HIGH COMMISSIONER'S OFFICE

King Country Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 218, 20 December 1909, Page 2

HIGH COMMISSIONER'S OFFICE

A good ileal of criticism was directed against the High Commissioner's Office,when the House was considering the estimates of that Department, several members expressing the belief that there were ornamental men in the office who gave the Dominion inadequate return for their salaries, their positions, in fact, being sinecures. Mr Hogg regretted that the expenditure on the High Commissioner's Department had increased 25 per cent, and that the number of officers had doubled. Salaries had increased about £B#o, and other expenses brought the total increase up to £I2OO. Was this in accordance with the Government's retrenchment policy? He moved to reduce the vote for trade and immigration representation by £1 as an indication that the increased expenditure was opposed to the Government's retrenchment policy. The Prime Minister said that :: tinHigh Commissioner saved any rroncy out of his salary of he ecu. ' not be doing his work "-t He v.en: on to explain that the whc.c cf business work of the jjor/.::::cr. use:, to be done by outsiders, v;.: cnareeee j very considerably for their serv:e?s :r. i shipping and a:ter 1 sent out here f ! .r '.:.e - r.e ; number - f cv'.si'.- rs er:::e-: re .em Immigrate:: o:heer. T.e:- v.-.-.r.e ee . Commi-sicr. ar.d wcv..': rnu v be saved to the office, an a n wou:'.; run : into about £2OOO a year. The purcr.asc-; I h-> referred to were material for Pub::-.-Works, telegraphs and telephones, stationery etc. Mr Massey: Do they purchase these supplies? Sir Joseph Ward: All the tendering for everything is conducted by the High Commissioner's Office. No orders are sent direct from this country to England, and that, I think, is the proper method. lie continue l :'. tnat the office cor'.h'ctod a trenrc-nc' amount of corrcspoirde.-wjtn Gove it - ment Department? nerr-. l\o mrrcase had been mad'. :r. nee : un •r c: employees. An c:::e-er mm ie-.-er sen; Home to re*:ln'e mr a.mr r.ennav.'ay made. _Mr Bm-hrmnn mi i t':a: the im: • Donne had been i&o extravacmnt. : £23,"fto per annum. : Mr Hogg's motion to reduce the item < was lost by to 29, the Opposition i voting solid for Mr Hogg.