Rangitikei Advocate. MONDAY, APRIL 5, 1909. EDITORIAL NOTES.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIV, Issue 9412, 5 April 1909, Page 4

Rangitikei Advocate. MONDAY, APRIL 5,1909. EDITORIAL NOTES.

THE day of reckoning has at last arrived and Sir Joseph Ward finds it necessary to retrench the enormous expenditure on Government Departments which has been going on for many years. The thirty seven departments which at present administer the affairs of the Dominion are to be reduced by a process of amalgamation to sixteen, and it is expected thus to diminish the expenditure by a quarter of a million. It is quite obvious that the Prime Minister would not take a step whioh most cause lamentation among officials and cut down his opportunities of providing supporters with billets except under severe financial stress. The country is however still in the dark as to the revenue and expenditure for the financial year just closed. British and Australian returns have already been cabled to ns but the united energies of our thirtyseven departments have apparently failed to produce a balance-sheet, or else Sir Joseph Ward is holding it back to furnish material for another speech. However, even when the accounts are published they will not provide full information since theyj will as usual contain no details as to amount of liabilities held over for payment after the end of the financial year. Returning to the reorganisation scheme, we '-.have nothing but good wishes for its success and the public will give the Prime Minister its hearty support in his unpleasant task. In return for this support it will expect that the cleaning up process will be conducted on thoroughly business like lines and that no pressure from interested parties will, be allowed to interfere with the good work. The pnblic servants whom it will be necessary to dismiss, will have the sympathy of all because they are nufortnuate victims of a bad system, bnt this sympathy cannot be allowed to restrict action taken for the benefit of the whole community.

AN interesting statement was made by Sir Joseph Ward in his speech on Friday. He said, ■« ‘‘As-to the year 1908-9 the whole of the figures are not yet available, but wo most necessarily expect a largely reduced balance to carry forward to the coming year, but I am glad to say that as far as I can judge at present the estimate given by me in my Budget last session will be realised.” On referring to the Budget we find that Sir Joseph estimated the excess of revenue over expenditure at £333,007. It Is obvious that were this surplus anything but a paper one the Prime Minister would not be reducing expenditure on the Civil Service by £250,000, and we think it would be fairer to the country to put a plain statement of the facts before them.

IN regard to proposals for compulsory service Sir Joseph Ward still seems hardly to know his own mind ; and those »who believe in seme form of compulsion should express their views emphatically if they wish them to prevail. In his speech at Upper Hutfc, be said that ‘‘Cabinet would submit proposals, nod of a compulsory character, which would ensure a national system of drill for the youth of the country from the time they went to school, passing through cadet and volunteer corps, until they reached the age of 21 years. This would make it absolutely certain that the younger portion of the community would be equipped in t his direction as efficiently and as effectively as if they tried to force upon them a system of compulsion whioh a great many people were opposed to. In the proposals whioh would be made to Parliament they would’ be able td submit a very much better scheme of defence than was in existence at present, and one that would be stronger and better than anything tried, as far as internal defences were concerned.” The combination of absolutely certainty that efficiency will be produced by the new scheme and its voluntary character seems a curious one and Sir Joseph Ward will have to reconcile the irreconcilable to make his proposal work.