WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 November 1921, Page 6

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

PREMIER CLOSES FINANCIAL DEBATE. EMPHASISES NEED FOR ECONOMY. (Special Correspondent.) Wellington, Nov. 21. Mr. Massey got his opportunity to reply in the Budget debate oh Friday afternoon, and with an extension of time, which carried him well on into the evening sitting, was able to'touch upon most, of the points raised by the previous speakers, and to make a fairly full review of the financial position. It would scarcely be fair to the Minister, and certainly not flattering, to say he was in his best form. That was hardly to be expected, in view of the enormous load he has been carrying since his return from the Imperial Conference, and his insistence upon giving personal attention to a number of details which surely might be left to his He spoke rapidly and concisely, as he always does, and replied promptly to an inconsiderate nuxnber of interjections; but his fallible memory for figures landed him in difficulties once or twice, and he threw just a little too much emphasis into a well-deserved rebuke he administered to Dr. Thacker, who, with a curious notion of the fitness of things, had thought the time opportune to challenge the head of the Government to a public debate with himself. ECONOMIES. But these were only incidents in a notable speech on a very notable occasion. What the full House and the crowded galleries were waiting for most was the Prime Minister’s announcement of the economies he proposed to effect. Here he wa” emphatic enough in insisting that the savings would have to be very extensive and very far-reaching, but tie sketched only lightly and indefinitely their nature and details. He claimed to have effected a saving of over £900‘,000 in the departmental expenditure already, independent of the cessation of butter and wheat subsidies —which some of his critics refuse to regard as savings at all —and to have a further saving of £1,295,000 in view. By rapid calculation he made up a total reduction of expenditure amounting to three and a quarter millions, but declared that this would not be nearly enough to square the public accounts. The Civil Service had to contribute its share, on the basis of a 10 per cent, reduction,- whether- beginning with salaries of £2OO or £3OO a year, or whether graduated or not, remained to be decided. CIVIL SERVICE RETRENCHMENT. The hesitanc’y in regard to the reduction of the salaries of Civil Servants is the most criticised part of the Prime Minister’s speech. From the manner in which he referred to the matter one might have supposed it had been brought under his notice for the first time after he had risen to his feet. It was for Parliament to consider what should be done, he said. He was sorry retrenchment was necessary, but when a country was in the position New Zealand was in at the present time its rulers had to do their duty. He had thought of graduation and a distinction between married and single men, but all these things were difficult to bring about. He was proposing 10 per cent., but it might be a little more or a little less. He would commence at the top with the Ministers and go down through the departments to the members of the House. He did not want to go back to the salaries of 1914, and he did not want to make any reduction that could be avoided. It was not a satisfying pronouncement, and members obviously were disappointed. They had expected the last word on the whole scheme. OUTSIDE PARLIAMENT. In the lobbies there is nothing but praise for Mr. Massey’s optimism and for the courage with which he is facing an extremely difficult position; but in some quarters there is a feeling that the Minister is not giving members of the House his full confidence. The Dominion made a guarded allusion to this point on Saturday with all the restraint and delicacy that might be expected from a consistent friend. “The strain of cheerful optimism in which the Prime Minister replied to his critics,” it said, “was in remarkable contrast to the tone of most of the speeches delivered in the course of the debate. While optimism in itself is a very good thing, most business people will be inclined to discount to some extent Mr. Massey’s somewhat roseate estimate of the immediate outlook.” As a matter of fact, business men seen to-day, while just as confident as the Prime Minister is of the Dominion returning to its former condition of prosperity with an unimpaired financial reputation, think much more drastic and speedier methods than those yet adopted by the Govftmmejjt are required to bring about the desired end. They have the utmost faith in Mr. Massey’s good intentions, but they want to he assured by more tangible results than those yet achieved of his determination to carry them Into effect.