LESS TAXATION, MORE OPTIMISM

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 122, 13 August 1927, Page 1

LESS TAXATION, MORE OPTIMISM

CURE FOR DEPRESSION MR. HARRIS VOICES FAITH (TBE SVX'S Parliamentary Reporter .) WELLINGTON, Friday. A BOLD statement by the Minister of Finance that a reduction in taxation was being made would have done more to restore the heart of the people—both farming and commercial than anything else that could be imagined. This is the opinion of Mr. A. Harris, member for Waitemata, who when speaking in the House this afternoon, criticised the Government in not facing a reduction in taxation, and who declared that the depression through which the country admittedly was passing was largely nebulous. Reduced taxation would have created fresh optimism in the hearts of the people and restore to them a feeling of confidence. “We are beginning to become pessimistic again,” Mr. Harris declared. "There is not the slightest need to become pessimistic about our position. Certainly we are passing through one of those periods of depression that we have to experience from time to time, but I am looking forward to the time in a very few months when we will have forgotten that this depression ever existed.” Mr. W. Field, .Otaki: You have not had to walk off your farm. Mr. Harris: No; I did not walk off my farm, and lam not going to. But I know something about the business feeling in the country. Both the farmer and the city man have had a difficult time; but the best way we can overcome it is to deprecate this talk of walking off farms. The banks were blamed by Mr. Harris for a great deal of the pessimistic feeling throughout the country. Instead of crying desolation, they should have shown their confidence in the country by assisting the genuine trier to get on his feet. There was no reason to anticipate a reduction in taxation as a result of the revision of the tariff, Mr. Harris went on, for nothing in the Budget suggested anything of the kind. Mr. Harris said he was not one of those who deplored the drift from country to town and city. He predicted that New Zealand would follow the trend of development that was going on In every country that our secondary industries would play an increasingly important part in the development of the Loin],lion.

It was all very well looking to the Mother Country as our chief market, but there were other countries in which possible new markets should be sought. He had always heard it said that It was not possible to send chilled beef from New Zealand to Britain, but ho had been shown a side of beef hanging in an Auckland freezing works that had been kept chilled for six months and was in perfect condition. "In many cases the taxpayer Is being unduly penalised to help Britain through the preferential tariff,” Mr. .iarris added. "Many things can be purchased much cheaper from foreign countries, and I cannot see why the people of New Zealand should have to Pay heavily for preference to Britain. Continental countries cannot be expected to buy New Zealand products good” ■' * impose an extra duty on thein