Control Of National Expenditure

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 25, 24 October 1942, Page 8

Control Of National Expenditure

Sir, —Your editorial of Monday’s issue of "The Dominion” is of unusual interest, and some such control of war expenditure in New Zealand is long overdue. According to the first report froin the British Select Committee on National Expenditure, January 16, 1940, the committee set up consisted of 28 members, reflecting all shades of opinion. Twenty-eight members might appear to be somewhat unwieldy, but from this number seven sub-committees were set up to deal with: Army services, Navy services, air services, supply services, home defence services, and. trade, agricultural and economic warfare. The seventh- sub-committee is the co-ordinat-ing committee and is comprised of the chairmen of the former six services subcommittees. From reports to date issued by the above-mentioned co-ordination committee, much valuable and far-reaching work has been done. Differences common to wartime contracts and costs have been impartially dealt with; difficulties concerning materials in short supply 'have been ironed out and the specifications amended accordingly; production has been brought into line to comply with wartime demands and requirements by the elimination of peacetime frills and non-essentials coupled with a wider standardization and understanding between production, technique and inspection, which, have been made, possible by the sub-committees calling to their aid the assistance and knowledge, technical and otherwise, of the best brains that industry and organized labour can offer —hence the greatest industrial war effort the world has ever known. No objection has been raised regarding the investigations of the British Select Committee on National Expenditure by any of the parties concerned. It is recognized that it was time only such a committee divorced from Government departmental control can . impartially examine the current expenditure defrayed out of money (the taxpayers’ money) provided by Parliament to prosecute the war to a successful conclusion. This is the non-red tape way of handling a complex problem that concerns every taxpayer, and should commend itself to every well-wisher and supporter of an all-in war effort. —I am, etc., H. E. CHILDS. Wellington, October 19.