"NO DEFICIT."

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 192, 15 August 1929, Page 24

"NO DEFICIT."

MR. JONES QUOTES FIGURES. "NONSENSE," SAYS THE PREMIER. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Keporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. "The United party is in office, but not in power," declared Mr. D. Jones (MidCanterbury), looking across the House of Representatives last night. "The Government sits down there." He suggested to a critical Labourite who had just eat down that his job was quite easy. He could put the Government out if he disliked it. Mr. Jones contrasted tho United party promises with the Budget disclosure of increased taxation. The deficit disclosed was, he said, essential as a stalking horse for the United party, which loaded up the accounts with £170,000 interest,, and, to make it worse, there had been an enormous increase iu revenue of certain Departments since tho end of the last financial year. Death duties increased by £112,000 last quarter, which left him wondering if some revenue items had been allowed to drift into this year, so that the Go'vernment could produce • a deficit. United party members were rashly assuming that the deficit had to be made up from this year's accounts, but he could tell them it was charged to the accumulated surpluses of three millions, so tiiey started on April 1 with a clean sheet. Sir Joseph Ward: Don't talk nonsense. Mr. Jones: I will quote the Budget, which the lion, gentleman does not consider nonsense. It shows £2,441,000 .cash in hand at March 31. Sir Joseph Ward: If we could carry on like that we would not require a treasurer at all. (Laughter.) Mr. Jones retorted that this might be just as well. He considered the Government was greatly underestimating revenue, and ho believed on the basis of the first quarter's returns that no increase in taxation was needed. Sir Joseph Ward appeared to be budgeting for a spectacular surplus.