"OVER-GOVERNED."

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 134, 8 June 1929, Page 10

"OVER-GOVERNED."

NEW ZEALAND'S POSITION.

COST OF CIVIL SERVICE

BUSINESS MEN PROTEST

(By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.)

CHRISTCHURCH, Frday

Strong protests against the increasing cost of Government in New Zealand were heard at a meeting of the council of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. V. E. Hamilton, a member of the council, Avrote as follows from Wellington: "In view of the Prime Minister's forecast of further taxation to meet an anticipated deficit, I hope the chamber, at its meeting on Thursday night, will make an emphatic protest. It seems to mo that before any further burdens are imposed an effort should be made by the Government to effect economies. The army of State servants increases every year, and expenditure goes up by leaps and bounds. To-day we are told that the civil servants' superannuation fund is behind to the tune of £1,000,000, and that this must be made up so that the most sheltered class of all —the public servants —shall not suffer in any way. It seems to me high time that the Government should present to the country a schedule of reductions in expenditure rather than a forecast of additional taxation, and 1 hope the chamber will take the matter up before the -House sits." "Unnecessary Work." Mr. K. W. Robinson said the unnecessary work done by some of the Government Departments was amazing. He would like to see a questionnaire sent out to business firms asking (1) whether they received any value from the publications of the Government Statistician, and (2) if they were put to any loss of time by making the returns his Department asked for? "Insurance companies are asked to give 4000 classifications of their business a month, and the information is not the slightest bit of good when it is done,"'he said. "It is costing every insurance company a large amount of money, and the country a heavy expenditure to run this Department. The work we are doing for it is valueless. They are applying to New Zealand a scheme which is admirable in America with its

millions of population, but in New Zealand such figures axe only misleading." Mr. W. MacMn said they all objected to certain questions by the Government Statistician. Some of them were unnecessary and some obsolete. The Ab: stact of' Statistics was very valuableto them, and its publication was in line with the practice in other countries. He would not like to see the Department abolished.

"Business has been writhing under a load of over-government," said Mr. Machin. "Not only this, but Government interference in business, which has lost the business community a lot of money and is costing a lot to the business people." ' ; • Increases in Taxation. Mr. A. C. Bretherton quoted figures showing the increase in taxation. He said there were 82,000 Civil servants aiid employees of local bodies receiving £18,50*0,000 a year in salaries. Death duties had increased from £013,000 in 1914 to £1,090,000 in 1927; Customs duties from £3.420,000 to £9,017,000; excise duties from £127,000 to £029,000; land tax from £707,000 to £1,229,000; and income tax from £.3.34,000 to £3,422,000. The position now was comparable with, that of the war period. "The whole trouble i s that this littl? country of ours is grossly over-governed, ■said Mr. A. F. Wright. "The overhead is out of all proportion." He would like to see the Associated Chambers of 'Commerce help the Government in a complete overhaul of the Civil Service. Many departments were grossly overstaffed, and the people were not getting value for their nionev.

Mr. Bretherton declared that over £0,000,000 of New Zealand capital had been invested in Australia in the past year to save taxation. The matter Avas referred to' the Economics Committee. ..">