POLITICAL NOTES

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19986, 22 July 1930, Page 10

POLITICAL NOTES

(THE PBEBS Spsclsl Sorriee.] WELLINGTON, July 21. The Budget. The Budget will be delivered in the House of Representatives on Thursday evening according to a statement made to-day by the Prime Minister (the Hon G. VV. Forbes), who is also Minister for Finance. The Budget was presented on August Ist last year, so that the Financial Statement will appear just over a week earlier on this occasion. Before the business of the session has really started the end is in sight, for Mr Forbes to-day that he expects the session will end in September, or a week or two after his projected departure on August 25th, for the Imperial Conference. Unemployment Bill. The Unemployment Bill will be further discussed when the House resumes to-morrow. However, an adjournment will be taken in the afternoon after tribute has been paid to the memory of Sir Robert Stout, a former Prime Minister, so that it will be the evening before the unemployment discussion is resumed. Possibly the debate will then be ended, since the Minister for Labour (the Hon. S. G. Smith) has indicated that the Bill will be referred to a Special Committee. Customs Duties. Whether the Budget will bo accompanied by the Customs tariff is a point which Mr Forbes says he has not yet decided, but the indications are that the revised schedule of duties will be revealed at the same time. Drastic taxation increases are believed to be in prospect, but the proposals are naturally being kept a close secret. The Imperial Conference. A statement relative to the Imperial Conference, which opens in London on September 30th, will probably be made by the Prime Minister this week if a convenient opportunity presents itself. Mr Forbes recalled that such a statement was made by the Leader of the Opposition (the Kt. Hon. J. G. Coates) prior to his departure for the Conference of 1926, and he proposed to do likewise to enable the House to discuss the attitude to be taken up by New Zealand on the various matters likely to be discussed in London. Shortening Budget Debate. Once the Budget discussion is fairly launched the Prime Minister proposes to confer with the Leaders of the other two Parties regarding the prospective length of the debate. Each member of the House is entitled to speak for an hour in the Financial Debate, bat it is believed Mr Forbes would like to secure an arrangement by which each Party will guarantee to limit the number of its speakers. It is, probable that Monday sittings will be inaugurated about the second week in August.