REPLY TO MR PARK

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21639, 25 November 1935, Page 12

REPLY TO MR PARK

MR HISLOP'S STATEMENT QUOTATIONS FROM REPORT OF AUDITOR-GENERAL (PRESS ASSOCIATION TKLEQBAM.) MASTERTON, November 24. A further phase of the public accounts was discussed at a meeting at Kopuaranga on Saturday by the leader of the Democrat party (Mr T. C. A. Hislop), when he replied to statements made by Mr A. D. Park and Mr C. A. Wilkinson. Mr Hislop said he had touched a tender spot with his references to the public accounts, and the reports of the Audi-tor-General. Mr Park had added further to his indiscretions, said Mr Hislop. In a long statement he had attempted to prove that one from two leaves two, a task that was beyond even Mr Park's amazing qualities. No doubt he (Mr Hislop) was supposed to be duly awed and impressed by the statement that Mr Park had personally seen and discussed the public accounts of several other parts of the Empire with the respective Treasury heads. Mr Park was a very fortunate man to have travelled so extensively. The plain fact was that there was no mystery or magic, or there should not be, about the public accounts, and when the Auditor-General stated that such and such a published account was inaccurate and misleading, as he had done in many cases, it was simply a question of cold fact.

An Example The example quoted by Mr Wilkinson (most unwisely for his case) was a typical one. A department had £IOO,OOO cash, and another department had nothing. The first department advanced £20,000 to the second, but in the accounts as published, the cesh position was shown as follows: A department, cash £100,000; B department, cash £20,000; total £120,000. In reality, as Mr Wilkinson said, there was only £IOO,OOO cash. If this was not inaccurate and misleading, then he (Mr Hislop) , did not understand even simple arithmetic. In the New Zealand Gazette of August 1, 1935, the Auditor-General attached the following "tag": "The total of balances as shown in individual sub •accounts, which constitute the public account, amounting to £15,661,301 15s Bd, is overstated owing to transfers made between sub-ac-counts being shown so as to increase the total balance of the borrowing tub-account without decreasing the total balance of the lending sub-ac-count." This was very interesting, and lent point to the illustration quoted by Mr Wilkinson. In the 1935 report of the AuditorGeneral, there were two most interesting statements. The first was as follows: "The discrepancies between the Treasury books and the published accounts, to which I called attention in previous reports, still continue." It went on to say that negotiations had taken place with the Treasury, and til though some minor adjustments had been suttleti, no agreement acceptable to the audit office had been reached. Thci second statement was: "In some ctses the abstract of public accounts shows amounts as balances at the end of the year under the heading, 'Securities Held,' though in fact no securities are held representing such amounts."

Mr Hislop said he could safely leave the people to judge. The Audi-tor-General said certain published accounts were "inaccurate and misleading," that there were "discrepancies between the accounts as published and the Treasury books," that "the total balances are overstated," and that there were no securities where the abstract of public accounts showed "securities held."

LYTTELTON Mr B. H. Riseley, Democrat candidate, addressed a meeting of about 50 electors in the Linwocd Avenue School at 8 p.m. on Saturday. Mr C. Nuttall was chairman and the candidate was accorded a vote of thanks. Mr Riseley addressed a meeting of 30 electors in the Opawa Methodist Church building at 7 p.m. The chairman was Mr Bergie. The candidate was accorded a vote of thanks. Mr S. F. Marshall, the National candidate, has completed his tour of the bays. On Friday and Saturday he addressed electors at Little Akaloa, Okain's Bay and Le Bon's Bay. Many electors in Pigeon Bay were also visited.

Mr T. H. McCombs, the Labour candidate, addressed a meeting at St. Saviour's Schoolroom, West Lyttelton, on Saturday night. Mr J. Morgan presided, and there was an attendance of about 50. The candidate was given & vote of thanks and continued confidence.