STATE MOTORS

Southland Times, Issue 18840, 5 June 1920, Page 3

STATE MOTORS

MINISTERIAL CARS IN N.5.W,

SOME AMAZING CHARGES

■' The more I investigate the State motor car business,” said Mr Lang, New South Wales States Treasurer, recently, “the more I tun determined that past conditions shall not continue. Amazing things have been done. The cars cost so much more than the allowance made for them that money had to bo transferred from other accounts.

“For instance, the Auditor-General's report for 1910-17, on page 232, shows that the original vote in the Premier’s Department for 'motor cuts, expenses and upkeep, etc.,’ was 114000. This was exceeded by the expenditure by 111U00, ami that amount was obtained by transfer from the subsidy vote for distress among Allied nations! There's a ’Win-the-War’ Government for you.

"Th-e Auditor General's report for the follow!ng year. 1017-IS, shows the vote was £3500, which was in cron perl by £3OOO, and tins amount was transferred from Slate War Council and Immigration and Tourist Bureau. BIG TOURING CARS. “Tlie number of ears in 1915 was eight. Now there are 15, including the Works Department’s ear, which in the past was used by t.!i- Minister, and the police car, which was charged In the Poliee Department, but was practically always used by the Minister. I certainly don’t want this sort of thing to continue, or such action to apply to the present Ministers. “Even if if were necessary for cars to be used by Ministers on official business, and for their wives to accompany them, they did not need large, heavy touring ears, which are rostly to keep and run. Light cars would have been sufficient. “Throughout there has been apparently nothing hut extravagance. Cases have been tainted out to me where, when a car was nor being used by a Minister (hiring a m-e-al time, it has horn garaged at the chauf four’s home. Tito driver has driven to his home and hack for his meal.

“That has saved the driver the cost of a meal, but has cost the- State £2 10/---in the running expense of the car—for the lunch. “And there was no standard car. Individual Ministers had their own taste as to what sort of ear they should use at the expense of the State, and every change of Ministers seemed to mean a different car. “MOTOR CARS TO ORDER.”

“I have credible information that some ex-Ministers even made the State pay for their motor coats, which cost 25/- or 30/-. But that even was not good enough for one Minister, who took a fancy to have his coat made to order at a cost running into pounds, which the State paid. Needless to say, his lead was followed by others.

“'Some of my colleagues may think that I am ‘finicky’ in watching little details, but they can rest assured that if the little things don’t escape attention the large things won’t either. ‘‘l also consider that if a Minister is coming from some place handy to the railway a first-class carriage should be good enough, and he should not use motor cars to run all over the country. Mr Holman’s attitude was deplorable. Fancy him sending to Sydney for a motor car to go to Blackheath and bring him down to the city, instead of taking the train, because his own car was broken down. That episode cost the State £2O! SIR GEORGE FULLER’S BILL.

“And Sir George Fuller is not free from blame as regard sneedlcss expenditure. He seemed fond of hiring cars in addition to using the departmental one. “In the month of September (1919) alone, his account for motor hire between Point Piper and the city amounted to £37 5/6. Here is an interesting item on September 11:

“Point Piper to city and return to garage, 12/0; Government House to Point Piper, wait 1J hours, to Double Bay. Darlinghurst, wait 21 hours, to Point Piper, wait and return to Government House, £3 3/—£3 15/6 for the day. "The account is just marked, ‘No Government car available.’ That’s all. As long as that magic sentence is on the account it has to be paid. And the account was paid.”