BUDGET DEBATE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 August 1938, Page 4

BUDGET DEBATE

MR SULLIVAN ON PROGRESS OF INDUSTRY DEFENCE OF PUBLIC WORKS POLICY. MR ENDEAN ON NEGLECT OF EXPERT ADVICE. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The Financial Debate was continued in the House of Representatives yesterday, when six more speakers took part in the discussion. Although the debate has already extended over seven sittings, less than half the me.mbers of the House have so far spoken. Thirtysix speeches have been made to date, 24 from the Government side of the House, 10 by Opposition members and two by Independents. In the absence in the South Island of the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage, the Minister of Education, the Hon. P. Fraser, was in charge of the House. Yesterday’s speakers included the Minister of Industries and Commerce, the Hon. D. G. Sullivan. He claimed that the manufacturing industries were in an exceedingly prosperous state, with the possible exception of the clothing industry, to which special circumstances applied. New Zealand stocks in London, he added, had risen substantially last month after the presentation of the Budget. The Minister defended the public works policy involving the replacement of public buildings. The only Opposition speaker was Mr W. P. Endean (Parnell). He said that the Government had shown an unwillingness to accept the advice of its experts. An example of this was furnished by the recent report of the Reserve Bank directorate, which had pointed out the weaknesses of the Government’s public works policy. The Dominion could not afford the present scale of Government expenditure. The House adjourned at 10.30 p.m. until today.