NATIONAL BOOKKEEPING.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."] SIR, In your article last week on " National Bookkeeping you lay stress on the necessity for a central statistical depart- ment under the Prime Minister, but you make no reference to the state of the country's financial accounts. The wholly con- fused and unscientific form of these latter is responsible for the imperfect control over expenditure and the consequent extrava- gance of our public services to-day, and to compile statistics while our financial accounts are still in chaotic form is like trying to roof a house the foundations of which have not yet been laid. The Select Committee on National Expenditure in their Seventh Report point out the proper way to reform our national accounts, and while the Government has accepted the recommendations of the Committee the progress in carrying them into effect is lamentably slow.—I am, Sir, &c.,
Previous page
