WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 8 October 1932, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS

THE BUDGET,

AN IMPROVED OUTLOOK

(Special Correspondent).

WELLINGTON, October 5.

Up to a late hour yesterday afternoon it looked as if the Labour Opposition and its-scattered allies, would keep the debate Ail . the Address-in-Reply continuing • until late in t'he evening , .too late indeed to allow the’ - Prime Minister with any conveniennq to present . .the a time duringjjthe day!s sitting. however, hitch Jflr^he ;: attack of- iJjtemo Oppositionrlndepenqeptji)jattalion, short. -V ly after the .dinner adjournment gave -, Mr Forbes an opportunity to place his . “Financial Statement” before the House: early in the,evening, and to. send mem-, bers away .shortly after 1 nine o’clock to ruminate over!its contents. Features which at once. attracted t'he attention of the House were . that the which had been estimated at £2,000,000 . in April- had Reached no more than half that suny and that there would b«• 6 . no additional, taxation during the, current year to harrass, a long suffering, community.. . ..

WORST N0)!v OVER. ,‘ f J ;!'‘

That the 'Prime Minister himself was well pleated with the . trend of the ■ Budget he was, able to .present to. tho House during the absence of his Min* <( - ister of Finance-may be judged from the paragraph with which he temporarily olosed his iask. “Our people have had a time," He said, ‘‘but' they have faced np' to their.formidable , difficulties in a manner tlmt i? in keep-,,.' ing with the ‘best traditions of the "' race- to which we are proud'to belong. All things considered our.economic and social organisation has withstood, the tremendous dislocation and strain remarkably well. New Zealand is still a going concern, . \Vc are not out of trouble yet—far : from it—but it seems that the worst is past, and the. outlook is brightening.’’ It would seem that in , preparation for a great natjonal achieve, ment t'he farm may be a.?, inspiring as. is the university.

“A reassuring Budget.”

The “Dominion” newsnap°r, Which - ' the other day was celebrating itk : twenty-fifth birthday with" «n assurance that it had no party proclivities, justifies its claim this morning in congratulating the Coalition Government upon its impartial treatment of the ' Budget. While “it has been necessary,” it says, “to sound ia note of' caution and to emphasise the deadweight of taxation the people are still carrying, the .Government can be. congratulated on the real improvement in fhe‘budgetary position. . So far its economies have been ovbr-Halftncfed by new charges but, if it holds a COttSete ~ vntive course,; the: effect must begirt to show as trade iin.prov.PH, If the national effort is not relaxed too soon, . New Zen land should gain the upper 'jj li'and and l win the reward of her eudurance.” This is a frank and 'logical exposition of the situation, and if Mr Forbes and his colleagues hold fast to the •tenets of thoroughness they should be among the first to reach the desiyed goal.

“OTTAWA EXPENSES.” ' One of the minor items in the Budget, which easily might be overlooked by a. casual reader .of the newspapers, is the vote of £3,750' “as' expenses of the New Zealand delegation to the Ottawa Conference.” The role is made up by a grant of £9oo' to the Right Hon. J. G. Coates; of £750 to the Hon. W. Downie Stewart; of £SOO apiece to the two permanent heads of the Treasury ; and- Customs Departmeubs, of £1,070 to private secretaries and cteetras',. ■ and of £3O to “general expenses.” .-.To the casual observer it will seem that . the “general expens-s” standing at only £3O was underdone*: but it is understood that the ‘ hosts of -the delegates would not oermit them to pay ns much as the fee of a bus or a motor car. presumably the Hbn. Dowfiie Stewart was covered- for both his Ottawa and his London requirements and in that case he was not over financed.. !