PRAISE OR CRITICISM?

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 114, 17 May 1927, Page 8

PRAISE OR CRITICISM?

"I would like to say that criticism is generally of more value than praise," says the Postmaster-General, in reply to a statement contributed to "The Post"; but the rest of his statement indicates that criticism is of uo value to him. He resents it with references to "sweeping inaccuracies," suggestions of "piracy," and "hysterical outbursts" by "uninformed critics." This might have been justified if the Minister's statement had convicted the critic

of hysteria, ignorance, or unfairness; but it did nothing of the kind. It admitted and failed to excuse the two principal points in the contributor's criticism. , We arc not responsible for the opinions of contributors, and our publication of their views does not necessarily carry our endorsement; but we are bound to admit that in this instance the Minister's reply has helped substantially to prove the reasonableness of the critic 's case. There is, however, one point upon which the Minister might be more explicit. Ho says that the Post and Telegraph" Department's balance-sheet was not passed by the Auditor-General until November, 1926, and could not therefore bo placed before Parliament last session. Ho might inform tho public who was responsible" lor the seven or eight months' delay; also why tho balance-sheet must now bo held until Parliament meets again, and what practical use can be made of a system under which the balance-sheet is not published until fifteen months after the accounts.are closed. The withafter tho accounts are closed. [In a letter received after this article was written the Minister attributes the lato presentation of tho 1925----26 balance-sheet to "delay in audit," and gives an assurance that in future there will be an earlier publication. But he does not explain why failure to table the statement last session makes it necessary to withhold the information till next session—fifteen months after the accounts closed.]