HIGHER DUTIES IN AUSTRALIA

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 290, 5 September 1942, Page 8

HIGHER DUTIES IN AUSTRALIA

Effect On Pleasure Spending

NEW PRICES AWAITED (By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—-Copyright.) (Received September 4, 7 p.m.) SYDNEY, September 4. The heavy indirect taxation in Australia’s record 1942 Budget will drastically hit pleasure spending on tobacco, liquor and many forms of entertainment. Stocks of tobacco and liquor at present held by traders must be exhausted before the new duty rises can be passed on to the public. Retail interests are pressing for an early announcement of the new price levels.

It is generally expected that the higher duties will result in retail prices rising as followsßeer, by 2}d. a pint to the new price of 1/9 a bottle; whisky, by 3/- a bottle to 22/-; tobacco, by 2Jd. an ounce to 1/5} ; cigarettes, by 2d. a small packet to lOd. Use of Bank Credit. Discussing the Government’s loan policy for 1942-43, a Federal Treasury spokesman expressed the view that at least £100,090,000 would be obtained by bank credit to finance £300,000,000 of war expenditure which will nut be covered, by revenue. The spokesman added that it- -was' not expected to get more than £150,000,000 by loan from the public between now and next June. ■ The war on the present scale could not be financed by taxation alone. Those who repeatedly urged the Govern men t to resort to compulsory loans knew there was no possibility of getting the £300,000,000 by this method.

AUSTERITY CAMPAIGN Mr. Curtin’s Appeal

CANBERRA, September 3.

An appeal to the people of Australia to adopt a more austere way of living to aid. the war effort was made by the Prime Minister, Mr. Curtin, in a national broadcast tonight.

He requested the State Governments to restrict the number of racing, greyhound, coursing, and trotting meetings in their territories, and asked the Press and radio stations to restrict the treatment of sporting news and social news to bare essentials and to eliminate non-war activities. He also urged the limitation to three courses of meals served in hotels, cafes, and public eating places. He announced that a Bill would be introduced to deal with black markets and that stiffer penalties, with a severe minimum, would be imposed for breaches of the price regulations. Three Objectives. Mr. Curtin said that the austerity campaign which he was inaugurating had three main objectives; first, to bring the people to ‘the realization that only by an austere way of living could they muster the national strength to the pitch required for victory; secondly, to ensure the success of the £109,000,000 loan. Subscriptions to the loan would be received immediately though it will not be launched officially till November.

Thirdly,' he said, absenteeism, . slackness, carelessness, and inefficiency, which were cankers eating into the efforts of ithe working forces, must be abolished. If the.disproportionate expenditure on drink was not altered by the powers recently given to the States, the Federal ,Government would introduce further measures to see that its policy was carried out. Mr. Curtin said that people must accustom themselves to a greater cut in the normal standard of living. A cut of at least one-third must be applied immediately and more' might be asked at a later stage. People must cease buying non-essen-tial goods. For the sake of the people themselves, for their, children, and for posterity, he' enjoined his listeners to live in austerity.