A DULL DEBATE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 234, 3 October 1935, Page 6

A DULL DEBATE.

If the close, of the Budget debate had massed. unnoticed by anyone outside the Souse, Parliament would have had no cause 'or surprise. Seldom has the discussion of ;he country's finances been more dull or more acking in reasoned criticism. There are two possible explanations, either that members ire keeping their thunder for the electors [which is the more charitable thought) or ;hat they have none. The floor of the House night have served as a useful training ground had they chosen to avail themselves of th< opportunity, but they have sought no mori than the light exercise of a little by-plav The Government, at the end of four years ir sffice, finds its critics in the House eithei reduced to silence or so subdued that theii voices ' are drowned by the bombardmen outside. It would be a mistake to infer thai members are satisfied; it is rather n case where the opponents of the Government lacl for the moment the will or the power o expression. Perhaps they are playing the role of listeners, as the majority of the Govern ment's own supporters seem to be. The genera attitude pi the Opposition, of course, is tha the Government is wrong in all its ways ant that detailed criticism is therefore valueless The Government could not be charged witl producing an electioneering Budget, and i would be against Labour principles to criticise the failure to reduce taxation; but Laboui supporters outside will have some excuse fo: thinking that the few concessions given havi been accepted with too little protest. Thi "plain unvarnished" Budget lias had tc undergo scarcely any serious financia assault. Much as a reduction in taxes wouli assist industry, the House appears to regare the present as an inopportune time for change nnd, perhaps naturally, places the claims o: :he Budget before those of the taxpayer. Ir the past five years taxation per head has increased from less than £13 to £.16, and his in a time of severely diminished incomes. The«grants for social services, which directly iffect the standard of living of the people, lave been fairly steady, but when it s is remembered that those who benefit from these lervices are paying more in taxation, direct md indirect, the net effect of the changes is teen to be adverse. The public debt, although slightly decreased in the total since 1932, has increased in weight because of the exchange, and with new capital programmes planned for the immediate future is likely to begin to rise once more. Parliament might well have discussed the merits of borrowing as a means oJ speeding recovery and have asked for more information as to the extent and direction of the Government's contemplated efforts. Yet while the debate was in progress tile announcement of an important public works programme was made by the Minister of Employment outside the House. Here is only one instance where the Government has treated the House with less consideration than is its due, but iJ members fail to show more> understanding oi | finance, is this to be wondered at?