FORBES STATMENT REVIEWED

Hokitika Guardian, 18 February 1931, Page 2

FORBES STATMENT REVIEWED

. (Otago Daily Times). The Prime Minister’s statement teems with important declarations of policy. One, which is not without its bearing on the question of finance, shows that the Government has been persuaded of the wisdom of the transference of the control of the railway system, as was recommended by the Railway Commission last year, to a non-political board. Another is that the rates of wages paid to relief work ers shall be reduced to 12s 6d for married men and 9s for single men. On these two points,, it is interesting to observe, as well as in its proposals that will be framed to bring down the costs of production, the Government has adopted the policy which has been expressed during the recess on behalf of the Reform Party. • The observations offered by Mr Forbes respecting rural finance should, also, recommend themselves generally to'that party, While the ■ Prime Minister is satisfied that the mortgage charges should be eased in favour of the farmers, he adheres to the. view that adjustments are most likely to be satisfactorily effected if they are made the subject of private negotiaton. As it would be patently to. the. interest ,of, no one that mortgagors should be forced off their holdings If the effect of that would be the neglect of cultivation and the deter* ioration of property, it seems most probable that relief will in some form be granted to> most farmers whose temporary embarrassment is attributable to causes-entirely beyond their control, The suggestion that farming land be ,de-rated has ' not been accepted by Mr Forbes, hut he is impressed with the view that the existence of a multiplicity of rural local authorities, each of them with powers of rating, is wasteful, and he contemplates the appointment of a commission to investigate the whole subject of local bodies’ taxation. It may be that there are details in the Ministerial programme of which tile wisdom or expediency may be regarded as doubtful, but, taken as a whole, Mr Forbes’s statement should appeal to the public as expressive of an honest desire to secure that the sacrifices that must be made in the face of the national emergency of grave magnitude shall be distributed as equitably as possible throughout the entire community!