BILL WITH A HISTORY.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 July 1915, Page 4

BILL WITH A HISTORY.

HOW TUB COYKimiENT WORKS.

(Hy Wire.—Own Correspondent.) Wellington, Ust Night. One of the Government {Bills iput through all its stages in the House of Representative* to-day was the Public Expenditure Validation Bill, a measure with a rather interesting historv. It appears that at the end of March or the beginning of April, nearly four months alter the general election, the Covcrmiiont found that it had exhausted the authorisations for expenditure granted liy Parliament as far as certain .charges were concerned. The obvious course under such circumstances would have been to call Parliament together, and ask for additional appropriations, hut there were special reasons, which ned not. .be enumerated ■here," why the Ihivernnient did not want to meet (Parliament. .So the Prime Minister ashed the Auditor-Ooneral to pass certain expenditure that could not legally he incurred, and gave the officer a guarantee that when Parliament met later in the year a Validating Mill would he introduced and passed. Tin- Auditor-General agreed to share the responsibility with the (h.vcrumenl, and the unauthorised expenditure proceeded.

The Leader nT the Opposition 1 mentioned to-day that he ibought the precedent a very dangerous one. The Prime Minister admitted that the precedent was '•' important,'' but said that the money had to lie spent, and the " only alternative" to the course, taken was to call the. new Parliament toeeiher. Why the alternative course had not been taken he did not explain in detail.