POLITICAL NOTES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 307, 23 September 1919, Page 4

POLITICAL NOTES

THE FINANCIAL STATEMENT

WARNING ABOUT MILLIONS

The Financial Statement is to come down to-day. It is understood that the Budget -will contain something in Hie nature of a serious review of the financial situation. The idea prevails that fio eoon as tho war ended the expenditure on war effort ceased also. The Government will point out in the Statement that this has not been the case. The expenditure is certainly tapering off now, but it has not yet ceased, and it will not cease for at least six months to come. It is not any part of the policy of ttio Government to create nlann or'panic or anything of the sort, but the Budget will rivo to the people some material for thought and a mild warning that they must 6oon give up largo talk about millions for one, purpose and another. THE GRATUITIES. '; The debate on tho gratuities ectoemo will be taken to-morrow if nothing intervenes to prevent it, but there ib no special ;eason for hurrying this debato now that it has been once delayed, and it may lie postponed for another daj. There is no discoverable ground for the Btatemeut whiolv has been made that thGovernment may bo prevailed upon to increase the scale aboyo the rate of Is. Ud. a day. All the evidence is to tho cohtrary. If the House will not support the Government in this proposal that has been made, then quick results may rollow. MEMBERS'PAYMENT. A meeting of members of Parliament was held lost week, wilien the question was discussed us to whether representations should not be made to the Government about the increasing of the honorarium of members of the llou>.». The decision of the meeting, it is understood, was that an appeal should be made to the Government to. increase tho payment to members to £M a year. About 70 per cent, of the members of the House were present at the meeting. The probabilities seem to be that no cnanso will be made as affecting the members of this Parliament.