BUDGET DEBATE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 August 1938, Page 5

BUDGET DEBATE

FURTHER SPEECHES STILL IN PROSPECT MINISTER ON EMPLOYMENT POSITION OPPOSITION CRITICISM OF TAXATION (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Although it had been expected that the Financial Debate in the House of Representatives would conclude by today at the latest, this now appears unlikely. There are still several members who are anxious to take the opportunity of placing their views on record. Up to last night, 48 contributions have now been made to the debate, Government members having made 33 speeches, Opposition members 13 and Independents two. The only Opposition speaker in the debate yesterday was Mr H. G. Dickie (Patea). The burden of taxation was referred to by Mr Dickie, who said that the amount demanded in taxes from some companies made it very difficult for them to carry on. He expressed the view that nine-tenths of the public works at present in progress were of little economic value, and that they were neither productive nor profitearning. Mention was also made by Mr Dickie of the harmful influence of public works on the supply of farm labour. Government speakers included the Minister of Labour, the Hon H. T. Armstrong. He admitted that there had been too many frauds on the Employment Promotion Fund, and said that more people obtaining relief in excess of that’ to which they were entitled should be brought up on criminal charges. The Minister also claimed that unemployment in the Dominion had been reduced to zero, and that the latest figures were the lowest in the history of the country. No country in the world, he said, had provided better conditions for unemployed man. The House rose at 10.30 p.m. until today.