SHAM REFORM ECONOMY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 150, 12 November 1912, Page 7

SHAM REFORM ECONOMY.

■ ■': t.ikj'-■ -■! To 'tie Editdr. ■ - ,i Sir,—The : Supplementary- -Estimates ' rushed through the House Just before breakfast, one" morning this week' well worth,Pflnderin" over. ~.As effort iji direction df ! the f sham-tie-' ' form party; tiie',' l : ist;of special grants," compassionate•;vUow i 'iirices;'gratuitifes; I '.t|ra' i : veiling expenses,,!etc.,, is.it' ghastly jre--velation. ' The present pfl.rt.y_ in have 'been.howling.for years.lik£ a,sick of shrieking .Dervislj'es about'the se&tqercash and- reckless ewduc.tiof the late'.Liberal;Administration..,.S^et at the end of its first term of office the same pack-. :of -hypocritical • Dervishes ladle out nearly a- quarter of' a million sovereigas" merely . as a i .supplementary . or session-expiring effort, • The public of the country,, particularly- those living-in country districts, will be pleased to-hear • that the economical' Cfb- ■ inet allowed the Hon. T ; homas Mackenzie^ 1 ' £SOO to pay his fare to London: ' ijot' bad for economy! - The- ek : Democra;tic' Premier should do'himself -well 'if jhe spends, £SO-0 ; oti :a; six r weeks' 'trip : ; ;on hoard a steamer."; 1 ; Man ! ,, : Scotchmen are barefu'l,; eccmoniieal' folk! Five hundrei lovely sbyaerigris";t'6 ? ,Le spent, in six weeks-! , Yea, Sir, travelling 011.j3.ea, is. an extravagant 1 .pastime. Then,-again, the. I&n^.James All,taj the sham-Reform Minister. for ..Finance and alleged Democratic leader; is to.receive a grant of ;£IOOO 3 plus. his salary .and house allowance (of .coui'se) tp. pays hisexpenses -to London and ba-ck. ing the' hon. gentleman ..six months for the trip, the economical Aspect, works out something like' tliis-A-thousand '.sovereigns -special-gi'a'nt;- 1 salary,' for/- 1 six months/live jiiificlred '£by<!reigrts;''House allowance for same period, one hundred sovereigns l ; total, sixteen -hundred lovely sovereigns. Not bad for a Democratic leader! Man, man, this is a great-coun-try! Then, the lion, gentleman must (being a true Democrat) he accompanied by his private secretary. ' This lucky official is granted four hundred and fifty lovelv sovereigns-. This amount, plus his salary for the six months' period, say, one hundred and fifty sovereigns, leaves him only six hundred sovereigns, to ladle out in six months. I suppose he will travel in the hold and the boss in the crow's nest. The boss has £IOOO to spend, but the poor over-worked slave must be content with a paltry £6OO to pay his stony way. Man, man, this is a (rrcat country! Then we have the Un-der-Secretary'for Justice (Mr. F. Waldegravc), who is only getting a miserable six or seven hundred a, year as salary. This poorly-paid official has this yeat refused (or neglected for some reason or reasons undisclosed) to take a thiee months' holiday. Therefore, and because of this refusal or neglect, the shamreform, economical Cabinet has given him one hundred and sixty-three lovely sovereigns. This is a special grant, bless your heart! Man, man, this is a great country! Then we have the late High Commissioner, Sir Win. Hall-Jones, who for years lias been in receipt of a fat salary. This gentleman desires to return to New Zealand. Therefore, a special grant of four -hundred lovely sovereigns is passed by the sham-reform economical Cabinet to pay the knight's passage. Man, man, this is a great country! Then we, have a compassion ate allowance of six thousand sovereigns granted to the widow of the late E. C Goldsmith, formerly Commissioner _ ol Crown Lands. Here we have a_ civil servant enjoying the benefits of a libera salary for a long period of years ant when he passes away his widow is grant cd a huge allowance. Man, man, this if great country! Then we have the lat< Under-secretary for Lands, who is jus' retiring from office. He does not aecep his three months' leave, but elects t< stay on his job the final three months Therefore the sham-reform economics Cabinet grants him two hundred, am thirteen lovely sovereigns for his thre months' graft. Man, man, this is a grea country! But, Sir, your space and m; time must, bp considered, so I must do

analyse the Estimates at greater length They fairly bristle with evidences o 1 reckless expenditure. In the face of tin Government's repeated statements thai there is not sufficient money in the ex chequer to provide for the struggling country workers, roads, bridges and rail ways, many of the grants passed by the House are nothing short of a positive scandal.—l am ,etc., W. H. HAWKINS. Tataraimaka, November 9.