INTENT HOUSE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 184, 5 August 1936, Page 10

INTENT HOUSE.

BUDGET SPEECH.

OUTLINE OF POLICY.

MINISTER APPLAUDED.

ONLY TWO INTERJECTIONS

(By Telegraph.-—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Tuesday. Speaking for an hour and 35 minutes, Mr. Nash, Minister of Finance, disclosed' the Government's first Budget this evening to an expectant House and country. It was received in the House of Representatives in much the same manner as other Budgets have been received. Every word the Minister uttered was listened to attentively, and at the end of his speech he was accorded a round of applause for his particularly fine effort in view of the state of his throat during the last few days. Special amplifiers were installed in tho chamber in order to compensate for any vocal deficiency occasioned by the state of the Minister's throat, but it was found necessary to use them for only part of the time. Before him, as lie spoke, were suspended two microphones, one for the national broadcast and the other presumably for amplifiers. Galleries Packed. The galleries were packed with spectators, some of whom had arrived as early as 5.30 p.m. in order to ensure themselves front row seats, and. the benches were practically full. Little interruption disturbed the even flow of Mr. Nash's remarks, Opposition members taking particular interest in what he had to say. The Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Forbes, was .supplied with a copy of the Budget, and was able to follow the Minister's remarks.

Mr. Nash sounded rather husky when he started, but his voice improved in a short time, and for the rest of the proceedings seemed to be fairly normal.

About ten minutes after he started the Minister announced the first of his closely-guarded and anxiously-awaited utterances —guaranteed price for dairy produce—with the words, "I now come to the Budgetary proposals." There was a definite stir, and the Minister's audience prepared itself for the most interesting'phase of the Financial Statement. Without falter he traversed the taxation proposals and other highly important budgetary provisions, and a brief murmur of amusement greeted his smiling remark, "And now I come to the questjon, where is the money to come from ?"

j The Minister proceeded to answer the | question in a practical manner. He had I been going for nearly an hour and a I half when he aroused the first interjecj tion from the Opposition side. j First Interjections. "What date is the sales tax coming ! off?" asked Mr. S. G. Smith (National, I New Plymouth). "And ~ the exchange ?" supplemented Mr. W. J. Broadfoot (National, Waitomo). "Order, order!" stated the Chairman of Committees, Mr. E. J. Howard (Christchurch South). « The Minister introduced a new note when it came to the climax of his statement ■by reading a quotation from a church leader:' "Hard indeed is the task set before us, and well we know that from this side and that, from higher social classes and from lower, very many difficulties and obstacles will present themselves to be overcome, but we j will not for all that lose hsart nor allow ourselves to be turned from our resolutions." i