The Press. SATURDAY, MAY 30, 1914. Solid Achievement.

Press, Volume L, Issue 149814, 30 May 1914, Page 10

The Press. SATURDAY, MAY 30, 1914. Solid Achievement.

The Hon. Mr Allen's discussion of the public finances in his Lawrence speech deserve some more detailed treatment than we were able to rive to it yesterday. The anxiety of'tho Opposition to persuade tho public that the Government did not inherit a disordered estate and turn confusion into order and weakness into strength and soundness is due less to their unwillingness to admit virtue in the Ministry than (o their annoyance that tho public should realiso into what a shaky stato the national finances had been brought by Sir J. G. Ward. They cannot challenge the Minister's figures, and these are plain enough. In the Consolidated Fund, of course, there was a credit balance, but in the Public Works Fund the cash amounted on June 30th.-1912 to only and some further loan money and advances coming in brought the total to about three-<|uarters of a million. But the liabilities and commitments amounted to over a million and a half, of which a portion was .not urgent, with the result that there was a.practical debit of over half a millioi sterling in this fund. In the Advances Department tho commitments to local authorities amounted to £723,000, and to meet them thero was only a balanco of £61,000. That was tho "splendid " financial position" * with which Mr Allen found..himself confronted, and bow well ho has handled his Dopart- . men.t is obvious from a comparison between the state of the funds on March 31st, 1912, and March 31st, 1914. Or tbo former date the balance of the l'ublic Works Fund was only £82,580; en March 31sfc last it was £1,178,584 There would be no special necessity to refer to the Government's administration of the Stato Advances Department had not tho Opposition—very unwisely as thoy ought to havo known —set themrelvcs to tell tho public that tho -lieform Party is opposed to the policy of advances. Not only havo the Govern • ment progressive!} raised tho limit yt advances all round and liberalised the working of the system; they have "done what the "Liberals" did not do, by making provision for advances for tho relcaSinnr'of mortcages on Crown leaseholds and on freeholds.

Tho Government's record in the matter of promoting settlement is . ono •< of which Ministers have every reason to 'be proud. Since they took office they have purchased 181,991 acres- for. closo settlement, which, is ■ nearly .twice as much as was acquired by tho. Ward Government during the last three years of its term of office. Tho Native land purr chases, as Mr Allen put it, tell tho same story During tho year 1913-14 half as miich again was {spent in this direction than tho "Liberals,*-" for all their claim to activity in' bringing Native lands into profitable use, spent during their last threo years. That all this progress has been solid progress, and consonant with sound budgeting, is cle.tr from tho general balance-sheet for 1913-14. The surplus on March 31st, aftor £670,000. had- been transferred out of revenue to tho Public Works Fund, was £426,903. But this surplus would havo boon greater by over £100,000 had the Government followed the practice of the preceding Administrations and used as revenue tho proceeds of land sales..* Mr Allen has done well to put an end to this rather shady method of inflating surpluses. It must also bo remembered that the Government has introduced tho practivo of charging revenue with £10,000 a year to replace public buildings destroyed by fire—a sound improvement upon the old plan of borrowing money to replace Ijuildings for which money had been borrowed originally. In his Milton speech, Mr Allen stated that the extra-ordinary expenditure involved by the striko and the smallpox epidemic amounted to about £115,000. while tho indirect loss to the railways was £175.000. Actually, the result for the year was very good, but if the striko and tho smallpox epidemic had not occurred, and if tho old laxities of book-keeping had been perpetuated, tho surplus would have been littlo short of £900,000. The Government, in short, has not only upset with wonderful completeness tho foolish predictions of tho Opposition, but, what is more important, has shown how this country can flourish under competent and unselfish management.. Upon the solid rock of this achievement tho OppositJou'jt criticisms beat in vain.