PARLIAMENT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9652, 17 November 1909, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

budget cwrmsvr

By Telegraph—Press AssociationWELLINGTON, November 16. In the House this evening on the motion that the House go into Committee of Supply, Mr W. F. Massey proceeded to criticise the Budget. He said that the circumstances under which the Financial Statement had been introduced was unusual, and ! one important fact in it'was that the increased debt amounted to four and a half millions. The present posi- | tion and the outlook was far from satisfactory, and he could see no inclination on the part of the Government to taper off. He intended to deal not with details but of the piinciples underlying the Statement, which was a comprehensive compromise. He compared the Financial Statement to a company prospectus. The Budget proposa s embodied many reforms advocated by the Opposition. The Treasurer's admission that increased taxation was necessary was calculated to damage the credit of the country. Hardly a class in the country was allowed to escape. He could not see the neces« sity of New Zealand being taxed much higher than the Commonwealth States. The Customs taxation would fall upon the consumers. The same remark applied to the banking taxation. "In the face of the taxation proposals we were told the country was never more prosperous," said

Mr Massey. The Hon. G. Fowlds, replying to Mr Masaey's criticism on the borrowing policy, said the House had control over this. The money had gone to assist in the development of the country. After pressing the Government to expend huge sums for public works, the Opposition objected to the public debt. The Opposition accused the Government ot stealing their policy, and then twined round and condemned that policy when placed on the book. The cause of the higher taxation in the Dominion tbatr in Australia ««a* that the former" carried 01 ma y mora puKlc ser- : vices than the C'immonw.-alth States.'

Mr J. Allen, deoie i ti at the Opposition was opposed to endowment lands on principle, but to the kind of lands set aside for the purpose of endowment. The scheme should have been Cdried out long ago when proper lands were available and old age pensions fund and edu-'ati. ri would have derived soma b. n?fit therefrom.

Mr Allen characterised the borrowing poliry as a scramble, which' the Opposition objected to on principle. He taunted the Government supporters with slavishly follow ing ; the Ministers and taking their words for gospel. The Ministry war gradually taking away all Parlia-* mentary control from the members.Parliament had no say in presenting f he Dreadnought nor in the Midlaurf Railway contract. The predominant note of the Budget was taxation due' to Government extravagance. The cost of railway construction ba3 gone up £258 p"2r mile—much higher than that of other States, and the cost of running expenses had greatly increased. The tendency of the Budget was to increase the expenditure and borrowing. The fact that 940 men of the Civil Service had been dismissed was a plain inlication that the Civil Service had been over-staffed. He said that the Premier had misled the House in regard to the tupeiannuation schemes. The Hon. J. A. Millar charged Mr Allen with inconsistency, in 1 condemning retrenchments, and extravagance in one breath. Hj denied the truth of the statement that members bad lost control of Parliament. As to

the cost of railways it should be remembered that this cruntry was very difficult for railway construction. If the railways were to be tun as they were in New South Waks it wojld mean a reduction in, the wages of railway s.>waits. Mr T. E. Taylor, Christchurch North, considered the surrender of the States' interest in the renewable leases as t»?3 nust retrograds step since 1890 He considered the clauses in the Budget dealing with the freehold utterly disgrace,"u'. Ki move* as an amendment that the House 1 affi m the unsatisfactory nature of the land clauses of the Budget, and that tie p ople are entitled to have an (ipp irtur.ity by mea is of a referendum t) say wiiether any more Crow a lauds should be sold OK ,hethsr the remainder of the lands ■iiuiuiil he preserved, and an annual rpve.ua bi available in future t redjee the burdens of taxation. Mr Taylor drastically condemned the primage duties, which would ultimately cost the consumers a. year..