WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 August 1921, Page 7

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE ECONOMY CAMPAIGN. DIFFERING VIEWS. ’ (Special Correspondent.) Wellington, August 19. Speaking at a meeting of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce last week, Mr. J. T. Martin, by way of emphasising the need for an economy campaign, stated that if the Government instructed a board of management, as he had proposed, to reduce departmental expenditure by 20 per cent., it would mean, on the expenditure of last year, a saving of three and one-fifth millions sterling. The huge figures took some time to sink into the public mind, which is neither very receptive nor very retentive in such matters, but on Wednesday evening a correspondent of' the Post took up the cudgels on behalf of the existing order and protested that no considerable reductions in expenditure could be made without seriously impairing the service, lessening the revenue and breeding widespread discontent. He recognised the need for economy, but urged caution and moderation in approaching the subject. It was the poor old war that was responsible for the high rate of taxation, and a few thousand pounds of unnecessary expenditure here and there could make no material difference. Such was the sum of his argument.

THE ECONOMIST'S RETORT. Mr. Martin lost no time in producing his retort. In last night’s Post, after pointing out a trifling error of a million in his critic’s figures, he proceeded to show the enormous increase in departmental expenditure in recent years. The Education Department, which cost £l,111,099 in 1012 and £1,413,397 in 1917, now cost £2,557,827. Mr. Martin does not want to impair the efficiency of this 1 department, or of any other department, but he wants to be quite sure the country is receiving full value for its money. He analyses the working of the Post and Telegraph Department in a different way. During the first three months of 1920 the ordinary and urgent telegrams handled by the department numbered 2,181,007. During the corresponding months of 1921 the number, with higher charges, declined to 1,595,974, a drop of 585,033, but the payments extracted from the public increased by £8755. Bureau communications during the same period declined by 118,910, but again the payments increased by £9381. Apparently the same staffs have been retained at largely increased pay to do substantially less work. Finally i Mr. Martin reiterates that the annual j appropriations have 1 increased from £11,005,1154 in 1912-13 to £28,953,399 in 1920-21. and still wants to know the reason why. ,

SAMOA. The paragraph going the round of the newspapers purporting to be an extract from a letter written by a resident of Apia to a friend in Dunedin and drawing a rather discouraging picture of the. state of affairs in Samoa is being freely discussed in political circles. Members of the Parliamentary Party that toured the islands just after the general election for the purpose of acquainting themselves with the needs of the Dominion’s Pacific “dependency,” while resenting the suggestion that the Minister of External Affairs and the Under-Secretary of the department did not do all that was possible to promote good relations between New Zealand and Samoa, express themselves as quite prepared for a strong agitation on the .art of the Samoan people for a change in the administration of their domestic affairs. Even a year ago they were complaining that under the new arrangement they were enjoying so small a share of self-government that the beneficence of British rule was not always apparent. The Hon. E. P. Lee himself has talked only generalities in regard to hie visit, but rather from what he has left unsaid than from what he has said, it is suspected he is not altogether satisfied with the position. PARLIAMENTARY SALARIES.

The news from Perth to the effect that on account of the financial stringency the South Australian Government has decided not to proceed with the Bill for the increase of Ministers’ and members’ salaries, has revived speculation as to what Mr. Massey will do in this respect when he resumes charge of a sorely taxed Treasury. He hinted before he left for London that if the financial position took an unfavorable turn it might be necessary to review the increased salaries of the members of the House of Representatives, ancr actually announced that if reductions were necessary Ministers would be the first to submit to the disagreeable process. It is a subject on which members naturally are very reticent, but it is not expected that a movement for a reduction will come from any private member. This is not to say that members are not prepared to bear their share of the passing burden. That they are, goes without saying. But this is essentially a matter for the determination of the Government.