The Dominion. THURSDAY,, AUGUST 19, 1315. THE WORK OF THE SESSION

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2544, 19 August 1915, Page 4

The Dominion. THURSDAY,, AUGUST 19, 1315. THE WORK OF THE SESSION

Parliament re-opens to-day for the transaction of public business, and members will be called upon to deal with matters of the greatest national importance. The need of thrusting all party and sectional interests into the background' should be as obvious as it is imperative. It is to be hoped that members will realise the desirableness of getting on with the business in a businesslike way, and that they will set a good example to the country as regards unity and economy. A disunited Parliament cannot claim to fairly represent a united people, and politicians who 1 fail to see tbj duty of practising economy at such a time as the present can hardly expect respectful attention when they attempt to impress upon the general public the duty of economy in private life. The people of New Zealand are looking to the new National Ministry for a bold and definite lead,, and will bo grievously disappointed if Parliament does not rise to the occasion. The work of the session should bo done quickly and.thoroughly. Members ought not to, a How their attention to be diverted from the things that really matter, and should set their faces against waste of time and words on matters of secondary importance. It is essential that the business of the session . should be completed as soon as possible, in order that Ministers may be enabled to devote all their time and energy to their paramount Imperial duties in connection with the war. The financial problems arising out of our participation in the Empire's fight for life will form the principal subject of discussion. We must expect to learn of a falling off of revenue in certain directions, particularly from Customs duties. With a lessened volume of imports that was inevitable. The House will have to find the most effective and least burdensome. means of. replacing this decrease of Customs revenue, and also of providing for the cost of the war. Increased taxation is, of course, inevitable. It is the price we have to pay for our freedom and national honour, and we are prepared to pay it. Care should be taken to spread the burden as fairly as possible over the whole community, so that all may bear their just share. Wealth must bo taxed, and must carry the heavy burden, but patriotism, as well as justico demands that all should participate in the burden according to their means. *'

The falling-off in our imports is one of the inevitable results of war. It is hardly necessary to state that New Zealand is not the, enly country which has been affcctcd in this way. Australia and the United Kingdom are having the same experience. Australia is feeling the strain more acutely than we are, because the drought has caused a heavy reduction in her exports, whereas the export, trade of Ne* Zealand eou» > tinm to increase* IVe. are vcrAL tot-

tunate in th'is respcct. The following Australian trade figures show a very material drop in both exports and imports:—

Imports. Exports. ■£ Ji 1912-1,1 77,531,489 75,705,5-10 1913-14 .' 82,417,907 8-1,827,■1!16 1011-15 0-1,32-1,17G 00,912,804 The New Zealand trade returns for the war period, as disclosed in the following table, arj on the whole more satisfactory than these of Australia:— Imports. Exports. £ *e 1913 22,288,302 22 980 7"" 1914 21,850,096 2G,20M17 For the March, quarter of the present year our imports were £5,051,053 as against £6,526,919 for the corresponding period of 1914, while the exports wcro £11,214,815, as compared with £9,999,439 for the March cjuarter of 1914. This reduction in imports is not at all surprising. The surprising fact is that a war of such magnitude as that in which we aro now engaged has not interfered moro seriously with our trade and commerce. Still, as' we have already pointed out, the deficiency in the amount received from Customs will liavo to bo made good, and new sources of revenue must bo found in order to provide the money required for tho payment of our war bill. Itwill be the duty of Parliament to save money wherever it can, The claims of necessity and efficiency cannot, of course, be ignored, but there is certainly room for tho practice of cconomy in the cost of government. Speaking in the House of Lords reLord Lansdowne expressed the opinion that in a crisis like the present it is the duty of the Government to avoid any new liabilities which can by any legitimate means be escaped from, and to scrutinise closely the expenditure ,to which the country is already committed; Tho New Zealand National Government must not shirk their - responsibility in this matter of cutting down public expenditure.