ECONOMIC OUTLOOK.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 222, 19 September 1930, Page 6

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK.

Your correspondent, Mr. C. C. Archibald, in Ms letter dealing with my quotation that our Civil Service is out of all proportion to our population, instead of weakening, has rather strengthened my argument. Further,, he has clearly illustrated -how the situation has arisen. He says: "Every time new laws * are passed, new regulations issued,additional' professions become incorporated and the • Government is called upon to hold the sifcles of justice between competitors, the volume of work in Government Departments is xn-creß.sed, even if it does not involve the creation of nen officials.""' Just so, and generally "it involves the creation of new officials." At the present time the gross indebtedness of general j Government is, or was in 1929, mo less than £179 12/10 per head, including the Maoris; When we add the taxation by local governing bodies and remember that although'the total population is 1.530,073 not more than 1,000,000 of these have to 'bear this whole burden, when all non-earners are eliminated a heavy load is seen to be resting on a Sew Zealander's... back. Isow I cannot at present get exact figures, but I think that it is well within the mark to say that one in every forty or fifty >. of our million actual working people is a Civil servant. And yet every time some folk - ; ~ call out for some new fad, and, mind it may. be a very good thing, such as women police and other luxuries, if there are voices enough - in the clamour our legislators, afraid of election day, are ready to give approval. We have got to the place where we are like a man with £200 a year whose wife wants a motor car and furs and scents, etc., until it _• takes £500 instead of £200 to pay the h3L In fact, if it should be that these voices are heeded and more new officials created the timewill come when half the community will he carrying the other half on its back. But I have hope. Our esteemed Premier has commenced to put on the brakes, and this will meet with the approval of all thoughtful men. We certainly have a glorious country and if the right folk are helped and the farmers, miners, millers, fishermen and prcxhicers generally are encouraged we sliall soon see the dawn of a brighter day. After all, our cities -: are only warehouses and the country is our life. We must put the conntrv first. J. FARQUHARSON-JOXES. ;