The Guardian (And Evening star, with which is incorporated the West Coast times.) WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11th. 1921. PUBLIC SERVICE ECONOMY.

Hokitika Guardian, 11 June 1924, Page 2

The Guardian (And Evening star, with which is incorporated the West Coast times.) WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11th. 1921. PUBLIC SERVICE ECONOMY.

A co.vr|< I lit TKO article yesterday ieviewed very insistently the remarks of Mr Massey in regaid to the finances of the country. It is well to ha\o this criticism outside Parliament, because mi fort tm.it <*ly within Pal liaineiit there i- not that degree of nice criticism which ais omits for the best client'. That the outside remarks no olio, live is Inil'oe out li\ Ihe is"! that All Massey is rt great pains to oiidi-avour ,o ex[dain as mans points as possible inude against ihe administration by the | elsistenl riiiic above n'lerreil in. The i■ iit icisjii is mil made in a paily spirit l.nt with the object of reviewing the position ilatinuiill.v. It lies been leintirkcd Iofor" thal Mr Massey al.d 111' colleagues s. oak piililicly of ecotioln.v. and lecture 1 1 if penile iilniul their )irivate •, xtravagailce. But there is a beam in the eve of the Government when the positioli is fated closely. ;Vod faults can lie loulul with the lack of initiative on the pail of Miiii.sin s in dealing adequately with their dnpurlmeiits on an economical lui'is. The article yesterday emphasisoil the ■ all for economy in the national iiiinnccK. and reviewed the principal so it ms •

oxju’iiditun* shotting ] ?il} ;ihle I•*r>m_ iri lis . Nfv m :i>soy. li\ lii< sunny tmi tl<*j it.' Uin.uilal ln*;n!.s.

M-fl ft.-t .V'.' Will In* in a | <>slli..n to reply linin' or iiss ellectivoly In tin; critic, but ilicrc is n feeling ulinuid tlmt tin* whole jitili--1 ic- service is liiuiiueil fur ton extravagantly. ami that- there must bo a (treat waste of expenditure in departments where economies could be introduced without loss of cfiieioilcy. Almost week liy week there is the suggestion of some Iresh department or branch of work which calls for a new or extended stall', and this has to lie nutlittcd in uli expensive way. As to railways, postal and education, the three main avenues for the national expenditu e, the correspondent showed in a few brief sentences how hit'll expenditure, which Mr .Massey lias previously attempted to justify, failed to produce but little practical result, Besides that there is the expenditure on the many lesser departments of the public service. tu every case expenditure has increased very erectly of late years, and Mr Massey’s latest "economics” in those services has meant only a saving of some £tf.OOO. Instead of crentnig so many fresh services, the Finance Minister might "ell consider a suggestion to amalgamate the public service more, and more, and instead of two or three (or more) expensive heads of departments, coniine the care of the particular service to one. It was done in the i>ast just as the country was •‘run’’ by fewer Ministers. But the extravagance in numbers and cost goes on all the time, and even Cabinet is inflated in members, lint nut necessarily in brains, to | rovide for favored ones. And we know that even with Cabinet, if Afr .Massey is away from the conntrv. (I’arliament may not even sit. This plain fact calls for more elliciency with economy, and a general overhaul, ilig i t the public service oil sueli lines is now well overdue if tbe country is to have real relief in the matter < f taxation, combined with greater efficieiicv and more loyal service from the public departments of administration.