COST OF GOVERNMENT

Taranaki Daily News, 14 August 1930, Page 14

COST OF GOVERNMENT

EXPANSION IN FIVE YEARS

INCREASE OF 1816 EMPLOYEES. WAGES BILL £386,090 MORE. The growth of the public service during the last five years is revealed in the estimates of expenditure for the present year presented with the Budget, as compared with the estimates for the financial year of 1925-26. An increase of 1816 in the number of officers employed is shown by a comparison of the figures for the two periods under review. In 1925-26 the total number employed in 33 departments charged on the Consolidated ' Fund was 9690, and for the year 1930-31 the total is 11,507 employed, in 35 departments. The two new departments are those of Scientific and Industrial Research and of Transport. ■ .• .. These comparisons do not in either year include the Post Office, the Railways Department, the Public Works Department and other departments whose transactions are indpendent of the Budget. Nor does it include officers whose salaries are paid under statutory authority, such as judges and members of Parliament.

For the present year the amount proposed to be paid in salaries is £2,850,045, as compared with £2,463,368, for the year 1925-26, an increase of £386,677. ‘ . The following table affords a comparison of the numbers of officers employed, in the two periods under review, in the departments covered by the ordinary Budget:—

There have been increases, in practically every case. In only four, departments, Stamp Duties, Alines, Printing and Marine, are decreases evident, the largest- being in the Stamp Duties Department, where the number of employees was reduced iii the five years from 223 to 184.’ The reductions, in the Alines and the Marine Departments arc attributable for the most part to the transference of employees in. special branches, such as geological purvey and meteorological observation, to the new department of Scientific and Industrial Research... In the Printing Department the reductions have been effected in the general .staff.. ; . ’ The following table shows the salaries voted in the various departments. in 1925-26, as compared with the sums allocated for the purpose in .the cotimatca for the present-year: —

crease -in staffs. The average for 9690 officers in 1925-26 was £254, as compared with the average of £248 for 11,507 officers for the current year, a decrease of £6. To raise the average salary to the previous, level an addition 'suin' of' nearly’ £70,000 would be required.

Department No. of Employees. 1925-26 1930-31 Prime Minister 3 Legislative 56 79 Treasury .... i........ 96 , 108 National Provident .... 53 56 Land and Income Tax .. 171 178 Stamp Duties 310 273 Public Buildings ...... 33. 41 Native' .............. . 77 120 External Affairs ... .V. 6 10 Cook Islands .... 67 79 Industries, Commerce and Tourist 171 215 Justice .............. 279 . 317 Prisons 241 ' 297 Crown Law ' .......... 9 10 Police 1110 1205 Pensions 158 ■ 171 Mines ........... i.. 41 27 Internal Affairs .1' 841 921 Audit . 132 165 Public Service ' Cominissioner ’ ........ 16 19 Printing 373 323 Mental Hospitals ...... 1056 . 1324 Health 476 592 Naval Defence ,,,... . 629 1143 Defence 578 630 Customs ............ 299 321 Marine .1. 254 ' 241 Labour 113 136 Lands and Survey .. 689 723 Valuation ..... ...... 118 131 Electoral ■7 13 Agriculture ........ 583 747 Education . . ‘648 ■ i801 Research ., • 77 Transport ,,,.. : — 11 — ■ —- Totals .......... 9G90 11,507

Salaries of employees, 1025-20 .1930-81 .. £ £ Legislative 33,230 . 3-1,959 Prime Minister .— . 2,075 Treasury ' 23,798 30,181. National Provident .. 11,911 11,448 Inland reyenue .... 95,70-1 112,209 Publie buildings, etc. 9.845 9,797 Native . .......... 15,669. 22.359 External Affairs .... 2,045’ 5,340 Cook- Islands 18,008 16,290 Industries, C o m ine rce ■ ' and Tourist .... 39,471 49,070 Justice 71.911 82.001 Prisons ■ 65,329 78,482 Crown Law ...... 4,925 5,660 Police 325.116 363,070 Pensions ..;.”..'.... ' 35,710 39,598 Minco ......"...... 14.761 9,399 Internal Affairs' i. 150.550 171,793 Audit ............ Public Service Com23,848 28,200 miosioner 5,085 4.9.82 Printing .......’ 119,327 130,155 Mental iloopitala 201,372 . 247,357 Health 127.948 ’ 149,737 Naval Defence .... . 190.800 192,700 Defence .... 182.502 215,012 Customs .MV, ’ 90.004 91,537 Marine ' 60,864 ’ 69,505 Labour 31.463 39,297 Lands and Survey 112,728 122,397 Valuation 36,381 38.245 Electoral ..... • 3,989 4.602 Agriculture’ .. 183.135 223,475 Education ■ .' ....... 166,843. 204,873 Research ....*. M. f. — • 33,613 Transport . —- 4,361 Totals ■ ...... £2,403,308 2 ,850,045 The increase in . salaries, does not fully correspond with the in-