liquidation services amounting to £158,000,000, which have to be audited. But for the Act of last year, which gave the Comptroller and Auditor-General discretion as to the extent of his audit, we are satisfied that much larger increases in staff would have been necessary. Consequently we have no suggestion to make that this staff, which is safeguarding the interest of the Taxpayer, should be reduced. Although our recommendations, if adopted, will result in a reduction of the expenditure to be audited in future, audit is of course conducted in arrear, and we cannot therefore suggest a reduction of this Estimate at present. The name of this Office is misleading, since the functions relating to Friendly Societies constitute only a small proportion of its duties. Certain of what are now perhaps the more important duties of the Office are off-shoots from the early legislation relating to Friendly Societies. The Friendly Societies' Register has been in existence for nearly a century, the certification of rules of Savings Banks and Friendly Societies being made compulsory by the Savings Bank Act, 1828, and the Friendly Societies Act, 1829. The main work of the Chief Registrar is in connection with the registration, the certification of rules, and the amendment of rules of Friendly, Industrial and Provident, Building and Loan Societies, and Trustee and Railway Savings Banks. The Chief Registrar is also responsible for adjudicating in disputes as to Building Societies and as to deposits in the Post Office, Trustee or Railway Savings Banks. He also has to prosecute for offences against various Acts, and for misapplication of funds. Annual returns, containing the accounts of 36,900 Societies, &c., registered under the various Acts administered by the Office, fave to be examined. New statutory duties have been imposed since August, 1914, by Acts of legislation. In spite of these additional duties, many of which are permanent, the staff has been reduced from 180 in August, 1914, to 165 in April, 1922. The expenditure under the Vote is almost entirely on staff, and although the numbers of staff have been reduced, the cost has considerably increased, owing to the fact that the members of the staff in 1914 were mostly very junior and at the minimum of the scales. The volume of work thrown upon this Department by Statute is best illustrated by the membership and accumulated funds of the various organisations, which are now subject to the control of the Central Office. These are as follows: * Exclusive of deposits of about £15,000,000. The only suggestion we have to make is that the Appropriationsin-Aid, which are estimated at £4,500 for the year 1922/23, should be increased. We understand that in each year it is necessary to register : 1. Annual returns of all Societies, Branches ... ... ... 2. Triennial returns of Industrial and Pro- ... 3. Quinquennial Valuations Societies and Branches Cases. ... 36,000 1,500 of Friendly 3,000 40,000 Total-approximately At present no fee is charged for such registration, and we suggest that a charge of 10s. should be imposed in each case, which would increase the Appropriation-in-Aid by £20,000, thereby reducing the net Estimate of the Central Office to £26,278. This Provisional Estimate has since been reduced to £36,321— The 1914 staff was fixed at the numbers required by the work of constructing the National Health Insurance system without allowing for the expansion of staff, which was inevitable when the work of the first valuation of Approved Societies fell due. In 1917 the Treasury decided that all actuarial work required by Public Departments should be concentrated in the hands of a Government Actuary. The major portion of the work of the Department is concerned with the valuation of Approved Societies under the National Insurance Acts, the remainder consisting of references from other Departments for actuarial advice. The Department has proved itself of great assistance in the control of expenditure, and also in giving advice when legislation affecting Unemployment Insurance, War Pensions, and matters of similar character have been before the House of Commons; and in existing circumstances we do not recommend any reduction in the numbers of staff proposed for 1922/23. In fact there are cases, e.g., Teachers' Superannuation and Police Pension where we think great advantage might have been derived from extended actuarial advice. This Provisional Estimate has since been reduced to £21,345— The work of the National Debt Office has very largely increased since 1914 owing to the additions to the list of Government securities. In 1914 the Commissioners had under their control about thirty separate investments and and securities worth about £247,000,000. They are now responsible for about sixty accounts and hold securities totalling about £672,000,000. Having regard to the increase of work, and the importance of the functions of this Office in connection with national finance, we make no recommendation. This Provisional Estimate has since been reduced to £38,490 This Department is responsible for the safe custody of papers of all Government Departments after various periods of time. The papers referred to them have to be carefully recorded and stored, and, having regard to the large increase of Government activities during the War, we do not consider that the present authorised establishment-which is less than the pre-War establishment-can be still further reduced. PUBLIC WORKS LOAN COMMISSION. CLASS II (29). The Vote in this case is a Token Vote, as the gross expenditure of the Board is entirely met out of fees. The estimated gross expenditure for 1922/23 is £21,336, as compared with a gross cost of £11,527 in 1913/14. The staff on the 1st August, 1914, numbered 49, and the Estimate for the 1st April, 1922, is 58. The work has increased as follows: Loans granted— 1914/15 ... 1,303, totalling approximately £5 millions. 1920/21 2,835, totalling approximately £61 millions. ... Advances made ... 1914/15 2,671, totalling approximately £5 millions. 1920/21 5,524, totalling approximately £31 millions ... The function of this Department is to administer the Local Loans Fund, from which loans are made under Statutory authority to Local Authorities and certain other bodies for Housing, Land Settlement and similar purposes. Fees are charged on a scale fixed by the Treasury for the work done by the Department in connection with loans, and these fees are appropriated in aid of the Vote up to the amount of the gross expenditure (less a token sum). Receipts in excess of the expenditure are paid into.the Exchequer; such extra receipts are estimated at £12,465 in 1913/14 and £53,670 in 1922/23. In the circumstances, we make no recommendation. This Provisional Estimate has since been reduced to £37,294 a saving of £267. Number of persons employed— August 1, 1914 April 1, 1922 (estimated) Gross Income of the Land Revenue in 1913/14 was £750,000. Gross income of the Land Revenues in 1919/20 was £1,199,500. Net amount paid over to the Exchequer as surplus income : 1913/14 ... £ 530,000 680,000 The whole question of the management of the Land Revenues of the Crown is, we understand, under the consideration of Sir Howard Frank's Committee on Government Lands, and, in these circumstances, we do not make any recommendation on this Estimate. |