GOVERNMENT EXTRAVAGANCE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 9410, 21 April 1902, Page 4

GOVERNMENT EXTRAVAGANCE.

The member for South Wairarapa addressed a large meeting of electors at Featherslon last week, and was well received. Mr Hornsby began by reviewing the events of ]ast session, and dealt at some length with the enormous increase in the cost, of the Defence Department, and advances in the highest salaries paid to civil servants. He also dealt with the increase to the Governor's, and scathingly referred to the repeated demands made by His Excellency for extra sums of money towards the upkeeping of his establishment. The revelations as to the sum of £2260 which was paid to the Governor as an extra on account of the Royal visit were of a somewhat startling nature, and included the statement that £400 of the amount wns for champagne, and another large amount for new liveries for his flunkeys. Quoting from the estimates, the speaker showed that from £25,000 to £50,000 might havfi beeu saved to the colony if the Government had been content to profit by the lesson which ought to have been taught them by the South African war. Instead of pursuing the course which was obviously kid down by experience, the Government had persisted in perpetuating all the evils of the War Office system. Mr Hornsby referred to the strenuous efforts made by a small band of members, of

i which he was a unit, to reduce what they believed to be the extravagant sums asked for by the Government, but all their efforts were rendered nugatory owing •" the almost solid supporl given by the Opposition to the Government. With'about three exceptions, the Opposition invariably voted en block with the Premier. The fight was an earnest one,and an honest one, in..the cause of real economy, but the economists were derided, 'called "skinflints," and generally were treated as though they were the enemies instead of the friends of the State. There was too much over-spending in one direction, and too much under-spending in the other. There were too many hangers-on, too many fifth wheels, too much embroidery, and certainly too much red tape ; hence large sums were sr/ent in unproductive directions, while the votes for roads and bridges had to be curtailed and works hung up throughout the whole colony at a time when the money could have been most, advantageously expended.