WAR EXPENSE ITEMS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 217, 13 September 1944, Page 4

WAR EXPENSE ITEMS

MINISTER EXPLAINS

REPLY MADE TO CRITICISM (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, this day.

Replying in the House of Representatives last night to Opposition criticism of sums that had been charged to the War Expenses Account, the Minister of Finance, Mr. Nash, said that there were also sums which had been charged to the Consolidated Fund that could justifiably be charged to the War Expenses Account. For example, said Mr. Nash, the cost of all war pensions was charged to the ordinary account. He thought that was right because war pensions would be a continuing cost after the war.

There was also the interest on money raised outside New Zealand. Approximately £210,000.000 had been raised overseas during the war. All interest on that sum was charged to the Consolidated Fund, and not to the War Expenses Account. Those were examples of items, which it could be argued, might be charged to the War Expenses Account, and which, if added together, would swamp the other items that had been charged to the War Expenses Account.

Mr. Nash said he would be quite happy if the Prime Minister, Mr. Fraser, was also willing to put the War Expenses Account up to June 30 on the table of the House and let it go to the Public Accounts Committee so that any question could be argued. There would be some things he would criticise himself, and he thought they ought to be brought into the open.