PUBLIC WORKS AND ECONOMY

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2582, 2 October 1915, Page 4

PUBLIC WORKS AND ECONOMY

While it cannot be said that anything in the nature of. drastic economies' are proposed_ in the Public Works Statement laid before Parliament by the Minister yesterday, indications are/not lacking that the need for a temporary, curtailment of expenditure on certain classes of, un'dertakings has received careful consideration. As most people are now aware, thero 'is a very wide margin between' the total annual appropriations usually set out in the Public Works Statement and the total annual expenditure. It would not be a fair comparison therefore ■to take last year's expenditure and contrast it with this year's appropriations. Indeed, if this were done it would seem that the admirable professions of economy-to which tho Minister gives expression were not supported by his actions. It is- only reasonable to assume. _ however, that though the appropriations asked for in the and Estimates of expenditure submitted to Parliament exceed in most oases the actual ex-, penditure of the past year, the ex-' penditure for the current year will ag usual fall short of the amount voted. In these circumstances we may look for a distinct though not excessive reduction of Public Works expenditure. There can bo no question that this economy if judiciously carried out, is not only the prudent but the necessary policy to pursue. We cannot pretend to know how long tho war. will last or how great thf strain will be on our financial resources, and we must, therefore, exercise every possible care to avoid expenditure on public works whioh are not essential to the increased productivity of tho Dominion. We must endeavour to expand our production while curtailing all expenditure on luxuries and , conveniences until a more opportune time. In this respect wo should have ■ been better pleased had the Minister exercised a more vigorous use of the pruning knife in the matter of votes for public buildings; but it is to be hoped that even though the money mav be voted for this purpose, it will only be expended in cases of pressing urgency. That Mr. Fraser ■aad his colleagues have been alert to the possibilities of the situation is plainly indicated by the paragraph in the Public Works Statement which sots out that it is not intended that the ways and means now asked for shall be expended by March 31 next, that is to' say, dim'ing' the current financial year, but they are cxpected to suffico till December 31, l9iG, or oven, if ncccssary, to March 31, 1917. In other words, the reduced appropriations arc expected to sufiicc not merely for tho current year but for fine months, and possibly tho whole, of tho succccding year as well. It is unlikely that the extreme course here mentioned as a possibility will become -a. necessity, but it is a hopeful sign for care and .caution in our public works cx- ' penditure that the Government ,'ih.tiyld h«.vr. Jawd fcbo posH-teu is ibis, grudenfc and terracing m,apaw,

Minister of Public Works will, wo confidently anticipate, endeavour to live up to the admirable intentions foreshadowed in his clear iuid candid survey of the situation.