“SCANDALOUS WASTE.”

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16543, 29 September 1921, Page 6

“SCANDALOUS WASTE.”

MR WILFORD’S ALLEGATIONS. [From Our Correspondent.] WELLINGTON, September 28. “ I am going to prove that scandal* ous waste has taken place in Government departments, and that Ministers have been careless of warnings from the Opposition or even from tho heads of their own departments,” announced Mr Wilford at the commencement of his speech on the Address-in-Reply in the House to-night. He assured his hearers that he would give specific details. First he dealt with the New Zealand training ship Philomel. When he was Minister of Marine in the National Government it was settled that the vessel was utterly useless therefore he authorised no expenditure, yet to-day this ship was at Auckland with her tail shaft out, absolutely unable to go to sea. No less than £IB,OOO had been spent in two years on engineering repairs to the Philomel, exclusive of 30s daily for supervision, but the money might as well have been thrown into the sea, because the only result was to steam from Wellington to Auckland, where the vessel stayed. Another instance of waste was in connection with the purchase of gear for fishermen. Owing to the high prices of their supplies he induced the National Government to order £3200 worth of nets, coir ropes and gear in August, 1919. When these goods arrived £SOO duty was paid, but that very morning he had seen them all in the Marine Department’s store. One big bale had to be patched up by the storekeeper because rats were getting into it. A Stores Board was set up to prevent overlapping in purchases by public departments. The Premier himself had declared that departments bought goods at high prices when other departments had big surplus supplies of the same goods. This board had been set up with a secretary, but It was not functioning, because the Ministers would not grip the position. The country was being overrun by commissions. The public service was supposed io be run by a Public Service Commissioner, yet a commission had been set up over the commissioner, including a former Public SerW-ice Commissioner. The stores departments of the public service were in a state of muddle which caused enormous expense through delay in getting materials. “Mr Massey.” he concluded, “has raised five millions in London and is returning with th© receipt.” (Laughter.)

The Ministerial rejoinder came from the Hon W. Downie Stewart, ActingMinister of Finance, who remarked that he would not follow Mr Wilford in details of the training ship, as the Minister of Defence was more familiar with details. However, in the course of his investigation through the Treasury ‘ the other dav to ascertain items of expenditure which were not |yoducing any result one of the items brought up was that the Marine Department had a large quantity of fishing gear, which had been imported at some Minister’s request, but. that there was no sale for it. Fishermen would not take it and the stuff was dead stock. (Laughter.) The leader of the Opposition had complained, added Mr Stewart, about the number of Royal Commissions, yet he did not go far before he recommended another Royal Commission on taxation. There were always demands for commissions. Within one week he had been asked to set up inquiries into waterfront labour, taxation and other things. He had told one deputation that he recognised the necessity for inquiry, but the moment he appointed a commission the newspapers roared at the Government for extravagance. A member: You take more notice of them than of us.