"FLOUTED BY A MINISTER."

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 5854, 29 September 1917, Page 7

"FLOUTED BY A MINISTER."

AUDIT OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTS. Iki July last th© executive of the Public Service Association urged on the Government this advisability of setting up a oommiis®iO|u of experts not necessarily members of the public service', foir the purpose of eraming th,e present system of public accounts, to report to the Government whether in ts opinion the system includes adequate safe-guar d against fraudulent manipulation of public moneys. ‘‘This step (the association wrote) is being taken on aount of the fact that, -in the assoiation's view, our weaker fellows should be protected By the perfecting of as effective a system as can be conceived. That th e present system 'is incapable of improvement and that alterations made an the system within th 6 past few years bafve been in the best 'interests of the public and of its servants the association does not feel assured ’ ’ s* Several letters hav e since passed between the Government and the association on the subject. In the last one received by the association the Minister of Internal Affa-irs (Hon. G. W. Russell) sad: “I note that your executive is of opinion that recent happenings 'in the Service are sufficient justification for its lack of assurance that the methods are incapable of considerable improvement. I desire to point out, however, that the account system now in operation throughout the service is a matter that is primarily -in th e hands of the Audit aud Telegraph Departments, and under these circumstances further action is not considered necessary.”

The Public Service Jour 1 J jus? issued, referring to the Hon. Mr Russel’s reply, says: ‘‘The comparatively recent serious embezzlements must necesari-ly cast a- stigma on; th-e Service as a whole, and in particular those officers whose duty it is to liandle pubic mqueys, there-; fane the association, as representing the bulk of tile Service, is justified:, in asking for an inquiry into a sys- ; tem which we submit is obviously de- ’ fecfcive. The members of the Ser- ! v*Ce n-re anxious to strengthen the ! system and would ,no doubt take ad- | vantage of an enquiry to offer vaiu-’* able suggestions to that end. This t Wits the spirit in which the resolu- 1 tion of Council was passed, • •thei-efoTe is not encouraging, to say tip, least, to find a responsible Minster of the Crown writing tire words quoted at the head of this a-rfeie befoiy consulting some authority on the subject. Ha<l he takeai. this procaut >oii he would have avoided two mistakes, those of treating an important matter in a cavaJier fashion; and an exposure of his lack of knowledge. If he will read tlie fourth report of the Public Service Com miss: Oner lie will appreciate this crit cism, but w© may go further and stay that the Audit Office has no control ofver the system of keeping the public accounts, nor has the Treasury any control over the system of keeping departmental aet , unte. The Association with a knowledge of the subject, lias called attd.v.ion to what it considers to ly a matter of grave 'importance, only to bo flouted by a Minister who, otn his own showing, has no knowledge of the subject. Apparently the public interest dees not count.”