Rangitikei Advocate. TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 1909. EDITORIAL NOTES.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIV, Issue 9413, 6 April 1909, Page 4

Rangitikei Advocate. TUESDAY, APRIL 6,1909. EDITORIAL NOTES.

THERE are some further points in the speech made on Friday night by the Premier which demand brief reference. In the first place we may remark that his statement to the effect that retrenchment has become necessary because of the remissions of taxation is not justified by facts. On the contrary the fact is that taxation has been very greatly increased every year, as the increased revenue shows most unmistakably. But unfortunately the wasteful and extravagant policy that baa been pursued has prevented the people from deriving any benefit from the increased revenue. They have merely been taxed to a greater extent to provide for the salaries of useless officials. It is satisfactory to note that the Ministry propose to make some effort to reduce the cost of running the machinery of Government. We have frequently pointed out the necessity for economy, and the danger of increasing indebtedness every year. But the Ministerial proposals do not go far enough. There are some Departments which might be abolished altogether to the great advantage and benefit of the majority of the taxpayers. Among these are the Tourist, Labour, and Old Age Pensions. The first named exists solely for ,the benefit of the globetrotter, anh there is no reason why the New Zealand taxpayer should pay for his pleasures. The Labour Department has been the. chief means of causing the difficulties from which our industries now suffer, and has indeedfcaused the extinction of some which formerly brought wealth into the country. The Old Age Pensions Department, if not entirely abolished, should be reorganised, and should deal only with those who are actually in need, and who have no relatives who can be called upon to maintain them. A country that owes millions of money, and finds the utmost difficulty in providing even the interest upon it, cannot afford any expenditure that can be avoided, and in this case the expenditure has been incurred solely to enable the politicians to catch votes. The Health Department is another that should be greatly curtailed. The farce of one Department of the public service keeping accounts against other Departments should alsoT be ended, so that, for instance, the Railways should not charge the Postal with the conveyance of mails, or the Telegraph charge the Railways with the cost of messages sent by the latter. It is only paying out of one pocket into another, and, while it tends to confusion of accounts, it also means that a large amount of useless and expensive clerical work has to be done. There should be a determined effort to destroy all red-tape practices, and work the public services as a united whole.

WB observe, also, that this Ministry has not taken the same self-denying course as that adopted by Sir Harry Atkinson when he bad to reorganise the finances after the extravagant administration of the Stout-Vogel Ministry—the party now represented bv the Ward Ministry. Sir Joseph has not proposed to reduce the salaries of Ministers or members, though these have been very greatly increased since the Vogelian days. Sir Harry Atkinson first cut down Ministerial salaries by year, and then reduced the cost of the Olvil Service. He reduced his own salary by £750. If Ministers were imbued with a sense of the fitness of things they would certainly suggest reduction in the cost of Parliament itself, and in addition to reducing their own salaries they would abolish such costly and useless luxuries as Hansard, especially as there are now three first-class daily newspapers in the Empire Gity which could be relied upon to give accurate reports of the proceedings of Parliament — more accurate reports indeed, than those supplied by Hansard, which misleads the public by giving not what a member did say, but what he intended to say, or what he wishes his constituents to believe that he said.

FOR many years past, whenever Colonial Treasurers have found themselves in difficulty they have added a little more to the response bilites of the local' bodies, have thrown some burden off the shoulders of the general taxpayers and on those of the ratepayers. Little " by little, such things as the maintenance ot arterial roads, cost of hospitals and charitable aid, etc., have been thrown on the finances of the local bodies, which obtain their funds, not from the Treasury but from the pro-

perty-owners in their districts. Sir Joseph Ward has not allowed this occasion to pass without calling uphn the ratepayers to contribute something more out of their own pockets in addition to their share of general taxation. He is going to make hospitals, etc,, pay for the cost of telephone services, though the advantages of these might be given by the Telegraph Department without adding a single shilling to the cost, except for the prime cost of the telephone and wires. By Sir Joseph’s proposal his beloved Department will he able to earn an honest penny by further extraction from the pockets of the ratepayers.

IF Sir Joseph was a statesman, instead of being a mere politician—if he had some knowledge of sound political economy—and if he was not merely desirous of shaping policy so as to secure the greatest amount of political support—his way out of the difficulty would have been discerned by him as being remarkably easy. His simplest and most benefioient method of course would be to abolish the restrictive policy, and impose taxation through 'Customs for revenue purposes only, reducing alFduties that now prevent the importation of articles from which Oustoms revenue would otherwise be obtained. At one stroke he would obtain for the Treasury all that would be required, without borrowing, and would greatly increase the general prosperity. The cost of living would fall to such an extent that many industries could again flourish, while the money earned by employees in them would go at least twice as far as it does now. He would not only obtain more revenue, but would restore the purchasing power of money to its full value. The money paid by consumers would no longer be wasted in supporting parasites.

IF he reduced the Customs tariff to the revenue-producing basis—at least so far as goods of British Empire manufacture or production are concerned, discriminating as at present against Britain’s chief commercial rivals, he would do more for the • welfare of the Empire than by the giving of a dozen Dreadnoughts', and also do more for the prosperity of all the producers and consumers in our Dominion than he can do by any other means. ‘ So far as Britain is concerned we profess to be willing to give a Dreadnought (if she will lend the money) but we refuse to give the Motherland a single chance * to develop trade and commerce —the lifeblood of nations. At present we fortify our ports of entry with tariff barriers, and war against all other portions of the Empire.