The Waikato Times. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 1939 OVERHAUL OF EXPENDITURE

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20921, 28 September 1939, Page 6

The Waikato Times. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 1939 OVERHAUL OF EXPENDITURE

Suggesting that individual members of Parliament should report to the Government instances of public works in their own electorates which might be postponed or suspended, the Hon. W. Nash raised a laugh in the House of Representatives, but on further reflection the matter will probably not be dismissed so lightly. Of course it is the duty of the Government to take the initiative and so modify its programme of other than urgent expenditure that the burden of war costs will fall less heavily on already overburdened taxpayers. Private members and their constituents can, however, assist materially by carefully scrutinising projected works in their own districts. For too long the popularity of a member of Parliament has depended to some extent upon the amount of money he has been able to obtain for expenditure in his electorate. That is human and understandable, but from a national point of view it is undesirable and has largely contributed to New Zealand’s present over-expendi-ture. Electors themselves are originally to blame because they press their representatives to spend to the limit, and the practice has become universal of purchasing votes with the expenditure of public money. Electors individually notoriously act with a remarkable disregard for the national finances. Thus the heavy responsibility falls upon the Government finally of limiting expenditure to the country’s real needs and capacity to pay. Because of this public demand for expenditure, and because of the Government’s policy of spending its way to prosperity, New Zealand in the current year committed itself to a total expenditure on public works of nearly £24,000,000 —a sum that contrasts strikingly with the total estimated cost of the war for the period of £9,750,000. The Government undertook the expenditure of the larger sum with a light heart, and for that reason the general public was not unduly alarmed when it was announced that the war until the end of the present financial year would cost less than half as much as the public works programme. It is true, of course, that the taxpayers expected some return for the public works expenditure and realise that money spent on the war is almost wholly unproductive, excepting that it saves the country from a worse fate. But at the same time the war taxes are superimposed upon all the other levies, which in peace-time were regarded by many people as already greater than the country could reasonably be expected to bear. Therefore there is a strong demand for every possible measure of economy in non-essential works and works that are not definitely contributing to the national efficiency. Given that careful regard for real values, the taxpayers will shoulder the burden of war costs cheerfully and willingly. It is known that a large part of the current year’s votes has already been expended and that transfers to the war account before March 31 must be limited, but there is another year coming in which the demands may be still heavier, and it is the duty of everyone to assist in so ordering the country’s affairs that emphasis will be placed upon essentials. Greater production and possibly some improvement in prices for exports should assist substantially in easing the task.