"NO SPECIAL INIQUITY.”

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XI, Issue 241, 15 October 1921, Page 5

"NO SPECIAL INIQUITY.”

DEFALCATION OF ACCOUNTS. AUDITOR-GENERAL ON PUBLIC SERVICE. (Special to “Tribune.”) Wellington, Oct. 15. The Controller and Auditor-General in a report to Parliament says that ho would regard it as being remiss on his part if he failed to take advantage of this, his only available opportunity, of placing before the Dominion his protest against the impression of special iniquity on the part of public servants which had been created by tho industrious circulation of particulars of all cases of defalcation or like irregularities which have been disclosed in relation to the Public Service.- Tho -fact is that offences of this nature appear to bo always more common or more 'commonly disclosed during periods of financial stress, the reason# for which are not far to seek, hut need not. be set forth hero.

The rcaT’cause of the seemingly large proportion of Government, employees involved in those, cases of prosecution, continues the report, arises from the simple fact that in every instance of such offence in tho service proceedings arc instituted in accordance with what is ruled to bo tho Audit Office’s duty whereas in the- ease of private or proprietary employees there is very often no action taken for such misdeeds, either as a matter of policy or some like equivalent. Evon under those conditions prosecutions taken by the Audit Department outside the Public Service, that is with regard to local body officials and the like, bear at least an equal proportion to those instituted against Government servants when the respective numbers of each are taken into account, and I trust that hereafter a more just view will be entertained of the relia.baili.ty and integrity of tho vast majority of officers of the Public Service.