ME. HAYES'S POSITION

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 100, 25 October 1930, Page 8

ME. HAYES'S POSITION

■-— —■ / A'WORD. IN DEFENCE , A word in. defence of the ex-socretary of the Treasury, Mr. E. E/Hayes, was made by the Acting-Prime Minister in the House of Bepresentatives last night, replying to criticism of the grant of £725 to Mr. Hayes on the Unauthorised Expenditure list in lieu of accumulated leave. Mr. Bansoni said that members were not fully aware of the position which Mr. Hayes occupied, nor the amount of work ho had done for the country in the last few-years. On many occasions, on many of the boards he had sat upon, Mr. Hayes had directly represented the Minister of Finance when it would not have boen possible for the' present secretary to have attended the meetings. His, assistance had been very helpful, especially in ~the recent difficult period of financial depression. He had been called upon to ck> quite a lot of important work iv connection with tlio Treasury. His leave was undoubtedly due to him, for in the later period of his occupancy of the office of Secretary of the Treasury, his" work was very heavy indeed. Mr. Bansoni said it was not proposed to extend the principle of making special payments to officers of other departments. Mr. Hayes's position was somewhat unique in that there were not many other officers yiho had had the same financial experience with the Department. The Hon. "W. Downie Stewart (Reform, Dunedin West) said that a number of Public servants were considerably underpaid >in comparison with men occupying positions of similar importance in other services. His experience of Mr. Hayes over a period of three years was that he was a loyal and impartial Public servant. Mr. G. 0. Black (United, Motueka) said that while other officers of the Public Service had had to have their items in the Estimates, Mr. Hayes seemed to be' able to have his Included in the unauthorised expenditure, which was paid before it came before the House. Mr.' F. Laugstone (Labour, Waimarino): "Ho makes hay ( while the sun shines." Mr.. Black said that Mr. Hayes now received £500 as Financial Adviser to the Treasury, whereas Colonel Esson, 'when he held the same position, received only £417.