THE WINTON SPEECH.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 45, 23 February 1914, Page 5

THE WINTON SPEECH.

REPLY BY MR ALLEN.

[Per Preps Association. 1 Wellington, February 32. The Hon. J. Allen, Minister for Finance, intends to reply to Sir Joseph Ward’s speech from the public platform, but to-day be took the cppor- ' tunity of at once dealing with some of the statements made by the Leader of the Opposition. “I am- very sorry,” remarked the lion. Mr Allen to a pressman, ‘■that Sir Joseph Ward should continue to draw attention to the fact that in the year 1912 he advanced to settlers £2,336,000, when he knows that that was an abnormal amount to advance, and that the, law only authorised the borrowing of one million and a half a year for advances to settlers; that had it not been for the opportunity the law gave him to go back on the unraised portions of the previous years, he never could have got that money in one year; and that it could not possibly continue at that rare, as the law would not allow it. “The policy of the present Government,” said Mr Alien, “is not to plunge with public money, but to go steadily on, and as we strengthen our finance, ojlln our hands noth to settlers and to local authorities; and I hope I shall never ho brought to the day when 1 shall nave to eul down the amounts that may be loaned out either to settlers, to workers, or to local authorities. “I am sorry, too, that Su- Joseph Ward should attempt to discredit the revenue of the cou ir.ry by iJludmg to the drop in the Customs of £102,000. He knew perfectly well that during the months of November and December the strike was on and trade was paralysed, and that the Customs revenue was not coming in; and he.ought to know that since the .trike ended the Customs revenue has been recovering, and I have already told the public that it is beyond the estimate. “I think also chat Sir Joseph Ward has been trying to discredit the postal revenue. Obviously there is a misprint, or else his calculation is wrong, as the postal revenue for the quarter shows an increase of £82,892, and not £73,000, as stated in a report of his speech. It is true that there has been an increase in the quarter’s expenditure over the previous year of £245,575, not £243,575, as he is reported to have said; but I advise people not to calculate the expenditure upon a quarter, but upon the full year, because a quarter’s accounts are very misleading.

“Anyhow, £107,000 of the increases are due to increases under permanent appropriations, and increases in interest and sinking fund, amounting to £IIB,OOO. Widows’ pensions have increased by £llOO, and military pensions by £6778. Which of these increases does Sir Joseph Ward object to? “A very large proportion of the increases in annual appropriations for the quarter was duo to the working railways department, namely £94,000 of it. Very much of this is due to the increase in salaries and better coridi--L tions for railway servants. I ask tho late Minister for Railways whether he intends to continue to criticise this better provision for railway servants of tho country?