COST OF GOVERNMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20639, 11 August 1930, Page 11

COST OF GOVERNMENT.

EXPANSION IN FIVE YEARS. INCREASE OF 1816 EMPLOYEES. i WAGES BILL £386,000 MORE. The growth of the public service during the Inst five yours is revealed in the estimates of expenditure for the present year presented with the Budget., as compared with the estimates for the financial year of 1925-26. An increase of 1816 in the number of officers employed is shown by a comparison of the figures for the two periods under review. In 1925-26 the total number employed in 33 departments charged on the Consolidated Fund was 9690, and for the year 1930-31 the total is 11,507, employed in 35 departments. The two new departments are those of Scientific and Industrial Research and of Transport. These comparisons do not in either year include the Post Office, the Railways Department, the Public Works Department and other departments whose transactions are independent of the Budget. Nor does it include officers whose salaries are paid under statutory authority, such as judges and members of Parliament. For (he present year the amount proposed to be paid in salaries is £2.850,045, as compared with £2,463,368, for the year 1925-26, an increase of £386.677. The following table affords a comparison of the numbers of officers employed, in the two periods under review, in the departments covered by the ordinary Budget:—

Totals . . >. . • £2,403,368 £2.850.045 The increase in salaries, however, does not fully correspond with the increase in staffs. * The average for 9690 officers in 1925-26 was £254, as compared with the average of .£248 for 11.507 officers for the current year, a decrease of £6. _ To raise (he average salary to the previous level an additional sum of nearly £70,000 would be required.

Department. No. of Km ployees. 1925-2G. 1930-31. Legislative . • 56 79 Prime Minister — 3 Treasury .. tir. ins National Provident . . 53 56 Land and Income Tax . . 17! 178 Stomp Duties . . 310 273 Puhlic Buildings . . 33 41 Native . . 77 120 External Affairs f> 10 Cook Islands , . 67 79 Industries, Commerce and Tourist . . 171 215 Justice . . 279 317 Prisons . . 241 207 Crown Law .. .. o 10 Police .. mo 1205 Pensions . . . . 158 171 Mines • . .. .. .. 41 27 . Internal Affairs • . . . P41 0'2l Audit . . 132 105 Public Service Commissioner in 19 Printing . . 373 323 Menial Hospitals . . 1056 1324 Health . . 470 592 Naval Defence . . (320 1143 Defence • • . . . . 578 030 Customs . . 2110 321 Marine . . . . .. 254 211 Labour . . 113 136 Lands and Survey . . , . 080 723 Valuation . . 118 131 Electoral . . . , ■ . 7 13 Agriculture . , . . 583 747 Education .. . . 048 801 Research • • . . — 77 Transport . . . . • • — 11 Totals .. . j . . 9090 11,507 There have been increases in practically every case. In only four departments. Stamp Duties, Mines Printin g and Marine, are decreases e\ ident, the largest being in the Stamp Duties Department, where thre number of employees was reduced in the five years from 223 to 184. The reductions in the Mines and the Marine Departments are attributable for the most part to the transference of employees in special branches, such as geological survey and meteorological observation, to the new department of Scientific and Industrial Research. Tn the Printing Department th e reductions have been effected in the geifcral staff. The following table shows the salaries voted in the various departments 111 1925-26. as compared \v th the sums allocated for the purpose, in the estimates for the present year:— Salaries of employees. Department. 1925-26. 1930-31. legislative . • £33,236 £34.959 Prime Minister . . — 2.675 Treasury . . 23.79S 30.181 National Provident 11.911 11.448 Inland revenue . . 95,791 112.209 Public buildings, etc. 9,8-15 9.797 Native ] 5.009 22.359 External Affairs . . 2.015 5.340 Cook Islands . . 1S.OOS 16.290 Industries, Commerce 49.076 Tourist 39,471 Justice 74.911 82.061 Prisons 65.329 78.482 Crown Law 4,925 5,000 Police . * - 325.116 363.670 Pensions . ' 35.710 39.59S Mines 14.701 9.399 Internal Affairs . . 150.550 171.793 Audit 23.843 28.200 Public Service Commis4.932 sioner 5.085 Printing 119.327 130.155 Mental Hospitals . 201.372 247.357 Health 127,948 149.737 Naval Defence .. . 190.800 192.700 Defence 182,502 215.012 Customs 90.001 91.537 Marine 66,804 69.505 1 Labour 31.403 39.297 Lands and Survey 112.728 .122.397 Valuation 36,331 3S.245 Electoral 3.989 4.602 Agriculture . 183.135 228.475 Education . . . . 166,843 204.873 Research . . .. _— 33.013 Transport 4.361