WELLINGTON NOTES

Hokitika Guardian, 24 August 1923, Page 1

WELLINGTON NOTES

i THE FINANCE BILL. BIG BORROWING- A.UTIIOKITIES. r--1(1 | -SI'KCTAI. To Tim GuAIiDIAN.] d ~j WELLINGTON, August 22. i- The Finance Bill, which was circulate ed when the House rose yesterday moro ning. was culled.' oil for its second 'f reading last evening and reached the Committee stage, just lieforo midnight Its principle features are the nutlioiity to the Government to borrow up to £ 1.000,000 for public works, and the extension of the annual borrowing authority of the Advances Office to - £3.000,000 for the settlers’ branch and r L1,.'500.000 For the workers’ branch: ■ but it contains many other features that provoked very strong criticism 1 from the Opposition. Mr Wilfortl declared that the Bill was “a Financial Washing-up Bill'’ and that it was I “as disconnected as a dictionary.” With the Bill was produced the ro- - turn asked for by the leader of the Opposition showing the Government's unexhausted borrowing authorities tinder various loan Acts, and the iota £30.03*2,335, naturally made some of the more timid members of the House ! gasp. Air Wilford’s own comment uponj the huge figures was that lie knew the I Prime Minister, with this loan authority. would he well received by the financial people at Home, and he hoped that when lie on mo hock lie would have somethin,g more than paper in his pocket. The Labour members strongly denounced the Government’s “reckless borrowing" lind “extravagant expend:diturc.” “A HOTCH-POTCH OF CLAUSES.” “The Dominion”, which does not! habitually look about for weak spots! in the Government’s administration, evidently is not over pleased with tile Bill. “There is something to be said,” it states this morning, “for the complaint of members that the so-called Finance Bill introduced yesterday is a hotch-potch of clauses relating in some cases to matters which would ho better placed in the ‘Washing-up’ Bill The only possible excuse for not placing some of the clauses in separate measures is that bv grouping them in the Finance Bill it- is likely to save time. Even so it is a bad practice, and leads to confusion. As to the proposals themselves, generally speaking there is little to be said against them. It is unite true, as Air Wilford and Air llaium pointed out, the borrowing authorisations sought are heavy, fn the ease of the loans for Advances to Settlers, however, it must be obvious that the expiry of the moratorium makes this provision urgently necessary." The lender of the Opposition himself had practically suggest- ' ed that the amount the Government had proposed to borrow for the purposes of the Advances Office would not satisfy all the demands that would follow upon the expiry of the moratorium. hut of course lids did not dull tile point of his other criticism. NEED FOR CAUTION. : The same thought appears to have Occurred to the ••Dominion.” which i? ' concerned by the growing load of taxnlien. ‘Tlie £1.000,000 to bo raised lor public works." it says, “is a. large sum, and it can only be justified by a , careful allocation of the money for , purposes which are clearly of a repro- \ duelive nature. The claim that par- i ticiilais nl the class et works Jot i which tlie money is to he used should tie —iveu is reasonable, and presumably when the Bill ;caches its CommittO' stage these particulars will be given Most people now- agree that our Rub- ( lie Debt has reached such large dimensions that future borrowing should he t limited to meet only urgent needs, i The difficulty is to determine the de- i gree of urgency, -fudging l>y Hie claims for expenditure by members of ' Parliament themselves, even those . who preach economy and self-reliance are not over-ready to practice these J f, virtues where the public purse is con-! g eerued." The Hon. AY. Nosworthy t the .Minister of Agriculture, who was- h

put up to reply to Mr Milford, liken- r cd the leader of the Oppo-ition to a political Jeremiah, and now. probably would east a similar reproach upon his pait.v'.s newspaper Iriend. i;xI) ok SKSsinx. \,iv. that the House has ueeided uni to continue sitting alter Mr Masseys (learture for I.mulon. the next few (lays Me sure to see tinny records t | made in late sittings and hasty legis- ~ huion. The Prime Minister himself, i u is leaving on Saturday on a hurried | M vi-it to Auckland, but ho will he hack | M by mid-day Monday to assist at the Hosing scene- Hie session. In manv <|iiarti'f.s the Hairy Hrodiue k.xport Control Bill, is regarded as the ([ mi'st important measure remaining oi the order paper and il both parlies t | to the i outP versy it has provoked p hold to their presen I determinations, il | will produce a very strenuous light. If (! ihc Bill i- opposed to the last ditch y as seems to tie the intention of the p ‘•free-l radei s." it will he impossible to get it through this se--iini. even il tPe (ievertmieii t oilers every tacility ;ll at it, command: hut to-day there i--,,1,1,. talk of a compromise and the p Bill shorn of its compulsory clauses may he the happy issue.