WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 30 June 1920, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE GOVERNOR’S SPEECH

A PESSIMISTIC UTTERANCE

(Our Special Correspondent)

WELLINGTON, Juno 28

The Speech put into the mouth ol the Governor-General by His Excellency’s Advisors at the opening of Parliament on Friday was a singularly pessimistic utterance. Hitherto it has boon the practice of Ministers when unable Li paint the outlook in the rosiest hues to make the best of a bad job, as the homely phrase goes; hub on this occasion Mr Massey and his colleagues were candid almost to the length of brutality. “The conditions created hy the war continue to give great anxiety to my Government”. “The Government is faced with demands for expenditure far beyond anything which the revenues of the Consolidated Fund can meet,’ and “Tlie revenues can barely provide the great increases in salaries, wages and (diarges which cannot he avoided” are only a few of the laments in which His Excellency on behalf of the Ministers, indicated the grave financial difficulties besetting the country. MR MASSEY'S TASK.

That the position is had enough there can he no question. While the huge expenditure in connection with the wav has entailed an enormous increase >u the annual charge for interest and sinking fund, the rigid restriction of expenditure in other directions lias left New Zealand with a vast accumulation of suspended public enterprises. It: requires money for railways, roads, electric works, education, land settlement, soldier repatriation, and a- score of other things, and with the Mother Country in much the same plight, on n far larger scale, the Dominion must perforce look to its own people for the money it needs. Tt would he idle al this time of day to discuss the differences between Reform and Liberal finance, hut it certainly seems unfortunate that Sir Joseph Ward, Sir James Allen and the Hon. A. M. Myers, all with experience at the Treasury, are away from the country at this time of crisis when their ripe judgment might have been of the greatest value to the Prime Minister. WANT OF CONFIDENCE. In the circumstances, the Hon. AY. D. S. MacDonald, the leader of the Liberal-Opposition, cannot expect to escape a good deni of adverse criticism for his action in following the delivery of the Speech with a notice of motion expressing want of confidence in the Government. Tt appears to !,* no time, even if.all the information concerning the financial position were available, to he, inviting the Prime Minister to a trial of party strength. Rut firom all accounts, Mr MacDonald himself is in a somewhat embarrassing position. The members of the official Labour Party still are dreaming if driving the. Liberals into a coalition with the Reformers, and it is suspected that one of their means towards that end is to table a motion of no-confid-ence themselves, and force the Liberals to make a choice between Air Massey and Air Holland. The certain rejection of Air ATaeDona Id’s motion will not prevent this being done, but the fact i f it being moved should finally dispose of whatever credence may have been given to the coalition story. . INEQUALITY OF SACRIFICE. To people who do not enjoy the confidence of the Government the proposal to exempt the salaries of Judges, Ministers of the. Crown and members of Parliament from income tax was even more surprising than Mr MacDonald’s notice of motion. Some of Mr Massey’s best friends have received it with a gasp and are quite unable to find any colourable excuso for this departure from ever v fundamental democratic principle. That members of the House should be better paid than they arc at the present time is generally conceded, but that they or gentlemen ;e----eoiving £I2OO to £2OOO a year from the State should be freed from a burden much less fortunate individuals are compelled to bear is a proposition every subscriber to the doctrine of equality of sacrifice is rejecting.