WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 14 January 1927, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS

PFIUiIC KXI’KNDfTriU'

INFORMATION REQUIRED. (Special to " Guardian.”) ] < WEI.I.IXGTOX. .lanuary 11. 1 A i i>; respondent of the " Evening ■ Post '' writing from ('liristehure.h in commendation of l lie good work done , !>v in" Taxpayers’ I* oderation offers -oiae suggestions of his own for the I : institution ol more elloctive cheeks I 1 upon public expenditure. "In .spite oi l ' milch talk to' Liu* contrary.' lie do-1 dares. “ it is ohvious that very little t is actually done in the direction of re-j dueiug departmental expenditure, and j unfortunately it has become rather a; practice to judge the importance of aj department by the sv-te ol its stall, j Many returns, useful and otherwise, are laid before Parliament annually, j but. as far as i am aware, no state-j mf iit is presented showing staff accretions and alterations in each depart-j meat.” As a matter of fact, papers j containing information of this descrip-j lion are prepared and submitted to j Ministers and heads ol department. J but ibey rarely obtai more pub-1 i licitv than can be obtained by diligent j members of Parliament. and. more or les . they are regarded as confidential documents. .Male members of the Civil Ser , ice, it is argued, object to the ‘ amount of their salaries being known. ' I and female members to the length of I their years being disclosed. Hut witltI out giving publicity to these intimate | del tils it would ho quite easy to let I the ratepayers know 'bow their money j is being spent. j no i.vrnrs'ox upon privacy, i ’the correspondent who lias guen prominence to this matter in the col- 1 unom of the " Post " would make no' intrusion upon the private affairs of the employees, male cr Icmale. thick it would be. a good move.’’ he says, “if the bead of each department was legally required to submit to Parliament. within fourteen days of the opening of emit session, a return containing the following information : 1. The number of employees at the and end of each financial year; the number of employees who lef! the department for any reas~n during the year, and the number of new employees engaged. If a net increase in staffing is shown, the reasons for it should be clearly staled. 2. The amount paid in salaries during tint and the preceding financial year; if an increase is shown, v bow much is due to yearly aei returns and how much Lo new employees engaged, and the aggregate salaries of employees who have left that department for

d. Full details of any new posi-j linns created and filled carrying salary at the rate of, say over C';V)O per annum.” A return of this kind would be of enormous value to Ministers in regulating the expenditure of their depart-, merits and to the taxpayers in analys-j iug the public expenditure. A MINISTERIAL TASK. j The need for economy in the public, service is admitted on all hands. The multiplication of departments and sub-j departments in recent years, the ex-, tension of ministerial activities and of nati-unil undertakings and the increased ce-t of living necessarily have added largely lb the annual expenditure. This was inevitable. Hut the Minister

nf Finance. than whom there could he vn more frank 'and earnest administrate!', lias stated definitely that the utmost economy, private and public, will ho required m enable the Dominion to solve without grave difficulty, the financial problems that lie abend. The fact that the Dominion’s credit stands 1 high throughout the world, and enables ! the Government to obtain money upon 1 he most favourable conditions is giutij lying, of course, but it would not I justify the Minister of Finance in loadI ivg 'cp debts for posterity to pay. Nor I **,. ’• 1 ;■ Dov.'*'i /' Stewart at till likely to | :•<> "r. aa cM.e’dient of lliat kind. On j X;,..- /. aland work out its own salva|tj,!U hv s !•<• geadm.l extinction of its j . (--gaid . liehili: ies and ihe inst ii u- ! r i r ji ||.lahail. self-reliniil i T 'ward !h’> end a judicial---J ; |,a . id'iic sarvic ■ expendi - I ' j,,.. Tf,,. iu«ed is great an I j .'rarg man.