The Guardian AND EVENING STAR, With which is incorporated “ The West, Coast Times. FRIDAY, APRIL 22nd., 1921.

Hokitika Guardian, 22 April 1921, Page 2

The Guardian AND EVENING STAR, With which is incorporated “ The West, Coast Times. FRIDAY, APRIL 22nd., 1921.

PUBLIC WORKS EXPENDITURE. The stricture the Miniate! of Public Works is placin',;, tilt public works expenditurte Hv local bodies will create (ViV.‘iidera!i!e concern and dissatisfaction. The Lyttelton Times voices this in no uncertain sound, and it draws a comparison between Ministerial statements on the country’s finances which suggests that Mr Chutes is taking tin extreme course not \Vhiraldted by the national position as Hvenled by the Statements Of his political chief. The ‘Cliristohufch paper says: ’Just before leaving 'the Dominion on Saturday Mr Massey said llmt the surplus for tic last fi’hnheia) year was ‘‘greater than had f‘cC‘i'l ever imagined”; the country’s finance was ‘‘as sound as anything can be”; from the reserves he had been-* building up “there is enough to see us through this year”; and, in consequence, of course, of this splendid position and most excellent, management, ”1 shall be able to reduce taxation at, the end nt the year.” The White Minister and Treasurer had iVo sooner term'd his h.r-k oil a community with this g’lowing frvowel] ringing hi its ears than he \v is contradicted by a (Yiileague. Mr Coates stated at Auckland that ‘‘owing to financial stringency'' expenditure upon public works must he restricted to works that are “really urgent and essential” if nil that in eases where votes luYe been granted to local bodies and eotniuilincuts have not, IVeeii made the authorities are to be cancelled. The public will he pardoned for not knowing what to make of these, conflicting statements. Mr .Massey may have had in his mind, that, owing to the big surplus, there is •‘enough to see us through the year” if we take a leaf out of the miners' book ami 'Adopt the go-slow policy, but U'b is 'hot consistent with the highly optimistic tone of his observations. Of course the surplus will see us through the year if we don’t spend it, hut the finances ot the country can hardly he ‘‘as sound as anything can be” if local bodies’ authorisations that have been passed by Parliament, are to he cancelled and public works are to be seriously restrictel generally. Possibly Mr Coates is too little impressed by the enthusiasm of his chief and is also too pessimistic over the condition of Lho Public Works Eund. In the recent short session Mr Massey showed that the ways anl means available for public works for the financial years 192021 was £3,530,010. of which £2.160,669 had been expended up to February 28. Thus on March IMr Coates had £1,369,841 at his disposal. We do not know how much was spent in March because information of this kind is very slowly disclosed, nor, for the same reason, do we know the amount of the surplus. But we should say that the Public Works Fund must now amount to about a million, and if to this he added a surplus in the Consolidated Fund “greater than had been ever imagined.” where is the justification for gloom and parsimony on the part of the Minister of Public Works? This is a very unfavourable time, just on the threshold of winter, for a great employing Department, to take up the go-slow policy; hut apart from that it is to be hoped the Government will realise that withholding necessary public works for a developing poultry when Increased Production is the watch work of the hour, is not economy but the very reverse. We think, as has often been emphasised in these eoluinn.s, that the Government ought to both economise and retrench, but it should select any other Department than that of Public Works for the practice of those long-neglected virtues. We ask Ministers and members of Parliament—to look at tin l swollen staff and salary lists of the numerous Dej pertinents and then sav if the ‘“financial stringency” proclaimed by Mr Coates and denied by Mr Massey could not and should not, ho rrliovd by substantia,l rotmiehmimt in those directions before the progress of the country is crippled and unemployment created I by a partial cessation of public works.