THE NEED FOR MONEY.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 April 1918, Page 4

THE NEED FOR MONEY.

TO KEEP OCR TROOPS GOING.

SIR JOSEPH WARD'S APPEAL By Telegraph—Press Association Dunedin, Last Night. In an interview regarding the war loan tile Right Hon. Sir Joseph Ward (Minister of Finance), emphasised the imperative need for war purposes of the whole of the money that the public axe being asked to provide. The Minister added that one feature about war expenditure, unlike ordinary expenditure of accountancy, is that so long as the war goes on we cannot wait. War expenditure as quickly incurred and so long as the war goes on with whatever speed it may be it is necessary to provide means, and there must be no delay of any kind. For instance, there is no such tiling possible under war expenditure as making provision for it out of unauthorised expenditure. One recognises that to many people public finance is, such a hard, matter-of-fat subject that they may give it only passing attention. That occurs, ;io doubt, in case of people who have some means, and may not bs) impressed with the vital importance for carrying on of the war, of the full financial requirements being available, so that the country may meet dally and weekly the war conditions. For that reason one finds it necessary from time to time to call special attention to the matter. Naturally one does not want to bother people who are engaged in their normal occupations, but the providing of money is just as important, said, in some respects, more important, than the providing of men, though the sacrifice made by men is incomparably greater, and it cannot be overestimated', than any inconvenience experienced by those who have to provide money to enable our men to fight the battle of freedom and civilisation. During the,raising of the last loans, I did not give out the amounts subscribed from time to time.

I do not think it is a good thing to do except in a general way. Up to the present, even with the Easter holidays breaking in, there is a reasonable response being made, but it. is during the. last week of the loan that the bulk of the money usually comes in. lam hopeful that the experience of the past will be repeated upon this occasion, and that we may be able to avoid taking the dras* tic course of putting compulsion into operation, though, if it should be neceg* sary, it must be done.