WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 23 November 1921, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

PREMIER CLOSES FINANCIAL j DERATE. ! EMPHASISES NEED FOIL ECONOAIV j SI’KOIAI. TO GUAltltlAN. WELLINGTON, Nov. 21 Mr Massey got his opportunity to reply in the Budget debate on Friday afternoon, and with an extension ol time, which carried him well on into the evening sitting, was able to touch upon most of the points raised by the previous siieakcrs, and to make a lairlv full review of the liuaneial position. It would lie scarcely fair to the Minister, and certainly not flattering, to say lie was in his best form. That was hardly to he expected in view of the enormous load he lias boon carrying since bis return from the Imperial Conference and his insistence u|X>n giving personal attention to a number of details which surely might he left to his colleagues. He spoke rapidly and concisely, as he always does, and replied promptly to an inconsiderate number of interjections, hut his fallible memory for figures landed him in difficulties once or twice and he throw just, a little too much emphasis into a well deserved rebuke bo administered to Dr Thacker, who, with a curious notion of the fitness ol tilings, bad thought the time opportune to challenge the head of the Government to a'dehate with hinisoll. ECONOMIES.

But these were only incidents in

notable speech on a very notable <>e casinti. What the full House and th. crowded galleries were waiting for mos eagerly was the Prime Minister’s announcement of ilm economics lie pto posed to effect. Here he was emphati. enough in insisting that the saving: would have to lie very extensive am verv far reaching, hut lie sketched oiih lightly and indelinitely their nature and details, lie claimed to have effected a saving ef over LiK IO.(MM) in the departmental expendiline already, independent of the cessation of buttei and wheat subsidies, which some ol hi: critics refuse to regard as savings al ill. and to have a further saving ol L I ,210,(Hit) in view. My rapid calculation lie made Up a total reduction ol expenditure amounting to three and n punter millions, hut declared this would not be nearly enough to square the public accounts. The Civil Service bad to contribute its share, on the l,.,sis of a It' per cent leduetioii. lUcil.oi beginning with salaries ol (.•■.'ini or L3RO a vein, or whether giadu ,itcl or not, remained to he decided. > iVM. SERVICE IiETRKXCHAIKNT. Tl:e hesitancy in icgard to the redneI ,oii of the S dories ot the C ivil Servants is the most erilieiesd part of the iVllllr Minister's speech . I’ I'Otll the uniiil!"i' in which he referred to the mallei on iglit have supposed it had ben looughl umh'i' his uotne bo H" (ii si time alter he had lisen to his teet. It was ioi Parliament to consider what should he dime, he said. He was son, letrcnehnicnt was necessary, hut w lieu a country was in the position New Zealand was in at the present time its rulers had to do their duly. He had thought of giaduation and a distinci j hi between mairicd and single men, hut all those things were difficult ti: bring about, lie was proposing 10 pel cent, but it iniglil lie a little more <u a litile less, lie would commence at

top with the .Ministers and g' down through the Departments to tin ineniliers ol the House. He did no want to go hack to the salaries of lill-l and lie did not want to make any re due lion that could be avoided. It wa:

ir,t a satisfying pronouncement am members obviously were disappointed They had expected the last word on tin u hole scheme. OUTSIDE PARLIAMENT.

in the lobbies there is nothing Inn praise lor Mr Massey’s optimism and for the coinage with which he is lacing an ext iciiiely difficult position; but in some quarters theie is a feeling that ihe Minister is not giving even members of the House his full confidence. The "Dominion” made a guarded allusion to this point on Saturday with all tlie restraint and delicacy that, might he expected from a consistent friend. •Tin' strain ol rheerlul optimism in which the Prime Minister replied to his critics,” it said, "was in rduaikabh milt rust to the tone ol most of the speeches delivered in the course ol the debate 1 . While optimism in itsell is a verv good thing, most business people will lie inclined to discount In some extent Mi Massey’s somewhat roseate CSliniClto ol til," i MUKl’ltlC, I o oottook. As a Ilia Her of fail business men seen 10-dnv, while just as confident as the Pi mu' MinisLai is of the Dominion lemming to its former condition ol ptosperity with an unimpaired financial

i, :,ulalion. think much more drastic end speedier methods than tlio-o yet adopted by the Government are required to living about the desired end. They have the utmost faith in Mr Massey's good intent ions, but they w ant to | K . assured by more tangible results than those yet achieved ot his determination to carry them into elleet.