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Hokitika Guardian, 21 June 1926, Page 2

It would appear that one of the branches of the public administration in regard to which material economies might he made, is in the curtailment of the Ministerial strength. We are told that the Cabinet is now at full strength! A survey of the position and a comparison with former times when those stalwarts, Ballance and Seddon, were the political heads, is interesting. The Liberals of those days "itli all their progressive legislation carried on with seven Ministers—the seven devils of socialism, they were dubbed. Time has given a perspective to those days, and the approbrious epithet of '‘devil” wduld not be applied soi ioiislv or even as a figure of speech. To do the Cabinet work nowadays there are eleven regular Ministers and a representative of the Native race, as well as three auxiliary members of 1 the Executive, who may attend Cabinet meeting.s It will he claimed of | com so that there are several additional departments created of late years, .but these extra departments are often hut branches of a main department, as for instance in public works, then are roads, highways and public buildings, yet each is part and parcel of the main job. So with the financial and lending departments, these are cut up into the different brandies, yet they are essentially the work of the financial side of the administration of the country. Thri eleven Ministers and the Maori Member all receive substantial salaries, have their private secretaries and official staffs, and necessary office accommodation. The auxiliary members also have privileges and perqniistes which cost the country money, and the total outgoing expenditure in connection with the upkeep of the ministerial regime, must be very great. It is far in excess of tbe days gone by, and the Cabinet strength is greater even than in the war period when a national government was brought into being. It should be possible to bring about many economies under tbo heading refered to, and even to retrench without affecting the good government of the country. There was talk even by the Deform press of jettisoning certain Ministers not so long ago, and if they can be spaced, the

cost of keeping them in office should not be jailed up against tbs country. At a time when there is so much to do with the depleting revenues of tlio Dominion.