THE FINANCIAL STATEMENT.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 652, 1 November 1909, Page 6

THE FINANCIAL STATEMENT.

It must be. apparent' to everyone that quite the most important question of the moment to New Zealand is that of finanoo; and. yet Parliament and tho .country-are. kept waiting.for,-the Financial showing iully tha position' pf .thd Dominion's finances and embodying the Government's proposals, for the current year. We have had two Loan BUIb passed, ancL financial measures of great importance, brought down, but despite this, and despite the advanced stage of the financial year, the Budget is kept back and not even a date fixed fof 'its appearance. Ministers have from time .to time dropped hints of fresh taxation proposals which have created uneasiness in tho minds of the farming community,; and haye kept everybhe outside 'the -Oahihnf. in ignorance of whether, there is anything at all behind those hints. The Piiime Minister can have no possible excuse to offer why the Budget should not be pre.sented to Parliament during the. present week. The position is really a very ini-, proper one. Soven months of the financial year have olapsed, and the country has received, only informal,; though, fairly full, statements a* to the financial operations ' of tho previous year, ' and no statements . at all.' as to tho financial proposals and prospects for the year which has 'already-more than half gone. The occasional scraps of information which the Minister for Finance; under pressure of circumstances, has thrown to tho public, have been of such a to arouse keener interest than usual as to tho -nature of tho fuller disclosures which may be expected in the Budget. Last year tho Budget whs brought down on July 7, in 1007 011 July 16, in 1006 on August 28, in 1005 on July 25. On: the present, occasion it shotild have been brought down immediately after Parliament met in October, for Ministers had the fticess between the two sessions to prepare for the business of tho second session. Tile PniME Misistku, who was fully aware of the. financial position beforehe left New Zealand in Jime lastj can hardly claim that ho did not have timo on the yoy&ge out from 1 England to fully

mature, his plane, and ho has had ample time sinco his return to discusß matters with his colleagues. Ministers; nowadays appear to be able to do just as they please in these matters, , If a protest iB made against their financial hethods the member making it is dtibbed' a fraiitor to his country, or }b charged with attempting to damago the credit of the Dominion, or some equally unwarranted aspersion ; is cast on him, i : But nothing is'said of a Minister for Finance, who, even after Seven months of tho financial iyear have olapscd, still; ventures to keep back from Parliament arid the country his Budget proposals for that year. .