POLITICAL NOTES.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 August 1917, Page 4

POLITICAL NOTES.

Ml. H. OKEY'S SPEECH. By Wire.—(Parliamentary Reporter. Wellington, Last Night. -peaking on the financial debate, Mr. H Okey said he, regarded the National government as a success, and as the only government that could have carried on during the war period and produced such a satisfactory financial position.. Dismissing tho reinforcements, he said he *voul(. hke to Know how many men the Dominion had* promised to send. There frcre limits to what' the country could <lo. If the quota were one thousand men per month we could carry on un•f tu of the war - but he Bbnbted it the present rate of. reinforcements could he maintained. The Minister's own ftjrureg s ] imVfl(l that fflen had cumulated in England, and had waited Micro, for their turn to .serve, when it Would have been very much better to retain them in their employment in New Zealand until they were really wanted, lie did net approve of bringing fack'tfw Mam Body men on furlough. The eoncession would benefit very many men who were not now in the trenches at all. Jie had net heard of the Main Body men asking for furlough, and lie felt sure frNy would not ask for i{ if they knew that married men were to take their

Sir Jas. Allen : I did not accede to Me-request until I had a letter from Col Ohaytor and another from General Godley asking me to bring some of the men home.

Mr. Okey said that taxation of unimproved values' would prove unfair lierv S .V failure of tie Valuation date 1 ' cee P valuations up t*