WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 June 1916, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE BUDGET

COST OF LIVING. (From Our Own Correspondent.) Wellington, June jo. The Minister of Finance read his Budget to a cold and unresponsive House on Friday evening. There were the faintest suspicion's of applause when lie announced his huge surplus, a few h>lf. hearted "hear, hears," when he mentioned the taxation of war profits and some restrained murmurs of approval and dissent, about equally divided, -when he alluded to the cost of living; but apart from these mild demonstrations memners gave no indication of what they thought of the Government's nchicvempts and proposals. The great majority pf Hjem sat and listened in stony silence. The truth is the average politician is a mod-i-Bt person and in nothing is he more " est than in his frank admission tha» he knows nothing about finance. He depends for his opinions of Budgets almost entirely upon the guidance of his party leader, and when bis party leader is absorbed in a National Cabinet he requires time to frame his criticism. To|!,ly. the general feeling about the lobbies among the rank and file of both'par- !;<" ! -> that Sir Joseph Ward has handled l> Mices of the country oii the whole, ve.-.. capably. , No glamor is being thrown around ; the surplus, members recognising it la merely tho result' of taxation which anticipated the Minister's requirements Inter on, but the main features of the Budget are being warmly approved. CRITICISM. The local newspaper; each after its lyay, criticise the Budget perhaps a little more frankly than do the politic ians. The Dominion takes exception to the method in which war profits are to he assessed for the purpose of taxatinon, saying it will lead to injustice and allow many people to escape their proper contribution, and it does not like the idea of those who have given a large part of their profits to patriotic funds bnig required to pay again. It also Complains of the Government shirking the "unpopular step of spreading any share of the taxation to those with incomes of less than £3OO a year." Altolather, the Reform journal k much less favorably impressed by Sir Joseph Ward's proposals than the Reform politieians appear to be. The New Zealand Times, with its new and aggressive independence, wanders over the whole Budget seeking opportunities to belabor the Minister of Finance and finding them, or making them, nt many turns. Its final conclusion, rather implied thau expressed, is, however, that the Minister has done very will, displayed exemplary courage, given the Dominion a sound finance and inspired its people towarda further effort. The Evening Post fol lows on much the same lines, in a rather more consistent spirit, of course, ami like its contemporaries promise* to ruturn to the subject again! COST OF LIVING. The great Wot. on the Budget is its failure to deal in anything like R comprehensive way with the cost of living problem. After the statement made by the Prime Minister in the House last iveek it was expected the Minister of Finance would have something really notable to say in respect to tin's sub■>et. The statement he djd mike wis notable enough, but unfortunately fu.quite a dill'eien reason from the one that had been anticipated. "It seems." tin, gist of it runs, ''almost impossible during war time, owing to the world-wide mceasc in freights, added to the general increase in the first'cost of goods "in the countries of oriafii:, to hope for a geneVul lewrrirg of prices until the wnr is over. Similar difficulties present themselves re. garding our produce, which- is, fortunately. in general demand." This, purporting to come from Sir Joseph Ward, who placed Hi" Cost of Living Art upon the Statute Bool; only seven freight months ngo, reads likc'a comoletH Burrendei to (lie Conservative view'flint the law of supply and demand, interpreted by interested peonle, limit govern prices in spite of anything Hie "Leiri". laUire may do; but more prelmblv it is the outcome of differences of nnii'iim, »\ the Cabinet adjusted by (he inevitii'''" compromise. Mr. Muwy, a* Minister of Industries and Cninmiive. Ins the ndministration of the Cost of Living ,Aet and it is quite likely be hnd the N*t word in drafting this part of the BiJget.

THE COUKSK OF BUSINESS. The debate on the budget, or raW. the debate on everything under (he mm ivhich the introduction of the r)ud"«fc permits, will' begin to-morrow evening and probably will occupy the House for the re«t of the month. The Prime Minister himself is not sanguine .of getting It through earlier. The problems suggested by the d'overinneni'-; proppsals are s 0 varied and some of them so farreaching that the whole range of politics will be open for dissuasion and an unusually large number of member; will or tempted to take their full hour. After the debate is concluded legislation will be reo,\iiral to «ive effect to the ftovcrninput's proposals and this easily may nceupy another fortnight. Bv that time the session will have run its third mouth without the end being close at hand. Just why there should be any haste <ifc all is not clear to the mere outsider. Air. Massey declares he and Sir Joseph Ward are in no hurry to got Home, and there certainly is enough work of a mure or leas urgent chr.racter to keep Parliament busy for the no:.i-three months or even longer. ' However the edict has gone forth that the/ prorogation is to take place as early as possible, and when the Government makes a resolution of this sort trifles are not allowed to stand in the way.