PARLIAMENT

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 297, 28 September 1935, Page 3

PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OF REFRESENTATIVES.

DEBATE ON THE BUDGET.

(Abridged from Press Association). WELLINGTON, September 27.

In the House of Representatives this morning the debate on the Financial Statement was resumed by the Hon. A. D. McLeod (Coalition, Wan rarapa) who said that most of the Opposition speakers had dealt with the monetary position and he was of opinion that the people of New Zealand preferred the devil they knew to the devil they don’t know. He congratulated the Minister of Finance and the Government on the actions taken to meet the depression and on the success of those actions. Local body securities were higher to-day than they had been since the depression. He knew the country was crying out for reduction of taxation and he thought that was necessary, but a more important thing about the Budget was the carrying out of promises to the electors. He thought the Government should take some drastic action to check imports from Australia and give trade to Britain. Mr J. W. Munro (Labour, Dunedin North) criticised Mr Downie Stewart’s speech at Dunedin. He said that Mr Downie Stewart had urged the need for reconstruction of the Cabinet, and he wondered if Mr Stewart had the same instinct that impelled rats to leave a sinking ship, that history would repeat itself, and that after the next election Mr Downie Stewart would be Prime Minister of New Zealand. He hoped not. He said the Budget was a lucky Budget, due largely to the sale of gold and death duties.

Mr A. E. Jull (Coalition, Waipawa) said no loss had) yet occurred in th© transfer of mortgages from the State Advances Department to the Mortgage Corporation. The sum of seven million sterling was held in abeyance for adjustments, but with the improvement in the country’s condition the position of doubtful mortgages was improving steadily. Mr F. Jones (Lab., Dunedin South) urged the adoption of a comprehensive scheme for the distribution of milk to children. He contended that some pi ©vision should be made for nurses who contracted disease in the course of their work and who were unable to continue in that occupation. Mr A. J. Sit allworthy (Ind., Eden) said it was time that the floating debt was abolished, but there was a contingent liability in connection with the Reserve Bank and the Mortgage Corporation that might amount to several millions. They could not tell what it might be. He regretted that there had not been more equality of sacrifice during the depression. They found that more than half the farmers of the Dominion had had to compound w ith their creditors, and many thousands were unemployed, yet the Government was setting a new rate of salaries. They were paying as much as £o(K)0, £2OOO and £ISOO a year. He contended that New Zealand was given 12 months’ breathing space in connection with meat contracts, because there was a possibility of a change of Government at the end of the year. That was the inner history of the meat negotiations, and the opportunity was given to see if New Zealand would change its exchange policy. Mr D. W. Coleman (Lab., Gisborne) sa jd the legislation and administration of the Government had robbed farmers of the benefits they should have obtained. Farmers wanted incomes, not charity. The farming population had fallen and if the Government had put more than 3000 people on the land, how many had they forced off ? The debate was adjourned and the House rose at 5.30 p.m.