ANNUAL ACCOUNTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22860, 15 October 1937, Page 13

ANNUAL ACCOUNTS

DELAY IN PUBLICATION explanation to house PLANS FOR BETTER SYSTEM [by telegraph—SPEClAL REPORTER] WELLINGTON, Thursday Ihfi opinion that a considerable amount of delay in the publication of the annual accounts could be avoided by the Treasury's observance of statutory requirements and by more timely action on the part of departments is expressed by the Controller and AuditorGeneral, Mr. J. H. Fowler, in his report to Parliament for the 1936-37 financial year which was presented in the House of Representatives to-day. The Audit Office, he said, was anxious to assist the Government in every possible way by expediting the publication of the Public Accounts and by .dealing with them as promptly as possible

Mr. Fowler said one of th« reasons that had been offered for the delay in tK publication of the annual accounts wff that the audited figures were not available. This statement might reasonably! £* VG r ' se t° an impression that th?delay was attributable largely to the work of examination and not to the method of public accounting in New Zealand, which, in actual fact, was the reason for the late presentation of the figures. It was recalled by Mr. Fowler that the matter was the subject of comment in 1934 when a comparison of the British and .New Zealand systems disclosed; the difficulties of ascertaining the icsult of the year's operations in New-Zealand as expeditiously as in Great Britain. The Treasury, said Mr. Fowfer, had under consideration a scheme for amalgamating certain particulais in the abstract of the Public Accounts and publishing a simpler and more foncise form that would show clearly the main features of the year's operations.

Better Parliamentary Control " Apirt from condensing the accounts, 1 ! Mr. Fowler continued, "it is a sound financial policy to establish more Effective Parliamentary control and criticism over Government expenditure by appropriating grants annually. A large proportion of the expenditure in NewJjZealand is appropriated without estimates being submitted to Parliament! Sir Otto Niemeyer referred to this im usual arrangement and suggested tkat a number of the services could beljnore suitably provided. "In fngland direct or recurring charges on the Consolidated Fund are authorised by special statutory provision, bat there is a disinclination to use permanent appropriations in any cases whith could satisfactorily be provided for by an annual vote."