WAR EXPENSES

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 213, 8 September 1944, Page 3

WAR EXPENSES

NOTHING KEPT SECRET CLAIM BY MINISTER (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary. Reporter) WELLINGTON, this day. In answering criticism concerning the War Expenses Account, the Minister of Finance, Mr. Nash, during his reply in the Budget debate ■ in the House of Representatives last night, said the accounts up to March .31 last, year had been before the Public Accounts Committee and were laid ,on the table of the House on August 24 last year. Mr. Bodkin (Nat., Central Otago): The paper does not give full information. After the Minister had spent some time reading the report and giving figures running into many millions, Mr. Bodkin said individual expenditure concerning subsidies was required. . .' The Minister said that criticism concerning the War Expenses Account by the Opposition nad led the country to believe that members had no information, and all the time a report was available, and evidently had, never been looked at by the members who criticised the Government. The House had been misled. Mr. Bodkin interjected that the Public Accounts Committee was bound to secrecy. The Minister said the honourable member had misled the country and the House. When the account was before the Public Accounts Committee a request was made that information would not be used outside, but members had the right to bring any person before the committee to examine the accounts. There should be no secrecy other than in cases where the safety of the country was concerned. He was astonished that the Opposition had told the country that the accounts were not made known and that they had to get a bishop to support them, and he did not know what he was talking about. The Minister added that the accounts for the last 12 months would also go before the Public Accounts Committee for examination.