“GANG OF AMATEURS”

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17607, 24 October 1931, Page 15

“GANG OF AMATEURS”

PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEES AUSTRALIAN CRITICISM CANBERRA, Oct. 14. Allegations that the public works committee and the public accounts committee of the federal Parliament me costly futilities, Whose only value is in .providing, extra pocket money lor politicians, were made to-day by Mr. Pavkhill, M.H.R. Explaining why ho moved in the House of ' Representatives yesterday that these committees should be abolished, lie said that all the evidence showed that they were a costly farce at tho public expense, and benefited no one except the members who drew fees and obtained jaunts through being on them. “It is admitted that the works committee has no work to do at all,’’ said Mr. Parkhill. “One of the absurd defences made of the committee is that it has saved the Commonwealth £1.000,000 by investigating schemes of Government expenditure. Any Government which Lning.s down proposals that are such an obvious waste of public money that they can be detected by a gang of amateurs, ought to be defeated on the. floor of the House immediately! “It is ridiculous to say that the best method of/ checking such expenditure is by the appointment of a number of men who know no more about the subject they are paid to investigate than does the man in the moon. Mr. Parkhill declared that the public accounts committee was merely pretending to do something. “There have, in fact, been times,” be said, “when more than half the members have been drawing fees from the public purse to supplement their Parliamentary allowances. Such a state of affairs was never intended, and ought t,. be stopped.”