The Public Accounts.

Hokitika Guardian, 5 January 1922, Page 3

The Public Accounts.

(Lyttelton Times.) We were in a position yesterday to print abstracts of the public accounts of Britain and of several Australian States brought up to the end of the year 1921. In the course of a few weeks the New Zealand authorities in ,their leisurely fashion will provide corresponding information, concerning the Dominion finances. The latest figures that we have came along during the holidays. They show the position of the Consolidated Fund ;for fthc eight months ended November. As we have said on previous occasions these par ticulars are of such a character that one caii understand that the Government has some reluctance in making them available to the public. The records continue to tell the same old story of a falling revenue aggravated by further increases in expenditure For the drop in receipts the Government is not responsible; on the contrary it has missed no opportunity of taxing the people in order to provide itself with moiiey to spend. Customs revenue is heavily down for the reason that in the previous financial year imports were in excess of requirements SO that the Treasury received dutyrevenue ahad of time. The receipts from stamps are also reduced for the good reason that there has been less speculation in land and consequently less demand for deeds of instruments. We are inclined to regard a lessening of Consolidated Fund revenue as a good thing since it means that the, community is not being fleeced quite so close as the Government would wish, for practically , the whole of the revenue and certainly all the net revenue' consists of taxation. But where revenue falls, or whether it falls or not the plain duty of the responsible Ministers is to prevent expenditure from growing, as It does like a snowball. The following table shows the comparison between the eight months of the current financial. years and the com responding months of the preceding period:— innr . Revenue —1921, £18,446,245; 1920 £l6 009 744 ; Decrease £2,563,499. Expenditure-1921, £18,820,749; 1920 17 026,262; Increase £1,294,487.-Deficit-1921, 4,874,504; 1920, 1,016--518; Increase £3,887,986. These figures are disturbing enough in themselves, hut they are simply amazing in face of the reiterated statements of Ministers to the effect that they are engaged on an energetic policy of economy and retrenchment and are cutting down expenditure in all ,]»,reefifon. Instead of this, however the returns show nothing but heavier cost of government. For the increased expenditure is all in the Departmental class; in fact-, permanent charges show a small reduction. The rise in the Departmental expenditure during the ci.rht months of 192 l over that in the corresponding months of last year comes to 17 per cent, and il this is maintained till March the Departments will cost the taxpayers nearly 18* millions for the full year. Three yours back the total was under IB millions, At the risk of giving fresh offence in Reform circles we take the opportunity of pointing out that-Sir Joseph Mard was Minister of Finance in 1918-1 J when the cost of the Departments was under 9.V millions, and that since then, under StV James Allen, Mr Massey. Sir Francis Hell and Mr Downiei Stewart, this class of public expend in re has gone up and up until for the latest! peiiod brought to account the total 'is at the rate of 18V millions per annum, or nearly 100 per cent, more than when the ’ supervision was in Sir Joseph 1 Ward’s hands only three years ago. | We should like to hope that they will receive the close attention of f'e public, and of members ol Parlia-ment-even Reform members. For really this is ft question of far more importance than the prospects or fate of nnv political party. Indeed, one of the most prominent newspapers on the Government side Is moved to stern eriticisiil and even to suggest that the Government ought to he thrown out of office for its financial extravagance. The “Ougo Daily Times” points out that the accounts reveal no sign of fulfilment of Mr Massey’s promises of oconomv, which have “faded into thin “A few foutline economies have It,.cu announced the effect ol which "ill he to subject the public to intolerable inconvenience and to deprive it of amenities of life to which it has long been accustomed,” says our contemporary. “But this is merely playing with the matter. There must he real economies, involving savings of millions. [ And unless they (the taxpayers) obtain relief of an appreciable kind, which i ci.il be afforded to them only by ifetrenelmient in the .public sen ice charges, they may he disposed to express their dissatisfaction in a definite manner at the general election late in I the year.” Tu other words, in the opinion of the “Otago Daily rimes, IMr Massey must either drastically | mend, his ways' or he must go.