More To Be Done.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 850, 15 June 1888, Page 27

More To Be Done.

(From the New Zealand Times, June 11.) Apparently the acceptance of the Ministerial Rcheme of taxation is, so far as its main principles go,a foregone conclusion. We must, however, repeat the expression of our hope that the House will act upon tho implied invitation of the Government, and consider carefully whether Borne of the proposed new taxation cannot be averted by the adoption of further economies in the public services. That ithere are still possibilities of further 1 economy nobody will deny, and the Government virtually admit. In the Financial Statement two or three directions are indicated by the Premier in which retrenchment can be effected if the House will consent to the needfuli3teps beiug taken. But these do not exhaust the list. There are many other openings. Nothing is more certain, for instance, than that a large saving can be made in the cost of tho mail services all. round. The Ban Francisco service is a pure luxury, and nothing else, kept up for the sole local benefit of Auckland,. We do not in the least degree grudge Auckland] the benefits derived —-or imagined to be that port from its exclusive possession of the trad© ©f this particular line or steamers; [indeed, we should rejoice in this supposed advantage being enjoyed by Auckland if the Colony could afford, to pay for it. But the ean.uot afford it. As to the vefy silly plea which has sometimes, set up—by peoplq, who, in.u.st surely entertain the ; meanest notions as to their- fellow [Creatures’ understaudjug—that the :service costs the Qalimy nothing and ieven returns a, Gmail profit—flat fallacy 0:1 n hardly Impose up.ou anyone ; possessing a grain of gc.ra.moh sense, j 1 he service cosjtti th© \v,h,o]jC su,tn {laid | in postages,which upstages form sfinpHy i tho tax, imppsed; to defray the coat of ! the sciivipe. Jjf tfie ptyitages amount j to leass, th%u Ifh© subsidy paid by the ' Colony |o the contractors then the deficiency has lo be supplied out of other taxation. If the postages come to more than the subsidy, then tfie Colony has not made a “ so absurdly and illogicality by some Auckland fiu.t haa merely lev\gd tluit taxation, ’ postage ©barges) than happens, to, be required for the performance of that particular service. But the whole sum comes out of the public pocket, and fi, % idle to pretend otherwise, The case is just tne same Tifikh, Regard to the Direct only these perform a yal,yahl© immigration and cargo,, iipcjs"produce carrying service as wellj. whereas the commercial and ipnblio value of the San Francispp, service is practically nil, save, n, qpiqk mail line between Aippriga, and : There is. ropm, hp\\©ver, for, economy la, all; the Hngliph mail services, We enter*, tnity no dou,bt at all that if th.e negotiations were indiciopsly conducted free from afl fiampering pf pplitioM perspn%l considerations, satisfactory i fortnightly mail service between Eng-. ] land and New Zealand) could and | would he carried on by tho two Direct ■ Steam lip.es, at a cost very slightly, il i at all, in cgvpesa. of the subsidy : at present . paid to one of tho two, lines, for a four-weekly service, thus saying the whole amount paid iu subsidy for the San Francisco line. Here is a potentiality of large saving, and Parliament ought to insist on its being effected at the expiration of the present contracts. Then, again, there are numbors of town and country and

J other postal services which could be substantially retrenched. We do not mean to imply that the Department is at present worked extravagantly, for we know that this is not the case. On the contrary we are satisfied that that huge department is worked very cheaply in proportion to the immense amount of work done. But our contention is that too much work is done—not more, perhaps, than is pleasant and convenient to the public, but more than we can properly afford to pay for. We have more services and deliveries than we ought to have, considering our position and our means of payment. In this respect, as in so many others, we are committing the sin of “ living beyond our means,” and it is lucky for U 3 as a community that our conduct cannot come under the review of an Official Assignee or of a Judge of the Bankruptcy Court, for assuredly things would then be made “ warm ” for us. The department is powerless to check this extravagance. Political influence decides all such matters as these. The postal authorities might recommend until they were black in the face that this, that, or the other service should be dispensed with or reduced, but the member for the district in which the reduction was proposed would speedily rush to. the front and begin a bombardment of the Postmaster-General with interviews, letters, telegrams, and deputations, whose success in preventing the contemplated economy would be an ultimata certainty and only a matter of time. Wo have grown too extravagant and self-indul-gent in respect of these luxuries. They are very nice if wo were justified in treating ourselves to them,; but the plain fact is that we are not, and therefore they should be cut down. There is a very substantial saving to be made in the Postals Department if only Ministers have the courage to undertake it, and if Parliament is consistent enough to its professions of economy to support them in such a course. We shall take another opportunity of pointing out some additional directions iu which further economy is feasible.