WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 7 August 1929, Page 2

WELLINGTON TOPICS

THE BUDGET.^

(Special Correspondent.) *

WELLINGTON, August 5.

The Budget, as was inevitable, has been the chief topic of discussion during the week-end. The newspapers already had expressed nearly enough the opinions of the respective parties concerning the proposals of the Prime Minister, in his capacity of Minister of Finance, and on the whole had been judicial enough in summing up the position. Even the mere.critical 6f the “party organs,”. so far'-ks'can be gathered from a glancd-.sthrough their files have given)Sir credit for cdurage, candour and/thoroughness. They scarcely could do less.,; The United leader has not made light of the difficulties by he obviously is confronted. He admits frankly, he does not see his way clearly out of all the difficulties by which he foupd himself i beset when he assumed office; but his faith in the Dominion and its people remains unshaken. He hopes, now that the debate on the Address-in-Reply is over, Parliament will apply itself assiduously to the work of very real importance that is awaiting its attention/ I '.’ ’ A ■ '*• -M ' REFORM OPPOSITION.

Meanwhile the. Official Opposition is developments’* pttack <upon‘ the • V.seventy million..■ loan f’ and the South Island Trunk Railway. So far the denunciation of the loan has fallen somewhat flat. It has been made plain by Sir Joseph a score 1 of times that when speaking of the loan he had in view an arrangement that would extend over a period of years and materially facilitate the 'operations of the Dominion on,..the ihoney market. The feasibility 'of the scheme has now been demonstrated and the reiteration of : the jibe at this time of day can only' redound upon its authors. That party capital of some kind may be abstracted from the proposed expenditure upon the completion of the South Island Trunk, Railway is probable. The jealousy between the two islands still survives in some measure. But it must be obvious to every, unbiased observer, that until the seventy odd miles of the break in the line are spanned the economic value of the trunk railway cannot be definitely determined. . *. •

[LABOUR'S ATTITUDE. So far the Labour Party, though disappointed in its expectations, of returning from the constituencies as the largest group in the House, and in being relegated to the cross benches as the smallest of the three parties, at the moment is the most impressive section of the new Parliament. Mr H: E. Holland, its leader, seems to have emerged from his earthquake adventures and his appeals onribehalf of his fellow sufferers refreshed and inspired by his experiences, while his Mr ‘Pete* Fraser, appears to have gathered both -fluency and- dignity from that transient vision of the Treasury Benches. The readiness of Mr Holland was iyell illustrated 1 when the usual applahse' that follows the reading of the Budget subsided. The leader of the Labour Party wais first on his feet to protest against the increase in the primage duty. His hiflf dozen sentences were Warmly appended from the Opposition Benches only to provoke the readyfitefort that the Reformers themselves Were first responsible for ±hfi introduction of the duty. , i .

MAN PF THE HOUR. The Budget presented last week was tope of the largest conscientiously read to the House of Representatives for many a year. Its length: was due to the, presence of a new 'hand at the Trhjisury and the desire of this new hand to place the whole of /the financial, affairs of the country before the House and the public.’ Mbst of his predecessors at the Treasury have / made mohe/fise of tabulated figures thari* Sir did last week and some.of them haVe’ Jbeen excused from the recital of tliesd.' figures. Sir Joseph, however, re'Ad, his whole statement from beginjning:to end, the tSsk occupying a few Hnimitcs more than two hours. He tepoke fluently and rapidly, as he usually/- does, for half an hour or so, but nfter that he modulated his voice to Some extent though it still was easily followed at the Speaker’s gallery and the Press Gallery, the two opposite tends of the big chamber. It was a teheering achievement for a man in his Seventy-fourth year.