THE BUDGET

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2801, 20 June 1916, Page 6

THE BUDGET

INDUSTRIALISTS' POINT OF VIEW.

Some observations on the Budget were made at last evening's meeting of the Wellington Provincial Industrial Association. Mr. T. .Ballinger said that the industrial people would be hit hard. They had had a bad year in strike time, and were now just getting on their ■ feet again. It was primary products that the tax should be made on, and he did not see why an export tax should not be instituted. It was astonishing that until last year .the farmers had not paid inoome tax. . The farmers had always got off too light, and business men were unfairly taxed as compared with tho farmers.

Mr. L. R-. Partridge declared that the farmers had always been spoon-fed while the industrial people had never received fair consideration. In the way of donations to patriotic funds'tho big landholders had done handsomely, but not so tho farmers in general. The farmers had always acted selfishly. Mr. L. T. Watkins moved that a com--mittee, consisting., of Messrs. J. E. Evans, T. Ballinger, L. R. Partridge, C. J. Ward, and F. C. Crease, should be set-up to go into the question. He doprecated the keenness of the criticism which had been made. He did not think that.tho farmers were unpatriotic, and he thought that the industrialists should .endeavour to get a better understanding with the men on the land. As to the war taxes, he thought that allowances should be made for big donations to patriotic funds. Mr. Watkins's motion was carried.