PARLIAMENT

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 594, 16 August 1913, Page 5

PARLIAMENT

THE BUDGET DEBATE. j DOMINION'S SOUND POSITION. [hv rjxKGKAi'it.—muss annotation.] Wellington, Friday. The House met at 2.30 p.m. Mr Hanan contiuned the debate on the Budget. He contended the figures provided by the Finance Minister were lower than would be the cass in connection with the Land and Income tax. He (Mr Hanan) estimated the land tax at £850,000 and income tax at £480,000. He agreed with the suggestion that the president, of the Arbitration Court should have a trained legal mind. He was of opinion that the cranting of the pension to women of GO would run into more money than set out in the Budget. He advocated the keeping down of separate Government Departments. He criticised the working of fhe Public Ser vice Board, and contended that the results that would accrue would not warrant the expense of maintenance of the department He deplored the non-fulfilment of the Reform party's promise to produce a local Government Bill, Land Eelectoral Reform Bill, and a naval policy. The Minister for Defence had come back with proposals, but Cabinet had turned them down, and the Government was unwilling to face the question. Mr Wilson followed and supported the Graduated Land tax, but objected to taxing the land in the back country. Mr Russell admitted the Budget revealed a sound position of the Dominion notwithstanding a year of Conservative mismanagement. He instanced directions in which the policy of the Government was retrogressive against which the increas» of pensions was the only thing he regarded as a set-off. In five respects the Budget fellshort of the pretensions of the Reform party. There was an increase in expenditure, an increase in the national debt, a climb down on non-borrowing, and a climb down on reduced taxation Listly, no policy was disclosed while the increase in expenditure over revenue amounted to £183,900. They had economised on pensions, and land settlement but defence had cost £23,805 more than the estimate. Customs revenue was grossly under-estimated, and the figures convicted the Government of incompetent finance, or dishonest estimates. The general estimates showed that the eo called Reform Government had increased expenditure by £183,900 in two years. The Hon. Mr Alle,i characterised it as unsound finance when the Mackenzie Government raised the four and a half million loan for two years due to fall in the same year as another loan of three millions was falling due. Finance like that"! would hamper the Government, in spile of which the country was progressing. The exports exceeded the imports by Six millons for the last six months. There could bo no better indication of the general prosperity than that. His Government had spent more on roads and bridges last year than any year during the last seven, except two election years, when the previous Government debauched the country. It was not possible to keep up loans and advance to settlers at the rate of two millions a year as the late Government had during election year, but the Government had raised the limit q£ individual loans after it hud been reduced by their predecessors. He claimed that the prophecy that the Government would repeal humanitarian measures had been falsified by a continuation of that policy in legislation now before the House. He waß confident that when ■ the people realised how completely they had restored the financial position of the country hejwould be willing to rerew the confidence already shown in the party. Further, when London financiers realised the Government intended to live within its means, they would be more than ever ready to advance the country whatever assistance they may require in future. Mr Laurenson said when the Opposition came back to power they woul 1 introduce a policy as far removed from the Reform attempt as was the policy of 1890 from their rredecessors. He condemned the policy of freeing borrowers from Slate Departments from insuring in the State^Office. The debate adjourned and the House rose at 11.40.