INCREASED EXPENDITURE

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8653, 11 February 1914, Page 6

INCREASED EXPENDITURE

We anticipate that when the Tories of New Zealand have to face the people at the next election, one of the more serious of their many difficulties will be to explain the large and abnormal increase that has taken place in tlio public expenditure which they so profusely promised to reduce. The Nopier “Daily Telegraph” puts the position very clearly:—“ In 1912 the Massey campaigners affected to deplore the extravagant expenditure during the financial year ending on March 31st, 1912. Well, in that year, the expenditure was higher by nearly a million (the exact figures ore £997,362) than during an earlier period. This is quite true. There was extra expenditure. It was accounted for by the expenses of the census—coming once in five years—the costs of the general election, and additional money voted for defence. But, not resting our case on this one year, so easily explained by the items given, let us take the full fire years of the census period, say the five years ending March 31st, 1913. Then the annual increase in expenditure was £513,000. At that time « Reform ’ had not found out that a growing country needing development must face increasing expenditure, year by year. That discovery was reserved until after its own advent to office. Prior to that it sufficed to proclaim very loudly, very insistently, even shrilly, that the Ward Government was dangerously extravagant because its expenditure was mounting up at the rate of half a million a year. Now, to this, there is to be properly opposed tho awkward fact that during R©form’s ’ first year of office it exceeded the expenditure rate of tbe Ward Government by nearly a quarter of a million. That is to say, the Ward Government increased expenditure at the rate of half a million a year. Reform’s ’ first year of office increased the expenditure by £741,670. So tha , i the Ward Government was extravagant, the combination succeeding it is vastly more extravagant When this is pointed out, 1 Reform’s four-fifths of Ml New Zealand’s newspapers suggest that Liberalism is folly because it supposes a young and growing country can avoid increasing its expenditure. But this is not the point. The Ward Government increased expenditure at the rate of half a million a year, and was extravagant. The Massey Government increases the expenditure by three-quarters of a million a year, and is, therefore, on ‘ Reform ’ showing, 50 per cent, more extravagant.” Our contemporary is quite right. It is judging the poor Tories on their own choice of test—and they are proved to be miserable failures.