PRIME MINISTER’S APPEAL

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1744, 4 August 1917, Page 3

PRIME MINISTER’S APPEAL

The Prime Minister, speaking In the House on Thursday nigh Lon the second reading of the Loan Bill, said the question- had beetle asked: “Where is all this money going to?” They must think of the expenditure going on in connection with the Expeditionary Forces. He need not remind members of serious epidemics in camps and the heavy expenditure entailed in making the camps healthy. There were about 10,000 men in camp all the time, transports had to be chartered, and there were between 10,000 and 15,000 men in England all the time. Then there were the hospitals in England, all fully occupied. The upkeep of our men on the Western front, and the men in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Salonika had also to bo remembered, in''addition to the pay, the Government found the men in clothing and food, etc., and the cost amounted to about 12s per man per day. He admitted that there was waste, hut everything possible bad boon done (o prevent it. In London they bad a stall of 270, but he knew of another Dominion which had a staff of .1,000. The Government would give every possible detail of expemlit lire, hut lie knew df nothing which they desired to cover up. If any member had any specific instance of Avast e in his mind, he hoped he would bring it before the House. A very serious conscription of wealth was going on, and he believed the money would be willingly forthcoming, but it bad to be remembered (bat wealth was not in every ease held in sovereigns. If (he ■Government pushed the tradesman it pushed the creditor, and it all went to the hanks at the same time where would it get the money? One efleet would he that the price of money would he doubled or trebled. Tile price of land would go down, and (he linal result would be linaneial chaos. In exempting interest relnrhs from the loan from income tax the Government was doing two things —it was taking (he host, means possible of obtaining the money and preventing an increase in (he rates, of interest. Besides, after (lie war the income lax would go down, and (he big holder of war loan bonds'"would not he in receipt of such a big benefit as at present. For his own part, he said he believed that a year from now would see the end of the war.