RETRENCHMENT.

Evening Post, Volume LXXX, Issue 62, 10 September 1910, Page 9

RETRENCHMENT.

SOME DETAILS OF THE SAVINGS STATEMENT BY SIR JOSEPH WARD. At the outset of last night's long seance in the House of Representatives on the Estimates, Mr. Massey said ho hoped that membprs would require the Government to give some information about the events of the recess. He desired to have details of the retrenchment scheme, and the irregularities of the Land and Income Tax Department. The Leader of the Opposition then went over some of the retrenchment ground covered during the debate on the Financial Statement. The Prime Minister said he proposed io give details of retrenchment for each department. Not long ago he sent a circular to heads of departments for information about temporary and) permanent reductions of expenditure and the number of men retrenched. Mr. Massey: What about the number taken on? Sir Joseph answered that he would give one thing at a time. Because ifc had been necessary to retrench some time ago, that was no reason why men should not be taken on when better times returned, and the State's business increased. He then read a list of the various economieSi permanent and temporary, that had been affected, and the hands dispensed. Details : — Permanent. Temporary. Hands. £ £ Marine 8793 1175 8 House of Reps — — — Life Insurance "90 — 6 Fire Insurance — 1015 — Valuation 4500 3430 39 Guaranteed A"dv'n's. — 802 9 Messengers, etc. ... 196 — 4 Audit 1557 — 7 Registration and electoral 1577 — 6 High Commissioner — — — Advertising 380 — — Laboratories 940 — 7 Printing and stationery 795 — 8 Hospitals, Charitable Aid, and Public Health 16,277 — 40 Land and Income Tax 3484 Ssoi 19 Council of Defence... 605 " — 6 Public Works and Mines 34,407 — 136 Justice — — — Agricultural 33,765 1230 CO Native 2500 1058 10 Education 775 45,000 3 Lands and Survey ... 3112 8474 41 Railways 123,175 176,000 COO Post and Telegraph 15,717 — — Customs 2156 — 15 Labour 2016 — 2 Treasury 1165 — 2 Totals 258,712 247,274 1041 Grand total £506,187 Mr Herdman urged that more details should be given regaxdirAg the men whose services had been dispensed with, »nd as to the men who had been taken on since the retrenchment had been carried out. Mr. Fisher remarked that under the system that had been in operation for some years a class of people had grown up who were given employment in departments where there was no necessity for the utilisation of their services.