TONIGHT'S EVENING POST

WHY AREN'T KIWIS BETTER OFF? Papers obtained by the Evening Post under the Official Information Act show Treasury cannot explain why 15 years of reform are not resulting in better economic performance.

CABINET RESHUFFLE - Finance Minister Bill English swaps jobs with Treasurer Sir Bill Birch tomorrow. English climbs to number three in Cabinet and Birch drops to five. ACC Minister Murray McCully loses his Associate Immigration portfolio to Lockwood Smith and Don McKinnon becomes Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Defence Minister. Tau Henare becomes Associate minister for Tertiary Education and David Carter becomes Associate Education Minister.

BLUMSKY ON CLOSED CURCUIT TV - Both Police and the Major of Wellington , Mark Blumsky, favour the introduction of video surveillance to monitor Wellington's 'hotspots'. Blumsky said to set up 14 cameras and a monitor room would cost $500,000. Blumsky hopes to have them installed in Frank Kitts and Te Aro parks, Cuba and Manners malls and Courtenay Place. A stakeholders' forum will be held at the end of the month and Blumsky hopes his proposal will be taken up.

ROYALS LEAVE ON HONEYMOON TO UNDISCLOSED LOCATION.

IRD BOSS WANTS TO KEEP JOB - The Commissioner of the Inland Revenue Department, Graeme Holland expects to learn in September whether he will keep his job. He is currently under pressure to resign following allegations of heavy handedness by the IRD. Holland said his contract comes up for renewal in September and that he has no desire to work anywhere else.

RATE RISE FOR CAPITAL - Wellingtonians may face rate rises as high as 16 per cent as officials prepare the final cut of the 1999 / 2000 budget. Mayor Mark Blumsky believes the rise has to be about 15 per cent unless the Council cuts some services.

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