The Hokitika Guardian SATURDAY, JAN. 21st, 1922. THE WEEK.

Hokitika Guardian, 21 January 1922, Page 2

The Hokitika Guardian SATURDAY, JAN. 21st, 1922. THE WEEK.

Discussing retrenchment generally Mr Massey said that a considerable number of public servants bad been dismissed, and more' would have to go because during the war Departments became over-Btaffed under circumstances for which no one was to blame. In such cases it was impossible to avoid hardship. If they were to attempt to avoid that hardship by keeping public servants on then it would mean that salaries would have to be reduced all round by one-third.

The foregoing was a precis of Mr Massey’s remarks in Parliament on the subject of economies. This w r eek he has brought down the Government proposals for reduction of salaries. The task is. so objectionable that we may feel sure the business hag been put off to the last moment. The fact that it is beng done, is evidence that it has to bo done, and is a very complete admission of the breakdown of Reform finance. A year ago before setting out for England Mr Massey drew a very roseate picture- at Auckland, and left our shores leaving the impression behind that all was well financially. Before the Premier was out of wireless range we had the Acting Treasurer telling a deputation that the Tresaury was empty. For a year then the Government has jogged along at the same extravagant rate of expenditure, hoping something would turn up and save the Ministry from doing an unpleasant duty. Cabinet members have been preaching economy but have not dared to practice it till the financial cupboard was actually bare, and the one recourse was to begin economies within the administrative household.

The Governement wilL now make a virtue of necessity, yet it is clear matters (have been progressing in a reckless manner for some years post. Mr Mas,soy admits Departments w6re over " staffed, but there will be very few in agreement with him that “no one was to blame” for this maladministration. The orgy of recklessness which was indulged in has now to be paid for. New Departments of a most expensive character were organised. The Forestry Department is in this category, and there is no doubt the reckless extravagance in the conduct of this particu-,

lnr Department has caused more diesatisfaction and heart burring In the Public Service than any other action of the Government There was great recklessness and extravagant cost also in running the Defence Department. Good ness knows how many large buildings in Wellington were pressed into service to house the huge Department with its overlapping staffs. Yet, Mr Massey considers no one was to blame for all this! The taxpayers will form their own opinions. Then there hag been the penalties put upon the public to help keep some of the large Departments going. The increased postal and telegraph rates, the increased fares and tariff on the railways, all went to keep the glorified Departments going with their full staffs—and the increased demands on the public were not sufficient to make the Departments pay. Now the staffs are boing reduced yet Mr Mn ssev bolds uo one is to blame!

The Government lias a very difficult task to perform, but the situation is largely of its own making. Economies should have been practised long ago, but the desire to hold office caused the Government to make lavish promises two years ago, and the financial situation would not permit of the gilt-edged promises being fulfilled. The situation should have been obvious to the members of the Government when making those promises impossible of fulfilment, and if it was not, then there was something defective in the administration. To go on as has been the case with Departments admittedly overstaffed for two years before doing what was the right thing to do, indicate: how inept the Government party was to hold the reins of administration. It has been palpable all along hat the Reform party lacked financial ability to direct the affairs of the country. If the Dominion had not had the assistance of the Liberals at the time of the Coalition over the wa r period, doubtless a far worse position would have been revealed. What was done in that critical time by Sir Joseph Ward, entrusted with the control of the country’s Stances, and what has transpired since is just the difference between the two main parties in the matter of financial administration. This was proved a couple of decades ago when the Liberals succeeded the Conservatives, and it would appear that events are shaping a course to repeat themselves at no distant date again when next there is an appeal to the country.

As to the merits of the present action by the Government, the position is well put by the -'Lyttelton Times” in) recent comment, wherein the paper goes' 1 on to say: The Prime Minister de- j serves credit for having at last grasped the nettle, if he has been slow about it while reasonable people will sympa- I thise with him in having an extreme- ' ]y unpleasant task to perform A line . of criticism that he will have to face. • however, is that hi® sehem* is not one of economy and retrenchment so much I ns the mere carrying out of reduction in expenditure chat was supposed to have come automatically with the movement in the cost of living We are afraid that when all is said and done, there will still be too many Departments ’ and they will remain overstaffed. When it is remember?.! that the cost- of the Departments has risen by millions last year, and for the first eight months of the current financial year rising further at a rate that would bring the total for the twelve-rnonh to eigheen and a half millionc—when these figures are considered the conclusion is inescapable, and that there should be room for considerably greater reduction • than apparently are now in contemplation. However, a commencement on the scale • covered by the present Bill is certainly to be welcomed by a community so heavily taxed as are the people of New Zealand. Many af the public servants will, of course, feel the pinch, since they have become accustomed to larger spending, but, as we have said, cost-of-living bonuses must, in fairness to the taxpayers and in the very nature of the arrangement, be subject to adjustments downward as well as upward.

CoNGitATUTiATioNS to the Hospital Hoard" on having at last focussed the building programme so that within the next two years we may hope to see the Westland Hospital a completed institution on modern lines. The Board was no doubt extremely fortunate in havat its disposal an officer of the calibre of Mr C. E. Allen, the Health Department’ s architect. Having met and conversed with Mr Allen we recognise in him a type of officer not met with too often in the Public Service nowadays. He is a man who devotes his whole energies to his work and does it enthusiastically without reference to time or pay. An officer of this class is becoming something of a rara avis from all accounts. It would be a pity were it really so, but we should rather hope that a leaven of Mr Allen within the Sendee should, do a great deal to improve the tone and the value of the staff about him. Mr Allen struck us as being essentially a public servant —one who worked for the pub- ( lie and not a Department, one who. weighed other considerations than De- • pantmental views and proceeded l on j sound commonsense lines. Mr Allen appears to be an ideal for other public servants to emulate in method and manner. The officer’s ability was fully thrown into the project in hand, future generations who pill have a fine hos-

pital building at their service will owe 1 it in the main ho an exceptionable publie officer who threw his heart and soul j into the work and did it both wisely and well.

A railway ro Waitaha! This was the caption heading to an article the other evening, and we thought for the moment that like Rip Van Winkle of old we had ,been asleep, and suddenly woke up to find a dream! come true. The Waitaha railway was promised by a Liberal Government, but a Reform Government came hot on heels, and wiped out the promises, collaring the funds which went to a railway in Mr Massey’s electorate, and that railway it is interesting to notice, has just been opened. Sir Wm Fraser, who was responsible for “dropping” the Ross-Waitaha railway, was present at the North Island celebration. When deserted by the Govern ment here, private enterprise took up the work, and in a very short time now a steam tramway built on a high standard will be opened to Waitaha. It is a. wonderful condition of affairs — where the Government failed in its duty, private enterprise triumphs successfully. The line will tap some of the finest forest in New Zealand, and is to be available for the settlers to transport their stock and goods. It would be the irony of fate how if the Government would refuse to assist in th© simple service by permitting the railway trucks to run over the line to carry stock, and produce. Remarkable things like that do happen at times; but we shall see. Meantime an important. industrial enterprise is pushing south helping to reap the forest harvest, and 1 clear the country for permanent settlement in the long years to come. It is a spirited enterprise—the kind which opens up a country anr. gives it life and stability.

The principal local body of the district is in difficulty with the Government over unexpended grants. There are several works in the district crowding the appropriations, and yet unexpended. The plain answer is that there are not sufficient funds. A visiting officer from tho Public Works Department said the other day that Westland was extremely fortunate in the amount ol public money being spent just now. It fcvas first on the Coast in the matter of roads, and if railways were included (which meant the Otira Tunnel Works) it could! be considered the first in the Dominion. If this be so, congratulations to the Member for Westland who has evidently been wide awake at the seat of Government as to the needs of the district. But all this does not dispose of the unfulfilled requests for the Bruce Bay Landing and the Slippery Face road deviation. Mr Ritchie’s conscience must be sorely tried in respect to those two matters, so long promised, so adroitly dodged by the Department. The answer that the Government has not the money does not altogether suffice when surplus revenue is always being predicted. The scarcity of money appears to be caused chiefly by overstaffed Departments, and the mistake th e Government made was in not tackling the proposition sooner. Had they done so a couple of years ago, according to Mr Massey’s figures now, ther© would have been al saving of nine millions, andf out of this Mr Ritchie’s works and the neglected promises relating to roads and bridges in Westland could easily b e seen to.

Westland is receiving an exceptionally good adverisement in Canterbury these days. Only recently the delighted Y.M.C.A. walking party returned to Christchuroh each member being a special advertiser of the Westland scenery. The effect of these impressionists lauding our attractions, led to Dr Teichelmann’s very interesting series of scenic views being extremely popular with the Canterbury audience. The entertainment was so well attended that it had to be repeated the following evening, indicating the pronounced success of the Doctor’s visit’. Those who saw the views here were delighted with the display—familiar and all as we ar© with the scenery depicted. These various forms of advertising—including the special articles appearing in the “Lyttelton Times” from the pen of Mr D. J. Evans—will be very beneficial to the district in time to come. Much good seed will be sown, and the result will be no doubt, a large volume of tourist traffic. The time is approaching when the through railway will be running daily between Christchurch and Hokitika and this convenient service will give a great fillip to the inter-is-land traffic, resulting in a great com pany of New Zealanders discovering Westland for the first time. Tt is well to advertise in advance, and the sequence of events now happening, am' helping to make th© attractions of the district more widely known will be of material value in assuring a large influx of visitors to the hitherto rather neglected Westland district.