WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taihape Daily Times, 11 December 1917, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

defence expenditure

ADVOCATES OF ECONOMY.

(Special Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON, Dec. 10. The appointment of the Defence Expenditure Commission, whose personnel has not been announced at the time of writing, has set the critics talking' afresh of the need for a thorough overhaul of the staffing of the various, subsidiary departments connected with the Defence administration. That these offices arc necessary and that their work, on the ■whole, is being satisfactorily performed is generally admitted, but it is alleged that. salaries altogether out ot proportion to the services rendered are being paid to civilians holding the temporary rank of captain or major or colonel and that economies amounting to many thousands a year could be effected wdthout in any way impairing the efficiency of the system. Some of the critics aredemanding that the doctors and dentists, for instance, many of whom are now receiving substantially more than they ever earned in their private practice, should be required to make the same sacrifices as are being imposed upon the members of other professions who have to take their chance in the ballot. EQUALITY OF SACRIFICE.

But without discussing this controversial question, which involves a number of problems which cannot be solved by a mere stroke of the pen, there is very good ground for supposing that the cost of the military establishment which has necessarily continued to expand since the commencement of the war could be considerably reduced by a thorough re-organisa-tion and co-ordination of offices. This implies no reflection upon the Minister of Defence or upon the Ministers of Muntions and Supplies, the two members of the Cabinet most closely associated with the direction of the military affairs of the country. (Sir James Allen continues to devote himself with untiring zeal to the enormous labours of his office, and the Hon, A. M. Myers, in his quiet unostentations way is running his department with marked smoothness and efficiency But there are a thousand and one details the Ministers must leave to their responsible officers, and it is these details that require the fuller investigation of the business mind. TIGHTENING THE BELT.

The appeal of the New, [Director of Food Economy is addressed to the people of the "Old Country and not to the more fortunate folk of New Zealand, but there is a growing feeling among the community here that the Dominion ’s economies ought not to end at the discontinuance of unnecessary expenditure in State departments. “Tightening the belt” is a phrase which suggests greater sacrifices than reducing i the consumption of meat and bread, and Wellington in particular, which still is enjoying unparalleled prosperity, very well might take it seriously, to heart. Early in the new year the Minister of Finance will be asking for the balance of his twenty four million loan, and no doubt he will get it without much difficulty, but after that will come another loan, probably of even larger dimensions and out of its prosperity the capital city ought to provide a very large slice of the money. There is talk now of a., win-the-war movement here with the object of inducing the public to take the great national crisis a little more seriously than it has done in the past and it is to be hoped it will lead tosome definite action. LABOUR’S CHOICE. On Saturday next a ballot of the • members of unions affiliated to the Labour Representation Committee, who are electors of the constituency^/

will be taken to select a candidate to contest the Wellington North seat at the impending by-election. Mr. H. E. Holland, has been nominated by the Drivers’ Union and the Social Democratic Party, Mr J. Hutchison by the Bookmakers’ Union, Mr, W. Maddison by the Carpenters’ and Joiners’ Union and Mr. J. Bead by the Trades Council and Engine-drivers’ Union. An active canvass is now being conducted by the friends of the respective condidates and at the moment it looks as if by the end of the week Labour would be as strongly divided against itself as it naturally is on such occasions. It is being given out that Mr. Luke was selected as the National Cabinet candidate because he was more in sympathy with Labour than was any of the other aspirants for political honours suggested to the Prime Minister, bu/ apparently the majority of the Labour voters will not be conciliated by this assurance.