WHAT IS WRONG WITH NEW ZEALAND?

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21147, 3 October 1930, Page 3

WHAT IS WRONG WITH NEW ZEALAND?

TO THE EDITOR. , Sib,—The letter which appears in your issue,to-day, under the above caption, deserves the careful attention of every citizen. L . I have no idea who the writer is, out he has certainly struck the nail on the head. His contention for the reduction of public expenditure is well timed. We are overburdened with crank edu-' cationahsts. 'Hie expenditure on secondary education is simply scandalous in a small country like New Zealand. Our universities are turning out more professional men than the Dominion can absorb. Something will have to be done to stop the gradual increase in toe educational expenditure. ■ It seems to me on this point the country has gone mad. Wo have, overdone a good thing to the point of the ridiculous. Your correspondent refers to the ghastly expenditure in regard to the upkeep, of the civil service. The commissioner’s recent statement that the people are always calling for more public service, and therefore the number of our civil servants must be increased, is only partially correct. The great trouble is the lack of business training in our civil, service departments. If the commissioner had had experience 'as a commercial business man he would know that it is quite easy to find employment for 15 in an office in ! which there is only /legitimate work for five men. The great' art in the civil service departments, particularly in Wellington, seems to be to employ larger numbers. The Government, through mistaken policy, has allowed civil service unions to be formed, with the result that commissioners and Ministers are almost helpless in their effort to reduce the numbers employed. It may appear a matter of little coucern to the public, at large, but the employment of one in every ,24 of our population as a civil servant means that it will not be long, if this is unchecked, ere we find ourselves in the saipe plight as Australia. The business community, is being bled at every tarn by taxation of one kind, and another, both governmental and municipal, and still the tfflng goes on. Shopkeepers are having a very hard time with decreased trade and heavy expenses, and the sooner steps are taken By the Government to reduce the enormous lability involved in toe upkeep of crowds of civil servants the quicker better conditions will be .attained. From the economic standpoint, immediate and drastic reductions in the overhead expenses involved in running this Dominion are absolutely indispensable, if we everbope to attain prosperity.—l am, etc., Dunedin, October 2. 1 lota.