LIGHTER BURDEN.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 February 1922, Page 5

LIGHTER BURDEN.

ECONOMY IN BRITAIN. BIG “CUTS” PROPOSED, SAVING OF MILLIONS. By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright. London, Feb. 24. The Geddes Report Committee is confident that reductions exceeding 1.3 J millions will be possible in naval expenditure, as the result of the Washington Conference, in oil stocks and storage and military garrisons abroad, thus making the total economies 100 millions. The reductions proposed in the third report include £2,285,500 in the Colonial group, £5,509,200 In the Revenue Department, £896,800 in the Works and Public Buildings Department, £584,300 in the Stationery Office and RegistrarGeneral, and .£304,300 in the Foreign Office. The committee does not suggest any further modifications in the Colonial Secretary’s arrangements in the middleeast, which appear likely to reduce the provision for 1922-23 to 104 millions compared with 13 millions included in the provisional estimates.

Regarding the overseas settlement scheme, the Colonial Office considers £750,000 will be required in 1922-23 for free passages. The Treasury thinks this is an over-estimate, and half a million should suffice.

The Post Office estimates include £450,000 for plant and buildings in connection with the Imperial- wireless chain, of which the total cost to Britain will be £BOO,OOO. As experts approve of the present scheme and much preliminary work has been completed the committee makes no recommendation in that connection.

It proposes a reduction of £471,000 on the revised post office estimates, chiefly in connection with postal staffs and postal, telegraph and telephone services.

The report suggests the reduction by a further three millions of war pensions, making the total reductions £86,844,175. Regarding the pay of the navy, army, police and other State employees, numbering 1,250,000 |he committee points out that the pay of the fighting fprees, teachers and police was fixed in 1916, under quite abnormal circumstances. The country cannot continue to support a burden of this magnitude. The report does not make anv recommendation, but suggests a thorough special investigation by the most expeditious and authoritative means available.

The committee is convinced that great economies can be realised in the fighting services if the control of the Treasury over them is vastly increased and brought up to the standard obtaining in the civil departments. The committee concludes that it believes the reductions proposed are attainable if the departments act promptly on the lines suggested with a determination to effect economies.

“We do not lay claim to infallibility of judgment, but the report is the unanimous recomr'cndation of five men of goodwill, desirous of advising how the national Budget can best be balanced.” The report suggests that criticism can only be constructive if accompanied by concrete alternative proposals. The - Admiralty announces total cuts amounting to 22 millions, of which the Cabinet committee approves. “OUT” AT THE ADMIRALTY. BIG REDUCTION IN ESTIMATES. GEDDES REPORT CRITICISED. Received Feb. 26 5.5 p.m. London Feb. 24. The Admiralty in a communication to the Press, points out that before the Geddes report was published, it had submitted to the Treasury draft estimates for the ensuing year totalling £81,183,000, which is more than £ll,000.000 less than the estimates for 192.11922. The Geddes Committee has suggested a further reduction of £21.000.000, but has only specified economies amounting to £14,000,000, many of which have since proved impracticable, or which are based on a misunderstanding, or which did not indicate how they were to be realised, apart from the Washington agreements. As a result of those agreements collaboration between the Geddes and Cabinet committees and the Admiralty effected further reductions, reducing the proposed estimates from £81,183,000 to less than £61.000,000, which were now approved.—Aus. J N.Z. Cable Assn. PROTEST BY TEACHERS. Received Feb. 26, 11.5 p.m. London, Feb. 25. Teachers from countrywide participated in a demonstration held in Trafalgar Square against the Geddes report. It was pointed, out that the proposed reduction in expenditure of £30,000.000 out of £80.000.000 was out of proportion to the proposed “cuts” in other services.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.