NATIONAL EXTRAVAGANCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17650, 10 December 1920, Page 7

NATIONAL EXTRAVAGANCE.

NEW ECONOMY CAMPAIGN.

NOVEL MOTION IN COMMONS.

GOVERNMENT ON ALLOWANCE

By Telegraph—Press Association Copyright,

(Received 8 30 p.m.) A. ar.d N.Z. LONDON. Dec. S. The Daily Mail and the Daily Mirror have been conducting a campaign against Government expenditure. The campaign has taken the form of publishing lists of all M.P.'s who supported such estimates as those of the Ministry of Munitions and , the Ministry of Shipping, describing them | as wasters and wastrels, and suggesting j that their constituents should keep an eye | upon them. The Daily Mirror is publishing a special " squandermania " number with j a portrait gallery of Ministers and M.P.'s i concerned, and an article by Lord Roth- ! ermere upon the Governments so-called j " grandiose waste schemes." Colonel M. Archer Shee (Unionist) ob- | tained leave in the House of Commons to I move the adjournment to-day, owing to the i " scandalous nature of articles in the Daily Mail relating to members of the House." Mr. W. G. A. Ormesby-Gore (Unionist) suggested that Lord Northcliffe and Lord Rothermere should be summoned to the , Bar in the House to apologise. Subsequently the speaker came to the conclusion, after reflection, that he had erred in accepting Colonel Archer Shee's motion for the adjournment, as it did not relate to the conduct of the Government. He suggested that the House would be illadvised to proceed further in the matter. Colonel Archer Shee consented to withdraw his motion. Mr. George Lambert (Liberal) tabled a motion to ration expenditure from the national puree to £808,000,000 in ltiill-22. The motion will be debated to-morrow. Mr. Lloyd George, Mr. Bonar Law, and Mr. Austen Chamberlain are expected to make important announcements. Lord Askwith proposes that the Government expenditure should be limited to £950,000,000. Thus it would be forced to cut down superfluous Ministries, uneces-' sary officials, and wide schemes involving heavy cost. The Government is submitting supplementary Estimates of £6,500,000 for the Navy, and £2,000,000 for the Air Service.