MEMBERS' OPINIONS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 212, 23 September 1937, Page 3

MEMBERS' OPINIONS

Preaa Aaaociation.)

Criticism and Defence oi Government THE TAXATION BURDEN

(By Teleeraph—

WELLINGTON, Last Night. In the House this afternoon the debate on tho Address-in-Keply entered its iifth day. Mr C. L. Hunter (Govt., Manawatu) said the Opposition had stated that it was the ideal of every farmer to owi his own land, but under previous Governments every obstacle had been placed in the way of farmers attaining that ambition. With regard to the numbert of men on Public Works, the reason why there were so many employed by tnat Department to-day was that previous Governments had closed dowu on necessary Public Works and the present Goverriment was forced to continue them in the interests, of the country. The farming community, he said, had been tjrlrited more than any other s«ction of the people right throughout the history of the country, and now that the Government was stopping that exploitatijra criticism could naturally be expected. With the Government 'e inortgage adjustments the farmers would find they were placed on a better basis than ever before.

Press Attacked Mr Hunter proceeded to attack the treatment of tho Labour party by the Press of the Dominion, contending that the names of Labour speakers at different functions had been freuently omit* ted and letters sent by Labour supporters or letters praising Labour legislation were not published in the correspondence columns. The Nationalist Party, he contended, had control soiucwhero of the Press of the Dommion and saw the necessity of inaintaining contact with the administrative staffa ot the newspapers. The Hon. J. G. Cobbe said that the last thing the Opposition would do would be to reduce pensions- if it came into office. Conceruing the dairy iudustry, he stated that it had been said by Government members that the dairy lndustry was in a very satisfactory -pusition, and he would admit that the small dairy -farmer was in a fairly coiufortable situation, but in the Manawata district at present large numberb of dairymen were parting with theii herds. In oue Manawatu paper he had noticed ten large dairy herds be mg olfered for sale recently. He had also been tuhi that numbers of Waikato dairy farmers were going out oi dairying and going in for skeep. Tho Government 's legislation introduciug higher wages and shorter hours had created a feeling of fictitious pro»penty, he added, but behind that was a feeling of distrust and uneasiiiess. The Government was bribing the elector3 with lavish expenditure, but the load of debt left behind it would prove a tremendous burden on taxpayers for years to come. Lack of Initiative Mr C. R. Potrie (Govt., Hauraki) contended that the Opposition had been defeate'd at the last election not because of the slump conditions but because of lack of initiative and imagination in dealing with them. He had failed to iind evidences of the Government 's broken promises, and he refuted the Leader of the Opposition 's cHargo that Labour legislation was responsible tor the creation of a serious lack oi coniidence in the country. Sir Alfred liansom (Opposition, Pahiatua) said members of the Opposition were proud to belong to the National Party because they had brought the country safely tbrough one of the most serious periods in its history. It had faced unpopularity through its aetions, but it had had the interests of the' country at heart and its actions had all been directed towards the betterment of the country. Taxation during the past five years had increased by £11,000,000, he said, and of that amount half had been iinposed by the present Givernment. He hoped that when the Budget was introduced no added burden of taxation would be placed on the country 's secondary industries The Government 's policy seemed to be " to get rid of your obligations without paying," as had been demonstruted in many ways, Sir Alfred declared. It had set out to break all records for expenditure, and up to the present we Uad had no indieation whatever that the Government intended to repay the amounts it had received from the Keserve Bank. He urged the Minister of Finance, if the Government was paying interest i'or such money, to indicate what that rate of interest' was.