WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 1 August 1927, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS

THE m’DCET. I PHOIM'CTIOX POSTPONED. j (Special to “ Guardian ”.) | WELLINGTON, duly 28. j Tin; production of the Hudget lias boon postponed from to-morrow evening tfll Tuesday of next week. not:, it is understood, because the Government Ini . jmy misgivings concerning the foundations of its financial polity, but because it wishes to get one or two tiresome measures out of the way before Iho House settles down to a week of futile talk. .Meanwhile speculation regarding the contents oi the Ihidgot centres mainly around the Govern, i men t* s proposals in the matter ol taxa- j lion. In his Koilding speech. Mr . Downie Stewart, the Minister of Inn-! mu-e, while implying that the Customs Turin - would have to he adjusted in order to as-ist certain local industries, i hinted at the possibility, even the pto- 1 hahility. of an increase in the income I tax. The country is not in a temper to look with favour upon cither of these suggestions. Protecting focal in-I dust ties would mean inevitably a further addition to the cost of living, and an, increase in the income tax would bring about the sumo result hv a mote circuitous route. Thai additional taxation under either heat! would he justified is warmly denied by the Government’s critics. They declare that the surplus for last year has been largely under-stated and that there is not the slnditest need for additional revenue.

A VETERAN’S VIEW. Sir Joseph AVard, who still is suffering from the effects of the severe cold he contracted on his return journey from Australia, was at his room in the ParViaiiientary P.uildings yesterday ; hut he could not he persuaded to discuss the financial position in any detail. He would have to examine the figures very closely, ho explained, before he could express any opinion in regard to their significance that would he useful. Speaking tentatively, however, it seemed to him that the Government had had more money to spend than it required and had anticipated obligations which would not fall due for a year or two. He would not like to say, as some authorities had done, that this course had been adopted in order to justify an increase in taxation ; hut there was colour for such an accusation and if it proved to ho true the public would want to know the reason why. Sir Joseph, taking a broad view of the situation, attributed the financial t roubles of the Dominion during the last two or three years mainly to the reckless manner in which laud had been purchased for soldier settlement. This was going to be a millstone about the neck of the country for another decade and even then tile end of the trouble would not have been reached. PREI’ERKNTIAf, VOTING. .Mr James McCombs, the member for Lyttelton, who does his share ot thinking for the Labour Party, obtained only a drawn-out shrift for his Preferential Voting Rill in the j louse of Representatives last night. -Mr McCombs presented the claims ot his Rill convincingly enough, showing plainly that it offered the only means of escape from the evils ot vole-split-ting. and so insuring the institution of majority rule ; but. a majority of the members of the House evidently had no desire to get rid cl vhe system of voting that had served them well enough ill the last. The member for Lyttelton specially excluded the election id' members of Parliament Irom his Rii’l. holding that Parliament would he more appropriately elected under a system of proportional representation ; but he made no secret ot his desire to see the licensing poll definitely determined by a majority of the electors. His Rill was denied a second reading by an overwhelming majority, but he had the satisfaction of having with him in the *' ayes ' lobby all Ins Labour colleagues and two Ministers of the (Town, the lion. F. J. Rollcston and the Hon J. A. Young. Messrs Bellringer, Forbes, Horn, Ransom and Voiteli were the oilier mem hers ready to trust the whole of the peopi'e. R KLIOTOrS EXERCISES.

The lion. L. M. Isitt, who is in charge of the Religious Exercises Bill, the latest development of the fifty-year-old agitation for Bible teaching in the public schools, despairs of hisj “ baby ” making a further step forward during the present session. The] truth of the matter is that Air Isitt] is finding the House a much less sympathetic assembly than the Council | proved to he last session, a number of i members recalling his pronouncements on this subject only two or three-years ago when he had to keep iii step with i a large volume of public opinion. Hisj attempt in his new role to establish a | difference between “Religous Exor-1 cises ” and “ Religious Teaching ” has failed rather pathetically in the jiidg- i ment of members pledged to flip “Irec. secular and compulsory” system of education, and they are deriding hi* Bill as freely as they are deriding his own conversion. There is a feeling in the House, too, that the time is inopportune for such a proposal. The taxpayers have begun to realise that the cost of education has mounted up at a stupendous rate during the last few years, and they are looking with sus pieion, if not with positive alarm, upon an innovation which might add materially to (he expenditure, and .seriously impair the measure and quality of the secular teaching.