THE BUDGET.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 November 1921, Page 5

THE BUDGET.

, DEBATE CONTINUED. - OPPOSITION’S CRITICISM. SEVERAL MEMBERS SPEAK. By Telegraph.—Press Assoclailoß. Wellington, Last Night. The debate on the Budget was resumed in the House this afternoon. Mr. G. Witty (Rieearton) declared, that as New Zealand was passing through, a strenuous time it was the duty of everyone to assist the Government in rounding the corner. During prosperous times the Government and private individuals were spending freely, and no one was prepared, for the sudden jolt that had. come upon ue. He therefore proposed to show where money could be saved. In the first place the housing scheme had been a failure and nothing had been done. Mr. Massey: Is a thousand houses nothing? Mr. Witty: A thousand houses have not been finished.

Mr. Massey: Yes they have. Mr. Witty expressed pleasure at the information, but he thought the money given to the butter subsidy would have been better spent oh building more houses for the people. Great savings could be made by the Education Department standardising the plans of schools. He read a letter from a Canterbury critic of railway management, contending there was much red tape and many foolish regulations, which should be abolished. Neither had the railway “cut” been successful. It saved comparatively little and had driven much of the traffic on to the roads. Public service dismissals had not reduced the overhead charges, but if the Government wanted to effect public service reform they should sack the public service commissioners, because they were not satisfying the public service and had not put a stop to wire pulling. They simply put round men in square holes. The method of handling our produce in j England and the defence system of the ' Dominion came in for scathing criticism, and in conclusion he said it was incumbent on Parliament to try to reduce taxation and lighten the burden falling on those under its care.

DEMAND FOR ECONOMY.

Mr. D. G. Sullivan (Avon/ referred to the insistent demand for economy, which came from all sections of the community, whether friend or foe of the Government. He criticised the remarks made ,by members of the Farmers’ Union concerning the public service as a gross slander on a useful and important body, though the Government should explain the increase in staffing and expenditure in departments in the last financial year. Criticism came with very bad grace from a section of the community which during the war benefited more than any other section. He asserted that the effect of- the land tax rebate gave a substantial concession to the wealthier land owners in the town and country and he asked what was the necessity for this remission, when the Prime Minister was most optimistic concerning next season's products. The speaker concluded by advocating the abolition of the Legislative Council as a means of reducing public expenditure, it being generally agreed that the second chamber was quite unnecessary in this country. Mr. G. Mitchell (Wellington South) advocated sending the Budget and the estimates to a select committee for a report by experts on the various means of keeping down, public expenditure. Travelling expenses were mounting up in all departments, which had been stuffed, with people who were not necessary. Rents were absorbing a great deal too much money, and unnecessary shifting of public servants was also .absurdly costly. To meet the position created by'extravagant expenditure our only solution was to raise taxation, but the extra, money taken from the people had not gone to increase the comfort or con-, veniences of the people. We had not built houses or made roads; we had simply put the money into Governmental expenditure. Much money had been sunk in purchasing land at too high a price and the Ministry of Lands would have to write down some of these properties considerably in order tp give the soldiers a chance to get their money off these properties, for which no financier would give more than fifty per cent, of the Government value. If travelling and other overhead charges were cut down there would be no need to touch the lower salaried men at all.

TREATMENT OF EX-SOLDIERS. Unfortunately no policy was being observed by the Government in this matter. Married women whose husbands were at work, were retained, in the public service, while men with families were being discharged. Just after they had observed two minutes’ silence in honor of the men who fell in the war they were told on the one hand that no further advances were to be made to soldiers, while on the other hand they made a 'concession of £170,000 to land owners. To him there seemed a good deal of mockery about this, *vhich would be resfented very much. The grouping of departments and Government shipping control were advocated as public reforms, and in conclusion the speaker urged that if wages were to be cut down all round it should be done in such a way as to conserve the interests of the man with a big family They could not consistently increase the burdens of the poor man as the Budget was doing, yet at the same time cut down wages. Our doctrine should be one of hope and hArd work, but of good wages. The Hon. J. A. Hanan (Invercargill) counselled moderate optimism in the present crisis. The ship was not going to sink, but at the same time to say that we would recover from all our difficulties in two or three years was to chase a shadow and entertain a delusion. Ju .the good years we lived at a high speed, but that came to an end, and when Sir Francis Bell had charge of the public purse he frankly said the pur»e was empty. Then we were on the brink of panic and the men who nearly brought that panic about but for certain strong statements by the Premier and others were the men who enjoyed swollen profits during the fat years, their agitation being in their own selfish interests. He deprecated the concession in taxation, contending that taxation should be used to burst up big estates and so increase the production of the country. The effect of the financial difficulties was not yet fully apparent. Next year they would be even more difficult. and b a housd that, when the Pre-

mier replied he would keep nothing back as to his anxiety concerning next( year’s finance. To meet this he look-j ed for a policy in the Budget, but found! none. There were certain superficial l expedients suggested, but there was no definite and courageous policy which would bring the country back to stability and its wonted prosperity. Mr. H. Atmore (Nelson) described the remission on land tax as a grave mistake—. a needless gift to wealthy men. The tariff ) was full of anomalies. Especially did he/ object to the taxes on tea. and tobacco,} both of which were necessaries and were* largely used by the working classes. Dis-, cussing the marketing of our produce in England, he suggested sending Sir Thomas} Mackenzie Home as Produce Commissioner, 1 with nothing else to do but attend to the! sale of New Zealand produce, some of| which, both literally and figuratively, stank' in the nostrils of the people, owing to shameful mishandling. Mr. T. E. Y. Seddon (Westland) declared that the members on the Opposition, benches had been endeavoring to find a policy in the Budget, but without success, and no speaker on the -Government side had been able to enlighten them. Mr. Massey: “You have been blocking me for a week.” Mr. Seddon: “Why should we have to wait for the Premier to speak? Surely, if there was a policy in the Budget, some other member would be able to discover it. The debate was still in progress when the House rose at 11.36 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. to-morrow.