DOCUMENTS OF STATE

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 429, 10 August 1928, Page 1

DOCUMENTS OF STATE

MR. HOLLAND SEEKS ACCESS

DISCUSSION OF BUDGET

/THE SUN'S Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Thursday. Access to papers on which to base his examination and analysis of the Financial Statement, which is to discussed (and criticised) to-morrow, was sought by Mr. TI. E. Holland, Leader of tho Opposition, this afternoon. The Prime Minister replied that Mr. Holland, with the papers already presented, would have at his disposal more matter than any other Opposition leader had had for many years. “Before the Budget is discussed.” said Mr. Holland, “in introducing the matter, could you let the House have certain papers to which the Minister of Finance has been able to refer? I refer to such reports as the Railway Statement, the Discharged Soldiers’ Settlement report, the State Advances report, sheep returns, and genera! papers. The Prime Minister will realise our difficulty in dealing with the Budget without the facts given in these and other papers.” Mr. Coates: It is quite incorrect to say that the Minister of Finance had access to all these papers. Mr. Holland: I only had in mind the figures he used. Mr. Coates: The railway report, for instance, is not available to anyone yet—not even the Minister of Railways. Mr. Holland: Oh, no, I would not say that. The Prime Minister said there were more reports on the table at this stage of the session than there had been for many years past. “The Leader of the Opposition may be assured that we are not sitting on any reports.” he added with a smile.