Untitled

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVIII, Issue 18414, 21 May 1920, Page 4

There is a story of a man w'ho was eating oyster stew at a restaurant and complained to the waiter that ho could find only one oyster in his portion. Whereupon the waiter hurriedly remarked; " For goodness sake, hush,

sir! If the othors hear you they’ll all want it.” Now, we suspect Mr Massey of being in possession of a surplus, and wo are afraid ho is keeping it to himself because the moment he exhibits it the whole of the Public Service will want it- Rnilwaymon, post and telegraph employees, defence people, Customs collectors, school teachers, even Judges and magistrates, all are looking to Mr Massey for more pay—and hero is tho right hon gentleman, in Ids capacity of Finance Minister, keeping up his sleeve the surplus from last year, which we imagine amounts to** some millions of pounds. IVe guarantee that as soon as tho announcement of the surplus is made the Public Service of the country will be clamouring for it to a man, and woman. And so for tho present Mr Massey, perhaps astutely, keeps the knowledge to himself.

, But, if we may say so, the secrecy is quite illegal. Parliament in its wisdom has ordered to be made publio the 'information which is boing withheld. The Publio Revenues Act provides that Vfithin thirty days of the close of the financial year tho Treasury shall send to tho Audit Office an abstract of the revenue and expenditure of the Consolidated Fund, that tho Audit Office shall return the document within fourteen days, and tha't it shall be forthwith published in the “Gazette.” Had tliio Jaw been observed the particular of revenue and expenditure in the last financial year would have appeared not later than in this week’s “ Gazette,” but that publication has been issued without the desired information. Had the law been carried out, incidentally, as we have said, tho surplus would have been exiiibited and all Mr Massey’s tormentors in the public employ would have been after it. Still, there appear to bo no good reasons why the Public Revenues Act should bo ignored.

The frankly-expressed opinions of the Prince of Wales regarding housing conditions in the slum quarter of Southwark, Loudon, were cited recently in connection with revelations at an inquest concerning tho conditions under which poor peqple lived in this locality. It was shown that premises were dark, damp and in bad repair, and that large families lived in two rooms. The place was infested by largo numbers of cat's None of the tenants knew who tho landlord was, as tho name, tvas not given in the rent book. The Coroner said that the Prince of Wales had visited those quarters, having been taken there by tho Duchess of Marlborough, who is a member of the Southwark Borouga Councfl, and keenly interested in housing reform. His Royal Highness summed up the conditions in one word—- “ damnable-” It will ho remembered that on the occasion of his slumming expedition the Prince found that some of bis own London property was no better than it should bo, and at once ordered extensive and thorough reforms. Other landlords have apparently not been so generous and publio-spirited