A MINISTER ON PROTECTION.

Hokitika Guardian, 12 August 1927, Page 1

A MINISTER ON PROTECTION.

LEMITS FOB LUXURIES

WELLINGTON, Aug. 10,

The impression among legislators that the Government will not seek to raise heavy additional revenue from tariff revision, but will coniine itself largely to the removal of anomalies, received some support from remarks on this topic by the Hon. O. J. Hawken. Alinister of Agriculture, in the House to-night.

“The Labour people have commenced to worry about the farmer,” remarked the Alinister, “but 1 don’t know to what effect. They stand for high protection for industry, but it seems to me that high protection and the farmer will not agree. They seem to manage it somehow in Australia, but in New Zealand our farmers will be too wideawake to be caught by any protectionist case sought to be put before them.”

Air Fraser ('Wellington Central): Better tell the Alinister of Customs that.

Afr Tlawkoii went on to remark that the Customs returns presented some illuminating features, especially the

amount spent in luxuries. Afr Rorbos: AVliat do you call lux urios ?

Tlio Minister replied that lie meant not only luxuries, lint some tilings not actually necessary. He ivas certain we could not keep up the expenditure of the last three years on ears and benzine. New Zealand was the third highest country in the world for

cars per inhabitant. Mr .r. A. l.ee: AVh.at about the luxury oi a Reform Government ? Mi - I. "\\ . Till odes : That’s a necessity. Ihe Minister concluded by suggesiing that if wo continually bought goods which we could not pay for with our exports hard times must be experienced. The ea.ii.se of the recent fiincmployment was orer-impiutafirin, hut the figures for the last five or six months showed that imports had much lessened and exports improved. Tf this continued lie felt sure it would not be long before times changed for the better.