WELLINGTON TOPICS

Taranaki Daily News, 30 November 1918, Page 6

WELLINGTON TOPICS

ijj/ i THE PEACE BUDGET. < i'■

i j A GIGANTIC SURPLUS*

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|L . (Special Correspondent.)' Wellington, November 27. The use of the title, perhaps, is a little premature, but the Budget presented by Sir Joseph Ward in the House of Representatives last night is distinctly a Peace Budget in the sense that it reviews the financial position of tue Dominion at the end of the great war .On the whole it is satisfactory, as satisfactory, that is, as any statement of the country's accounts including an expenditure of over fifty millions on military operations in the course of four years could be. The surplus revenue for the twelve months -was £5,055,934, which added to the accumulated surpluses of tine previous years makes a total of £11,5(10,785. The estimated revenue for the current year is £20,185,000 and the estimated expenditure £19,900,000, anticipating a surplus of £1,185,000 at the end of next March, which in all will be substantially exceeded, 'I

CRITICISM. "vr>

The Budget met with a good reception in the House and is being generally approved outside. The critics yefra objected last year to the magnitude of the surplus, on the ground that it represented an unnecessary burden of taxation upon the people, have further cause for complaint this year in the fact that tie excess of revenue has grown from £4,308,000 to £5,055;034, but most of them have come to realise that the Minister's "strong finance" has been of enormous assistance to the Dominion in weathering the difficulties of the war years and in fortifying its position for the days of peace. A more logical criticism of fcne Budget, but scarcely on opportune one, is that it d#es not expound the reconstruction and development policy of the Government. This, obviously must be the task of the Cabinet as a whole.

CITY SANITATION.

The morning sitting of the House' yesterday was enlivened by the use theMinister of Public Health, made of a question put to him by Mr J. P. Luke, the member for Wellington North and the Mayor of the city. His Worship wanted to know if the Minister would introduce legislation this session for improving the control of sanitation in the cities and implied that much better results would be obtained if the whole of. the responsibility were placed upon the local authorities. This gave Mr Russell an opportunity to castigate (he local authorities in quite !h.is best style. The responsibility already was their?, he said, and the influenza epidemic had revealed how shamefully some of them 'had been neglecting their duty. Wellington and Auckland were quoted as particularly '-horrid examples'' and before the Minister sat down Mr Luke must have regretted his iudiscretiou in speaking.

THE PEACE DELEGATES.

It might be easily assumed from what the Prime Minister said in the House vesterd.iy concerning the course of business lor the remainder of the session that he has changed his mind asaiu and determined not to leave for London till Parliament prorogues. He declared, indeed, in so many words that he and Sir Joseph Ward would have to remain till, the business of the session was completed. But the general interpretation being placed upon his 1.--marks to-day is that the more important measures he Bias mentioned must be put through before lie goes away. Even this may not be a simple task, but the great majority of the members are anxious to facilitate the Ministers' departure and no factious obstruction is likely to be long maintained.