BUDGET DEBATE

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 23971, 11 June 1943, Page 4

BUDGET DEBATE

WIDE RANGE OF SUBJECTS ALLEGATIONS OF WASTE IN WAR EXPENDITURE (P.A.) WELLINGTON, June 10. Although the introduction of the bill providing that by-elections should not be held until after the General Election was the main feature in the House of Representatives to-day, most of the House’s time was taken up with the Budget debate. The first member not in the two main parties to speak was Mr J. A. Lee, and the main Government speaker was the Minister of Supply (the Hon, D. G. Sullivan). Others who took part in the debate to-day were Mr P. Neilson, Mr C. G. E. Harker, Mrs C. C. S. Stewart, and Mr W. M. C. Denham. Mr Denham had not finished speaking when the House was adjourned at 10 p.m. to 10.30 a.m. tomorrow. Speaking on the subject of the establishment of returned» servicemen, Mr C. G. E. Harker (Opposition, Waipawa) said that they had heard a spate of words about what the Government was intending to do; but what returned servicemen and the public generally wanted was a little more action. This was the fourth year of the war, he said, and why had there been such delay in starting? If the Minister of Lands .would put a little' more vigour into the land settlement policy for servicemen, he would receive wholehearted support from the Opposition. Mr Harker also urged stricter supervision to ensure the elimination of waste. Waste, he said, operated against rehabilitation, and against the morale of the people, and anybody who had experience of the operatioh of camps in this war knew that in the majority of them substan-, tial savings could be made. If, from the start of the war, competent and independent committees of businessmen had been in charge of the supervision of war expenditure, the savings would have amounted literally to millions. A plea that something should be done to relieve the domestic service situation was made by Mrs C. C. S. Stewart (Government, Wellington West), who referred to the burden borne by. farmers’ wives, as well as city women, owing to the shortage of domestic help resulting from the war. Some organisations had done excellent work in providing help; but much remained to be done, and some inducement should be offered to make domestic service attractive to girls, Mr J. A, Lee (Democratic SoldierLabour, Grey Lynn) characterised the Budget as a bond-holders’ budget. New Zealand, he said, was selling all its produce at 1939 prices, and was buying shells, aeroplanes, and war essentials at 1943 prices. New Zealand was entitled to have its war debts considered in the general process of settlement after the war. The country was making manpower sacrifices equal to any other nation’s. Therefore, why should we attempt to pay every cent of war debt on goods bought at 1943 prices, while we received 1939 prices for our commodities, he asked. The Budget, he contended, had ignored the manpower problem. Unless we faced this problem we would find it necessary to reduce the minimum age on one hand and extend the maximum age on the other. If we did not revise our commitments we should have to revise our calling up age. He thought the Government had over-reached itself in its pledges of the Dominion’s manpower. Mr W. M, C. Denham (Government. Invercargill) said New Zealand was the only country in the world that had announced no taxation increase in war time. The Budget debate was interrupted by the adjournment at 10 p.m., and the House rose until 10.30 a.m. to*. morrow.