FINANCIAL DEBATE.

Hokitika Guardian, 19 November 1921, Page 2

FINANCIAL DEBATE.

THE DEBATE ENDS. Mli MASSEY’S REPLY. SPEC'I.Vr. TO GUARDIAN. f WELLINGTON, Nov. IS The Prime Minister got his opportunity to end the Financial Debate late this afternoon, and he proceeded to make a lengthy speech. He dealt first with the.assertion of the Opposition that_the policy of the Government was not disclosed in the Budget. He insist* > ed the the Budget was full of policy, and that any intelligent member could discover that for himself. The Leader of the Opposition had predicted a deficit of a million at the close of the present financial year. Mr Wilford—The Budget says so. Mr Massey—No ; the Budget was prepared early in the financial year and at that time the position was not what it is now. I am going to predict that there will l>e a surplus at the end of the present financial year. That will be without taking into account- the surplus brought forward from last year. He denied that Government had done nothing for the farmers. He had. helped to secure some reduction in freights, and he was looking forward to a further reduction of freights about the end of next month. He had given part of his time in Britain to the gathering of information regarding the wool industry. He had been abte to predict when he came back to New Zealand that there would lie an advance in the" price of wool. This advance had taken place. He believed now that there would he a further advance during the next few months. There was going to he considerable improvement

;• in the wool market. Complaints about the condition of meat in London had related to the meat sold under the Imperial contracts. „ They did not apply to new meat. He 1 had received a letter by the last Eng- ? lisli mail from an authority who stated i that the new Australian and New Zealand meat was arriving in excellent condition.