. , , The Prime Minister said he. vished i add that the end of the war found Nev Zealand in possession of store; 111 that were not required. Iho Jmpeuai Government proceeded to send the s Ota* to the Dominion that hau mu « the, and as soon as he discovered 1 >• it were coming that were not Jikel. * reuuircd he stopped them. No immiici of the House had been refused rea.onwant information about Ul Mr I will advi.se the Minister in hXirabto S for.the 1 Mr l Wnford /- That is only rude. Mr' Ma«ev: There is nothing rude Mi. *ta-cj {oUow t(ie exampl c SX'Tri.-i >» refrain from mtorjections■ f]iat The l^tmastei^eu liad bee , ;i while some £44,0 p u blic Accounts recommended by the department:, Committee in the 1 ote 0 vc(( the estimates h.<c L. Between the very careful, consideration - Bet ee time at peered and the time at ivhicb^^. , nc[usion on to tho -I' •J ( thev had tern Before that again. \ very large sum had been saved to -e- - urged the a the fullest information, fairl.i lecoid « I nr'diiV th? Estimates? The Alims-tei-L'cvcn that night had given inform; - . - tion with a freedom that was quite unusual on such occasions. Mr Statham, speaking after the supper adjournment, said that his amendment, had not been moved in any .hostile splilt. But members had a right io knmv .just what was being done in th? inatt-i ol ic tveiichment. They were being asked to the dismissal of a niimbci cf men from the Public Service; but the\ bad not the details, and ho did not fee disposed to accept responsibility tor what the Government was doing. Dr. A. K. Newman (Wellington East) said lie.” had come across some very severe cases of hardship among the retrenched men. He had been asked vha system was followed in the selection of men for. dismissal. It was a very serious , thing to dismiss a man who had been | in the Public Service nearly all his Hie and who was within a year or two or the retiring age. , r t Mr Statham's amendment was defeated bv 36 voles io 12. The minority consisted of Messrs, Bartram, Holland, Hanan, Jennings. Masters. McCal/um> Parry Savage, Sidey, Statham, Veitch, and Witty.