MORE OF BUDGET.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 177, 29 July 1938, Page 11

MORE OF BUDGET.

RATIO OF TAXATION. MR. HERRING'S GRAPH. NATIVE LAND DEVELOPMENT. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Thursday. Depressions were man made, said Mr. H. E. Herring (Government, Mid-Can-terbury), continuing the Budget debate when the House resumed at 7.30 this evening, and he was of opinion that by proper, management of our internal affairs and economics there was no reason why depressions should not be avoided. Associated Chamber* of Commerce, he said, were always complaining of the burden of taxation, but he considered that the word "burden" was an unfortunate term. Some very strong adjectives, all in the superlative, had also been used by the Government's opponents to describe the Government's taxation, but not one of these superlatives was justified.

Mr. Herring produced a large graph to illustrate hie argument that the ratio of taxation paid to the total income of the country had not increased, but rather had decreased since Labour came into office.

Mr. Herring suggested that something should be done towards the introduction of a system of rural intermediate credits in Mkl-Canterbury. It had been very successful in other districts and should be attempted in his electorate, which provided 25 per cent of the wheat produced in New Zealand.

Sir Apirana Xgata (National, Eastern Maori) said the population of the Maori race had increased in 43 years from below 40,000 to 84,000 to-day. The chief feature in the arrest of the decline was education in the laws of health. He paid a tribute to the work of the Minister of Health, Mr. Fraser, but said much remained to be done. Typhoid was still prevalent among Maoris in places where inoculation had not reached. The prevalence of typhoid and tuberculosis among Maoris was due to the number of carriers, and he advocated that steps be taken to manufacture suitable vaccines in the Dominion to immunise Maori children from the ravages of these dread diseases. . Land Ownership Complex. Referring to the development of native lands, Sir Apirana contended that there was danger of the State, as the developer or financier, thinking it owned the land instead of the actual Maori owner.

The Acting Native Minister, Mr. Langstone: That is not in the minds of the Department.

Sir Apirana: I'm glad to hear it, but it is in the minds of a good many of the supervisors in the Department. It is one of the things we fear to-day. In fact there is a Laud Department complex in the Native Department, and this should be avoided.

Sir Apirana said something should be done to educate Maoris so that in future they will be able to take their place ini the industrial life of the country. The Minister of Public Works, Mr. Semple, congratulated the Minister of Finance on what he said was one of the most progressive Budgets that had ever' been introduced in the House. He went on to deal with the development of transport in the Dominion during the last few years, stating that in 192728 the capital invested in motor transport, including roads. totalled £89.000.000. whereas in 1937-38 the total was £148,000,000, an increase of £59,000,000 in 10 years. In 1935, he said, the number of licensed motor vehicles was 214,000, and in December, 1937, the number was 216.000. Petrol consumption in 1935 was 63,000,000 gallons, and in 1937 was 82,000,000 gallons. The amount spent on operating motor vehicles in 1927-28 was £22,000,000 and in 1937-38 £38,000,000.

Bonding Activity. Dealing with the Government's roading activity, Mr. Semple stressed the necessity for the present policy of eliminating one-way traffic bridges, which he said were death-traps. Regarding the Governments five-year plan on backbloek roads, this, said Mr. Semple, would be completed in three and a half years, and then'there would not he a single unmetalled road in the backblocks. 0 Speaking of irrigation, the Minister said the sum of £514,000 had been spent on this important aspeet of development- in the last three years and the area irrigated in that period had increased from 50,000 to 75,000 acres.

Mr; Semple went on to deal briefly with propaganda which he said was being-used against the Labour Government. ."O-

TKe debate was adjourned and the House rose at 10.25 p.m.