| Recommendations. |
Action taken. |
|
in accordance with the pledge given by the President of the Board in the Debates on the Bill the position will be closely watched. The Board have recently made an Order allowing for a further increase in the price of coal at the pit mouth. |
| Par. 29.—Cotton Control Board.— Recommending that before any further liability for unemployment benefit is undertaken by the Government, details of any proposed scheme, together with the estimated liability of the State, should be submitted to Parliament. |
It is often difficult to estimate the amount which it may be necessary to ask the Government to provide under exceptional circumstances which may from time to time arise in consequence of further restrictions on the import of raw materials. So far no Government money has been used, and the new Treasury guarantee (for the next six months) is limited to one-sixth of the expenditure during that period on unemployment. Unless some unforeseen circumstances arise it is hoped that no call will have to be made on Government funds, as the Cotton Control Board scheme is designed to be self-supporting. The recommendation of the Committee has, however, been noted. |
| Pars. 31 32.—Canals.—Suggesting that an effort should be made to reduce the amount of compensation payable as the result of the Government Control of Canals by the provision of a further supply of proficient canal workers and the increase in the rates on carriage of goods on canals. |
The Report of the Committee states that in 1917 the Board of Trade took over the control of all non-railway-owned canals. This is not quite correct, as only the principal canals were taken over. The question of making the canals controlled by the Board of Trade self-supporting has for some time past been under consideration by the Canal Control Committee. If canal rates were raised without the corresponding increase in railway rates, there is considerable danger that instead of traffic being diverted from the railways to the canals the contrary would be the case. In this connection reference is invited to the note on paragraph 101 below. |
| Pars. 37–40.—War Risks Insurance Office.—Suggesting that the system of differential rates of premium which were extended to cargoes on the 7th March, subsequently to the taking of evidence on the subject by a Sub-committee of the Expenditure Committee, might with advantage to the taxpayer have been introduced at an earlier date. |
This matter had been under consideration by the Board of Trade for some time prior to the date on which evidence was given before the Expenditure Sub-committee. |
| The Board admit that in the light of experience some money might have been saved if the change had been made earlier. It must be pointed out, however, that the War Risks Insurance Scheme had been carefully formulated and prepared by a Sub-committee of the Defence Committee and that this Committee had fully considered and rejected the idea of having differential rates for the insurance of cargo (see paragraphs 74–78 of Cd. 7560), and that for a considerable period the scheme was paying its way. About the middle of 1917 it became clear that some change would have to be made but difficulties were then encountered, and the Board considered that in order to bring the change into force without friction they were justified in delaying the introduction until this could be done without any serious disturbance of the insurance market. |
| Recommendations. |
Action taken. |
| Par. 51.—Financial Control in the Board of Trade.—Recommending that a Finance officer, with rank at least equal to that of Assistant Secretary, should be charged with the work of examining departmental proposals which involve public expenditure, criticising policy and suggesting economies. |
The recommendation of the Committee has, to a considerable extent, been met by the recent appointment of a Controller of Trading Accounts in the Board of Trade, and the Board have under consideration the question of obtaining some further assistance of men who have had experience of commercial accounts. |
| BOARD OF AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES. |
| Par. 56. — Suggesting that the organisation of the veterinary and lay inspectorate should be simplified. |
A Draft Report by the Office Reorganisation Committee is now under consideration, and recommendations for a settlement of the difficult problems involved will be submitted to the President as soon as possible. In view, however, of the absence of many officers on military service, it is probable that no immediate financial economies will be found to be praticable by means of reorganisation during the War. |
| Par. 57. — Relative to financial control. |
In view of the comparative smallness of the Board's expenditure (other than that of the Food Production Department and that relating to Flax Production) the Board do not consider that a special "Assistant Secretary for Finance" is necessary. One of the Board's assistant secretaries is already responsible, under the permanent secretary (who is the accounting officer), for the Board's accounting arrangements, and proposals involving expenditure can, when necessary, be submitted by the Secretary at his discretion to that officer for criticism, before the proposals come up for final discussion and submission to the President. |
| Par. 63.—Ordnance Survey.—Recommending that the standard periods of years for revision of certain maps should be extended in the interests of financial economy. |
Considerable reductions of expenditure on normal revision have already been made, and the periods of revision have been greatly extended during the War. Those counties which have been marked for extended periods of revision will have their revision deferred for another twenty years. In view of the developments of agricultural policy, the Board do not consider it advisable to allow the revision of certain of the maps, e.g., those which cover populous areas, to fall greatly into arrear. |
| Par. 64.—Suggesting that the sale prices of maps, and the charges for reproduction, should be increased. |
The sale price of the six-inch quarter sheets has been increased from Is. to Is. 6d. Charges for maps on the 1/2500 scale have been increased from 3s. to 5s. per sheet. Attention is being given to the Committee's recommendations that increased charges should be made for permission to reproduce. It is intended to enforce more rigorously the provisions of the Copyright Act as regards these reproductions. |
| WAR OFFICE. |
| Par. 68.—Army Establishments in the United Kingdom. Inquiry with |
It would not be in the public interest to make any statement. |
| Recommendations. |
Action taken. |
| a view to reductions where manpower could be reduced without loss of efficiency. |
|
| Pars. 69, 70 71.—Reduction of Military Staff in War Office. |
Nothing can yet be added to the statement already made on 2nd May. The matter is still being pursued. |
| RAILWAYS. |
| Pars. 99 to 102.—Recommending steps to be taken for securing economies in the use of railways and to ensure that while under Government control the railways shall be self-supporting. |
The point raised in paragraph 99 as to restricting travelling and traffic on account of Government Departments is a matter which mainly affects the big spending Departments, but the Treasury will continue to take such action as is possible in the desired direction. The question of restricting the issue of free or reduced warrants to officers is being carefully considered by the War Office. |
|
With regard to the suggestion in paragraph 101 that if it should appear that the railway system is not paying its way increases in the rates charged for the carriage of goods should at once be enforced. This question has been considered by the Board of Trade and the Railway Executive Committee from time to time, and the accountant who acts for the Government is now being asked to look into the matter afresh. |
| NATIONAL WAR AIMS COMMITTEE. |
| Par. 111.—Expressing the opinion that the salaries of the chief officials seem to be unduly high. |
The salaries of the members of the Publication Department were fixed on a scale having regard to their former occupation and the requirements of the work. Many of the representative officials of the Committee, including four secretaries on whom the main direction of the campaign falls, are in receipt of no salaries from public funds, their services being provided by the central Conservative and Liberal organisations. |
| MINISTRY OF LABOUR. |
| Par. 115.—Relative to the delay in preparing statistics in connection with the Professional and Business Register and the unsatisfactory results obtained as compared with the cost involved. |
It is not the case that three years elapsed before statistics were prepared. They were available at the end of 1915, and yearly Reports-have since been submitted to his superiors by the officer responsible. |
|
It is not considered that the cost of placing men has been excessive, having regard to rates charged by outside professional agencies and to the fact that the register was burdened with correspondence about numerous persons who did not want help but offered their services or who were unfit for posts or demanded excessive salaries. |
| par. 119—Employment Department. Nature of office accommodation. |
The question of large rooms is always considered by the Office of Works, but the First Commissioner welcomes the support of a Parliamentary Committee in pressing upon Departments the absolute necessity for reducing the number of small rooms to the lowest possible-minimum. |
| Recommendations. |
Action taken. |
| Par. 52.—Recommending measures for securing economy in printing and stationery. |
At the beginning of the present year two new branches were set up in the Stationery Office to secure, by constant control and renewed investigation within Public Departments, as much economy as possible in printing and stationery by following up the instructions in the circular already issued to Departments. |
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1. The Superintendent of Printing Demands' Branch has a staff of expert printers who go out into all the big Departments and get into personal touch with the officers of those Departments who are concerned with printing. They also revise "copy," and by that means secure the utmost economy in printing and paper. |
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2. At the beginning of the present year the Stationery Office Inspectorate was instituted. The Stationery Office Inspector is charged with the duty of making visits of inspection inside Public Departments in regard to their use of stationery, and it is also his duty to follow up the circulars in regard to economy, and by judicious inspection and by suggesting rearrangement of methods, where necessary, to secure the maximum effect in the way of economy. |
| Par. 53.—Relative to the cancellation of official documents for "wastage" purposes. |
A circular has been sent to all Departments on this point. |