THE OTAKI MAIL. Published on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. MONDAY, APRIL 14, 1919. VICTORY WAR LOAN.

Otaki Mail, Volume 26, 14 April 1919, Page 2

THE OTAKI MAIL. Published on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. MONDAY, APRIL 14, 1919. VICTORY WAR LOAN.

Although the war is happily ended, New Zealand's war expenditure has by no means ceased. The task of demobilisation is an. enormous ono, involving very heavy expenditure, and there are also other liabilities involving th«, spending of a large sum of money. Speaking on this matter, the Hon. Arthur Myers, , Acting - Minister of Finance, said:—"Our part in thlvwar is not complete until wc have ■ fully honoured the obligations wo entered into with the »ycct of playing our part in the winSfe' of the g*catf victory that has eromiod the efforts of the Empire and our Allies, and it must be remembered that not only is there a continuing expenditure on account of our military forces until demobilisation, but there is also a large liability in respect of gratuities to soldiers, the cost of repatriation, etc. Until our monetary responsibilities in every shape have been completely met it is our duty to maintain our financial effort at full war strength." The Government has found it necessary to take steps to raise the final Victory War Loan of £10,000,000, authorised by the last session of Parliament, and the people of New Zealand arc now being appealed to to furnish the money required. New Zealand has done her part in this war nobly and well. Unfortunately some people arc apparently forgetful of-the fact that our responsibilities have not ceased, and do not seem to realise that the loan now being asked for d's as imperative as was the money- raised by tho. earlier loans. Thanks to our grand old Xav3", and the combined efforts of the Allied arms, wc 1 have won out in the great war, and our Dominion continues to enjoy a remark- : able degree of prosperity. The least we can now do is to show our thankfulness by fDialling our financial obligations promptly, and assisting in accordance with our means. It may be necessary for the Government to impose the compulsory clauses of the Act, and we are assured that this will most certainly be done in cases where individuals fail to do their duty, though naturally the authorities do not wish to resort to this step. Those who fat. to subscribe adequately to the loan, and to whom the compulsory clauses of the Act will be applied, will only receive 3, per cent interest on their money, while voluntary subscriptions will earn 4J per cent, and be free of income tax. Post office inscribed stock (which will bear interest at the rate of 5 per cent, subject to income-tax), and post office certificates may be obtained from money-order offices on the usual terms. Thus the loan is a good investment, apart from the fact that it is cv»ry citizen's duty to assist with the loan, and thus help his country. We feel sure that thore will be a ready Tesponsc to this appeal, as has been the case with former loans.