GOVERNMENT RETRENCHMENT.

King Country Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 210, 22 November 1909, Page 5

GOVERNMENT RETRENCHMENT.

Sum.- interesting details on the subject. of the Government's retrenchment scheme were made by the Prime Minister in the House on Friday night. The estimates for this year, as compared with Inst year, he staid, showed * decrease of £62,402. In connection with working railways there was an increase of X'iSM'i. but it must be remembered that there were 2t2 miles more of railways under the hands of the Department now than there were last year • on the basis of the past year, before retrenchment took place, the estimates would have shown an addition of over i:so, 000 on the Railway Department alone. What, he asked, was the reduction due to? Under the automatic classification of the service, in which there are 3,772 officers, the increases in salaries amounted to J520-.47R, tn* eluding the eo«t of the absorption of the Old Age Pensions Department by the Post and Telegraph Department, tn the Defence Department there was an increase cf JE6.&33. That increase was due to the fact that the number of volonteers was higher to-day than it had been for some time, and increased capitation had to be provided for. He did not think that anyone who looked into the details would think the increase not reasonable. In the Ldo cation Department there was an increase of ,£20,296, and here again consideration ha to be given to the fact that increases were automatically made under the classification scheme.

The increases he had referred to C amounted to £11,500. and the decreases amounted to .£64,200. In the agricultural Department the salaries last year totalled £101,797; this year the amount was £94,475. Next year there would be an additional Having of over £3OOO. In the Mines Department there had been a saving of £14,100. In the Valuation Department the annual saving effected was £21,829, including £7,824 in salaries. Generally speaking a large amount had been saved by way of travelling expenses. In the Native Department the saving in coat amounted to £11,198. Those, he considered, were large decreases, and were a commentary en the theory that had been propounded that the Government had not effected very much retrenchment. That had been done, and it was undeniable there was a great deal more to be done, and, though it was a painful thing to have to carry out farther redactions, there would be a greater saving effected than was at present apparent. In the Land and Income Tax Department the aunnal saving effected was £13,0*5. There had been a permanent and very considerable saving. From the Public Works and Roads Departments alone 112 officers had gone oat as the result of amaglamation of those Departments and a different system in connection with the inspection of roads, etc.