WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 28 August 1922, Page 1

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE BUDGET DEBATE. HARD HITTING. SPECIAL TO GUARDIAN. Wellington , Aug. ■26 •The tedium of the Budget debate, as ■was'to be expected on the 'eve-of a ,’general election, is being relieved by some hard hitting on‘both sides'of-the House. So far-as the actual-talking is concerned, the Opposition lias fully held its own in the lively exchanges. On the opening night Mr Wilford, in 'airthaf tiekled the-eai's PfTlre galleries Was more facile and apt than was the. Minister of Labour -find'on Wednesday' ..Mr Sidey and .Mr Forbes were ’more than a match for -the Minister of Justice. Mr Lee has in an aggravated ‘form his Colleagues’ tiresome trick 'Af 'putting questions to The Opposition I'-tb'Cy riovCr expfiet'to’bo ilnsiVeTed. Mr ••Massey, though of course're serving JiTs heavy'artillery for a set-replyvisreally bearing the-greater part of-the burden of the debate. Besting bis body as best Tie can with such inadequate accommodation as the House provides, -his'’mind is always alert and his inter--1 ijettitons, 'Of which there are many, ; pointed -and 'frequent, IHe dominates the'House -as it'never Inis been 1 dominated before, not even in Mr Seddon’s days, and dwarfs his supporters at 'idast as much as he does his opponents. TANA'TIGN AND LOYALTY. These‘subjects, separately, involved •first 'Mr Sidey an'd then 'Mr Forbes in ■little controversies with the'Prinie Min-ister-on Wednesday. Mr Sidey, 'Who [ seems at the moment to he ; the only ' possible 'liberal Mjnister-of Finance in sight, eliided Mr Massey, in his own igentle way for persistently asserting that taxation"iVas lower ill New Zealand -than in Australia. The fnentber foi Dunedin South*has been'pained by the .Minister's application ofTnerc eatmouffage to serious politics. It was uni worthy of his high office. 'Then follow--led an entertaining dialogue. Mr Masi soy—“ That is wrong. 1 believe I am : the only’man in New'Zealand who has' I got the figures. n Mr Sidey—“T cabled 'Mr them and'have them hole.” Mr j 'Massey—“T have figures to June 30th, lof this year and you have ntot.” Mr | giffev—“Oh ves, 'l have. Here they | are.” Mr Massey—“ All right, I can i prove vou’ro wrong.” And thpre the ! truth was left wrapped up. to lie nil- ' folded, -no doubt, when the MinisterI makes his reply at the close of the de- ' bate. The probable explanation of the ' whole matter is that while one hon- | ouriible geiitleman was talking about the rate of Taxation, the factor that counts, the other honourable gentleman was talking about (lie revenue obtained from taxation.

SICK AND TTRED. •It was the Minister of Justice that led Mr Forbes into trouble. One of the string of questions he had put to the Opposition benches earlier in the evening implied that• their reiterated professions of loyalty brought them under the suspicion of disloyal tv. The member for ‘Hurunui 'declared lie was sick find'tired of this sort of thing and disgusted by the action of the Prime Minister in dragging the question of loyalty into party politics. Mr Massey protested that he had done nothing of the 'kind and M.r Forbes retorted that the Minister had sot before his audience at Foxton a choice between the Union Jack and the Red Flag. Mr Massey explained that he had been referring to the Liberals’ allies, and Mr Forbes forthwith dubbed the leader of the House “a master of innuendo and in, sinuation.” One hot word led to another., but when Mr Forbes declared the “Minister would deny anything when it suited him” the Speaker pulled him up smartly, and he accepted Mr Massey’s assurances with a broad smile of unbelief. The member for Hurunui played big football with distinction before lie took to polities, and having acquired tbe host spirit of the old game there is nothing that can disturb his equanimity in the new. AGRICULTURAL BANKS.

Air W. J. Poison, the President of the Farmers’ Union, essayed in the “Dominion” on Wednosdav to demolish the erities of bis agricultural banks scheme. His strong card was bis recollection that when the Bank of New Zealand was in trouble in 1894 the Government of the day bad rushed to the assistance of the shareholders with two millions of money. Tf the Government could do that for the investing public, “the drones of the hive,” how much more worthy of help, he asked, was the “producing class” which. has “the fortunes of the whole community in its keeping.” The appeal appeared irresistible. But yesterday some Vfisagreenhle person in the cplumns of the same paper reminded those who had forgotten that the Government of ISO I rravo no assistance to the distressed shareholders. On the contrary, it imposed upon them terms which compassed the ruin of the great majority of them. Mr Poison must try again if lie still hopes for his agricultural hanks to he helped from an empty Treasury.