WASTE AND JOBBERY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1301, 2 December 1911, Page 19

WASTE AND JOBBERY.

HOW THE PEOPLE ARE ROBBED! PROOF FROM STATISTICS. Everyone is pinched by the increase in the cost of living. Has it ever occurred to jou how much your difficulties are due to tho Government's squandering of your substance in jobbery and waste? Tho figures are very striking. Costly government is a curse to tho governed. In the Old World there are and have been Kingdoms and Empires whose peoplei'have suffered in,.order lo support a Court'Or a-ruling casto. ' New Zealanders are suffering in order to support a 6elfish and greedy political party in. power. Government must cost something, but tho less it costs the better. That is why tho original British Liberals made Economy their watchword. "No Chancellor of the Exchequer," said Gladstone in a memorable speech in Edinburgh on November 28, 1879, "is worth his salt who makes his own popularity either his first consideration, or any consideration at all, in administering the public purse. In my opinion, tho Chancellor of tho Exchequer is the trusted and confidential steward of the public. He is under a sacred obligation with regard to all that he consents to spend." The rate of growth in the cost of government has been nearly half as ' great again as the rate of growth of revenue. Now, here are two facts that almost look incredible to you. You did not know that waste and jobbery was picking your pockets in this way. Ton want figures to'prove this. Hero they are: Increase per 1892-3 1910-11 cent. Population 650,133 1,000,000 54 Departmental Expenditure .£2,133,021 ■ .£5,700,256 167 Liko all tho other figures quoted in this paper, tho above are taken from tho official records of the State. The Load' You Have to Bear. That is the load yon are asked to bear in order to pay for wast© and jobbery. Is it any wonder that wild borrowing and higher taxation is necessary? Is it not obvitras that a change of administration will lop off this waste and jobbery,

In other words the cost of Government per head has grown nearly twice as fast as the revenue. There ia to-day extracted in one form or another from the pockets of the peopla not much less than twice tho amount taken from each pocket in 1893. This is what you must bear in mind: that tho increases under tho 60-callcd "Liborals" have been: INCREASES PER CENT. In Population 54 In revenue 115 In expenditure 167 But you do not need Gladstone to toil you that costliness in government is against your interests—is, in fact, robbery. You know, in a general way, that government in this country is an increasingly extravagant business. But do

yon know the full extent of the extravagance under the "Liberal" Administration? Sinco it is able to borrow for purposes for which a prudent Administration would rely upon revenue, .tho Government is able to devoto the increasing sums taken from you, in direct or indirect taxation, to luxuries, superfluities, waste, and jobs. The cost of administration is that part of the expenditure called "Departmental Appropriations." For the year ended March 31, 1893, tho Departments spent .£2,133,021, tho population being 050,433 (the figures for December 31, 1592). For tho year ended March 31, 1911, they spent 700,250, tho population being rather over 1,000,000. The cost of government, that is to say, has risen by over 160 per cent, since tho death of Ballance, although the population has only increased by a littlo OTer 50 per cent.'

The growth in the cost of Government has been over three times as fast as the growth of population.

No growth in revenue oould excuse or explain such a riso in expenditure. It is the experience of all well-governed countries—as, indeed, it is an axiom that any person can perceive—that in time of progress tho revenue grows faster than the expenditure, for the same set of office machinery can rcccivo -ClO of revenue as is required for tho receipt of -E9. Or, to put it another way, the main body of the administrative organs should grow very slowly indeed, even when the revenue is growing very fast, : ; But what do we find in New Zealand?., An Unjustified Increase. The increase in revenue is great, as one would expect from tho fact that between 1803 and 1911 over (forty million pounds), has been borrowed, and the taxation per head greatly increased. But it is far less per cent, than tho increase in the cost of government. It was only 115 per cent. You may be told that the railways now cost more to run, that more is spent on education, and so on. This is quite true But this does not alter tho.fact that thl expenditure has grown out of all proportion to the population and out of all proportion to the revenue. That is the point you'havo to consider. We began with Gladstone. Let us end with him. "Ho held it," 6ays Lord Morley, "to be his special duty in his office not simply to abolish sinecures, but to watch for every opportunity of cutting down all unnecessary appointments." Ho said himself (Edinburgh, November 29, 1879): "The Chancellor of tho Exchequer should boldly uphold economy in detail, and it is tho mark of a chicken-hearted Chancellor when he shrinks from economy in detail, when because it is a question of only two or three thousand pounds, he eays that is no matter. He is ridiculed, no donbt, for what is called candle-end; and cheese-parings, but he is not worth his salt if he is not ready to save whal are meant by candle-ends and cheeseparings in tho cause of the oountry." What would Gladstone tell you if h<. oould revisit the earth and look at tho damning statistics of jobbery and wastu in New Zealand?, .

Ho would say: "Good people, do yon think this money fell from the skies? I tell you it camo from your pockets. Tfon have been preyed npon by a wasteful Ad-

u : The Ward Administration il the moat wasteful New Zealand haa ever known. Millions—so long as they are millions of other people's money —are nothing to it. Since the of Ballanoe the Government expenditure has grown nearly twice as fast aa the revenue, and the cost of Government has grown three times faster than the population. The people's money has run like water through the fingers of the Wara Government. Mountains of debt are being piled upon ..your back and your children's backs. Sir Joseph Ward, Baronet,—at your expense— itu-.y sail away in a liner to England to-morrow. The 18 millions of debt the Ward Administration have piled on in the last five years will/not be in his luggage. That he will leave behind for you to pay off by solid" hard work in the sweat of your brow. I I It will be in /our power on December 7to say whether you resent the way this Government has squandered your money. Every vote cast for a Government candidate means a vote in favour of the perpetuation of existing evils in our political life. The man with a familv and a stake in the country must faoe the position squarely. What will be the future of himself and bis family if debt and taxation go on increasing as they have been doing? Tho mother who thinks of her children's future should vote for clean and honest politics. There is no hone of better things from those who support the Ward Administration. Reform can only come from those opposed to the Government and its methods. Therefore in your own interest and you children's interest vote against the Government candidate every time.

and make extreme borrowing and oppressive taxation unnecessary? Stimulated by loans, tho revenue rises, and rises faster than tho population. But it cannot keep pace with the growth of expenditure. Consider: Increaso 1893-3 1910-11 per £ s. d. .£ s. d. cent. Revenue per head 7 6 11 10 5 11 <0 Cest of Government Bar head 3 6 7 5 14 0 71

ministration, which, by its extravagance, has increased your burdens and proTcd itself unworthy of your confirtoaco."

"I saw land at Daifield lying idle, with gorse growing on it," said Jlr. Eusor at Islington. "I asked who it belonged to, nml was told the Government. I consider that it would lie better to let. it bo cultivated rent free than allow it to bo left lying idle, been use he country ia losing that much productiveness out o{ Nature's graaarjr."-