FINANCIAL DEBATE SPEECHES

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 281, 24 August 1944, Page 6

FINANCIAL DEBATE SPEECHES

Continuation Of Discussion In House Of Representatives . ANOTHER SIX CONTRIBUTIONS

Tlie debate on the Financial. Statement was i-,. 1 yesterday. Another six speeches wore made, m<mt speakers including the Minister of Supply and Munitions, J van. The Prime Minister, .Mr. Fraser, was to have taken part in the debate loid'o-lii but this arrangement has been changed, and now he will o 1 < Hit next week. His speech will probably be made on Tuesday night, lhe House rose al 10.30 p.m. till 2.30 p.m. today.

A plea for relief for the family man in ihe middle income group who, he said, was bearing a disproportionate share ot rhe taxation burden was made by Mr. Acland (Opposition. Teinuka) during the debate on the Budget. The Government, said Mr. Acland. was helping the man on the smaller income, but the married man who had initiative and wanted to get out and help his.children received no encouragement, bixteen Per cent, of the population had more Hum two children, find it was this lb per cent, they had to help because they were supporting well over half the children in New Zealand. Educational equality would remain an illusion so long as the children in the back country did not have the opportunity of going to a high school To send n boy to a high school cost from £7O to £9O a year without the cost or his clothes being taken into account, and lhe average man on £o/10/- a week could not do that. Some would reply that there was the correspondence school, but a wire in the country did not have time to supervise her children’s education. 1 hose men with initiative who wanted to help themselves and were 'prepared to work hard for their own sakes and the country were penalized bv high costs and taxation, lhe time had come when taxation should be removed from a man with a family or there should be a universal family allowance. It would be said the country could not afford it. but his reply to that was thccountry could not afford not to have it. “If we wish to populate this country and look to lhe future, we must remove the premium on infertility, said Mr. Acland. . . , The Government was assisting only two sections of married men with dependent children, those earning less than 15/10/- a week and those on the large income sonic, said Mr. Aclnnd. lhe man on the £5/10/- was entitled to the family allowance, and the man on the high income did not need it. yet got a substantial tax rebate. The middle-income groups, from £350 to £OOO. got no family allowance and a proportionately small ‘ax rebate for his dependent children. The importance of lime in the future prosperity of the country was referred to by Mr. Acland. New Zealand soil, he -aid. was deficient in lime to a great extent, and because of the high rainfall lhe calcium compounds in the soil were living gradually leached. If they were :o maintain the fertility of their soil they must do it by the use of phosphates and lime. , , _ _ Mr. Aclnnd said they, should never allow it to be sind that if there were weak and uunourisbed children m England and Europe it was because New Zealand did not produce to the fullest extent of its resources. Lime could play its part in the production of foodstuffs. It could also play its part in rehabilitation. Returned men would want to go on the land. There were millions, of acres that would produce more if lime were used. Lime also had an effect on rehabilitation, and by bnildinff up the pastures they could prevent the soil from mdn? out to sea. . . “The time has lontr since crone by when the Government should say what its policy is.” continued Afr. Acland. It lias the report of a special lime committee set up in 1939 in its pigeon-holes, but has done nothing about it. The lime industry should be encouraged and built up on progressive lines. AVc should learn from the progress being made in the United States, which has developed lime production and distribution on a reinark-c nfde scale.” He advocated the subsidizing of distribution by motor-truck to ensure that farmers in districts not easily served by the railways should get lime quickly and cheaply. Financing Rehabilitation.

"Our servicemen ami women should not be rehabilitated on borrowed money,” said Mr. Petrie (Government, Otnhuhu).

".Some sacrifice is necessary on our part to ease in the future the burden of interest debt on loans.” He suggested that there should be created a post-war expenses account aud that a large portion of the necessary money should be obtained from income .for that account. /That would, do away with the need for .any interest of any kind on rehabilitating servicemen. To those who would argue that it could not be done, he said that already they were maintaining the social security fund and spending £19,000,000 a year from income. Surely they ought to be able to finance rehabilitation on the same footing. Durin"- last vear they had raised from income in New Zealand £57,000.000 for war purposes. Half of that-amount raised in a similar wav would go a long way in handling rehabilitation and leave, them debt-free. , . ~ ‘‘lt is the wish of members on this side of the House,” continued Mr. Petrie, "that our soldiers should be rehabilitated wfthout debt or interest, and that means doing it from taxation.” That was not in their opinion too high a price to pay for adequate rehabilitation. • Complaints had been made by the opposition that taxation had not been reduced under the Budget. What counter, asked Mr. Petrie, had found it possible to reduce taxation in face of their war commitments? The present rate of taxation was only part of the price they had to pay for victory, and compared with other countries their burden was infinitesimal. , ft was an exaggeration for the Opposition to claim that secondary industry was being strangled by taxation. ’ Mr. Petrie said the burden tell much heavier on the individual, including the small farmer, and the worker on the basic wage. Any relief from taxation would, he hoped, be given to .the individual before any consideration was given to the unreasonable demands from industry and companies. lie had often wondered if it was right for industry to exploit, the community by recovering from the Government. capital investment for the replacement of machinery after the war in addition to making excess protils. The question of .replacement of machinery, plant and buildings had been 'liken for granted too often and too long. The profit margin in industry had been too elastic and was being stretched every year by private enterprise to include some item of improvement and replacement which would increase the . profit margin instead of reducing flic prices of commodities to the. community.. He had noticed there was no suggestion of. reducing industrial taxation so that prices should be reduced. Referring to financial assistance to industry after the war. he said that it the Government provided . any capital it should insist on being given shares in the industry assisted. It would then have a share in control and reward. . Tie considered it would be better to facilitate the growth of industry from earnings than to provide new capital, lie suggested that the Minister of Finance investigate the position and find out how far industry had been developed from profit—an. excess community cost —and how far tfom m-w capital. Threat to Freedom. "We have to be on our guard and active to challenge the threat, to our freedom contained in the speeches from the Opposition benches, and statements in the Press.” said Mr. Petrie. Since the National Barty adopted the member for Rernuera and also his illogical and untenable theory on what: constituted freedom, the Opposition had failed, to recognize that in order to cover up his illogical nml unsound philosophy .Mr. Algie was indulging in subtleties of speech. Mr. Petrie said that Mr. Algie would he well advised to pause and look where his false philosophy was leading him and the National P.-ulv and that plain folk liked plain speeeli. Opposition members mid the public had Io be reminded that freedom and di-dldine were sviionomons terms. Mr. Algie mid his colleagues were endeavouring to create a si rung public opinion against controls, many of which wore necessary though some might be less fo. He had quoted the action in Britain after the last war. stating that ail controls had immediately been removed when the war ended. Why had be not told the

had been removed there. had followed an prgy of speculation causing prices to soar I ill control had to be restored. There was no such thing as a benevolent private enterprise. . The Opposition and many people overlooked the fact that democracy could be defeated as easily ou the home front ns on the battlefront. To retain freedom they had to retain their privileges, justice and have a contented people, lhe statements of the Opposition tended to loosen discipline by undermining the contentment of the people. All the contiols brought down in wartime had been for the benefit of producers and consumers alike. Somebody must always be in control whether the Government or private enterprise. He considered Mr. Algie had been reckless in his demands for the removal of control and seemed to be in a hurry to get back to days of uncontrolled profit and the consequent scramble for goods at. unregulated prices. Mr. Oram (Opposition, Manawatu) said that if it were the policy of the Government to finance rehabilitation without interest and debt it should be made known, because it meant that there was no possibility of a reduction in taxation. After the speech of the member for Otahubu there would lie considerable anxiety throughout New Zealand.

Peacetime Economy. The lack of any statement in the Budget indicating how it was proposed to change back from a wartime to II peacetime economy was, criticized by Mr. Oram. He said that other countries had thought it 'necessary to indicate their intentions, but there was nothing in the Budget to show how the changeover was to be effected in this country. Mr. Oram said that one would have expected, in view of the progress and start of the United States of America in aviation, some idea of the proposals for civil aviation in and outside the Dominion. Seeing that the Government had so unhlushingly adopted the proposal or the National Party for a Itoyal Commission into the licensing laws, one would have thought it might have adopted some of its proposals for easing the burden or taxation on the family man. Those hardest hit were the civil servants and those on the lower incomes. One would have expected some plan for the investigation of new markets for primary products, and unless there were some, relief from taxation replacements required by the secondary industries would be impossible and the switch-over made more difficult. The plan adopted in Britain provided' for a portion of the taxation heiug repayable, after the war when the replacements were available. Social Security Fund.

The relationship between the , social security fund and the national . income was discussed by Mr. Oram. He said the revenue of the fund last year amounted to £13,300,000, and expenditure to £17,600.000. This left a deficit of £4,240,000, and this was made up by way of £-1,100,000 from the Consolidated Fund and £l-10,000 from the reserve. Mr. Oram said that £1,200.0(H) - was paid into the so’cial security fund from the war expenses account in respect to moneys paid to the members of . the armed forces whose salaiy was not liable for the social security taxes. The forces were therefore not leaning on the fund. The Minister of Defence, Mr. Jones: What about their dependants.

The buoyancy of the fund, said Mr. Oram, .was inextricably bound up with the national income. Even on last year’s record national income of £255,000,000, social security cost l'/S in ■the pound: on the probable national income but for the> war, the cost of social security would by now have reached 2/6 in, the pound. In. spite of what was obtained by 1/- in the pound on a record national income and a record contribution from the Consolidated Fund, the books could not be balanced. In the Social Security Fund they were committed) to ever increasing expenditure, and the only way to keep pace with it was by an increase in, the social security levy or an increase in the contribution from the Consolidated Fund. Increase In Taxation.

Production, was the corner-stone of the fund, because without national income .it was impossible to obtain the revenue for the fund without an additional levy. Even if the war continued, and they were able to maintain the national income to the same extent as last year, there still’ must be an increase in taxation to provide the necessary benefits, but should the war end soon there must be the inevitable reduction in the national income. Whatever way one looked at it. they were faced with considerably heavier taxation to. carry the fund, and the House and the country were entitled to more information about the fund than was given in the Budget. Mr. Oram said it was doubtful if they wore getting value for the hospital, medical and pharmaceutical benefits. The hospital positiojy had been getting out of hand. Not. 'only had hospital costs increased, but there had been an increase in the number of beds and the cost per bed. The present basis of both the medical and pharmaceutical benefits was open to abuse and fundamentally unsound, and by thoughtful people was condemned. There were many thoughtful men in the medical profession concerned at the present, position. The National Barty believed that the only way to build up a true health service was to gain the co-operation and goodwill of the medical profession. A First Priority. , "As far ag this Government is concerned, the social security, scheme, its maintenance and full provision for its beneficiaries will always be the first priority on the productive resources of the country.” said the Minister of Supply, Mr. Sullivan. “We will never depart from that assurance, or say or do anything to make our people doubt the capacity of the country to meet the cost of the scheme,” he added. Mr. Doidgfi (Opposition, Tanranga) : What, we want is to see that it is safeguarded. The member for Manawatu had said he was not in favour of the social security scheme, said Mr. Sullivan, and had attempted to undermine the confidence of the House and the country in the stability of the fund. More important than that, he had thrown doubts on the productive capacity of the country to continue to sustain’the scheme. He could not have said ' anything more damaging to the welfare of the scheme. The honourable member had said that the continuance of social security was dependent on production. Everyone knew that. Everything else, indeed the whole economic life of the country, depended upon it. But one could not imagine for a moment that this great country with its extraordinary capabilities . in primary and manufacturing production, its fertile soils, and splendid climate and the capacity of its people would not continue to progress .in its capacity to tiring greater wealth into being. “If the dismal anticipations of the honourable member for Manawatu and his colleagues were unfortunately realized, I would still submit I hat in a ClirisI tian community the first: priority on I the resources of (lie country in good times or bud should be I lie care of the poor, the sick- and needy, widows, and orphans- and the aged.” said Mr. Sullivan. Cost of Drugs. 'file member for Manawatu, continued Mr. Sullivan, was very critical of the hospital and pharmaceutical benefits under social security from the point of view of (heir increasing cost. But he had disregarded the simple fact (hat the cost of drugs, most. of. which were imported, had increased from 50 to 100 per cent. An Opposition member: You get them under hmd-lease. Mr. Sullivan: Tim tirable gentleman opposite will try anything to dama"o the Government. The Minister said that even if goods came in under Icnd-lease a cost was stilt '•barged against them provisionally pend- , big the fluhfrtiQfl flf

Mr. Doidgc: So there will have to be a settlement?. The Minister said that, though some pharmaceutical supplies camo under lend-lease, cash had to be paid for a great many items, and prices had risen enormously. , _ , .... . Replying to Mr. Oram s criticism of the increasing cost, of the hospital benefits Mr. Sullivan said the member again hud disregarded the fact that the Government had increased the payment to the hospital boards from 6/- to 9/- a bed. It was clear that the member was speaking without adequate knowledge, and yet in the face of it he had made damaging statements about the scheme. Uas it likely, too asked the Minister - that the doctors would willingly add to the cost of prescription benefits by prescribing costly medicines which were unnecessary, it. was obvious that the member did not know what he was talking about and had done something very bad indeed m reflecting on the stability of the social security scheme.

Development of Industry. Opposition’speakers had criticized the Budget as not making reference to the development of- industry or plans for reconstruction, said Mr. Sullivan. But there was in fact reference to the fact that the organization for national development had been provided tor. ine question of reconstruction is tliorougnij in hand and all necessary steps hate been taken to put the plans into effect, said the Minister. “The Opposition com plain that there is n 0 reference in the Budget to civil aviation, but the closest attention has been given, and is being given by the Government .here inAW Zealand and in consultation with the Prime Minister and the overseas authorities. It would not be wise for me to carry the matter further, and I will leave it to the Prime Minister to elaborate it at lhe proper time.” The member for Manawatu had complained also that no steps had been taken in connexion with the forthcoming licensing commission, but the Prime Minister’s undertaking was being given effect to said Mr Sullivan. Obstacles in connexion with the personnel of the. commission occurred, but these were being ovei-

C °Ohir"es of inconsistency in the Oppo sition’s’attitude on import control ami post-war reconstruction of New Zita land's secondary industries were made b.v the Minister. He asked the Opposition to say definitely if they would dispense with import control after the war. Opposition members: les. Mr. W. Sullivan (Opposition, Bai -if Plenty): As-soou a s Possitae. . , A Government member: Le cartful. The Minister said there appeared to be a rift in the Opposition’s opinion*,. By doing away with import control the Opposition would create unemployment among the industries. It was absurdto talk about having anxiety for. the welfare of manufacturing industries, and then to talk about taking away trom them the protection which con i l ° l vidcd. Yet these were the statements being made by a party professing to he anxious to help industries. Middle East Ballot Papers.

A reference to the burning of the soldiers’ ballot papers in the Middle Last after the general election made by way of interjection by Mr. Goosman (Opposition, Waikato), provoked a lively incident during the speech by the Minister. Mr. Sullivan was chiding the. Opposition with never having a good word to sav about the Government. ’Our friends opposite and their Press, can hnd absolutelv nothing good or right about us, he said. “If members ot the forces overseas do speak well of us or even do vote for us—” . , Mr. Goosman: Why did you burn the '°Mr.'Sullivan (hotly): The honourable gentleman knows the story* It is a yile thing that he has done in that interjection. He is a member of the committee which inquired into that and he knows the truth. . . ~ Mr. Polson (Opposition. Stratford} rose to a point of order and asked whether the honourable gentleman was entitled to say that a vile thing had been done. It was unparliamentary and should not be tolerated by the House. The Prime Minister, Mr. Eraser, also rose, and said that he did not so much ■wish to speak on the point of order as to direct ■ the attention of the Speaker to the nature of the charge which the honourable member for Waikato has brought against the Minister and his colleagues on tlie Government glide. “I suggest, he said, “that such a charge which reflects on the honour of the House cannot bo allowed to pass, that it is a breach of privilege and that it should be referred to Mr. Speaker for his consideration as to what steps should be taken to deal with it.” ... The Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Holland, said the Prime. Minister in raising the question of privilege was attempting to draw a red herring across the trial. "I submit,” he said, “that the Minister of Supply is entirely out of order in referring to the honourable member for Waikato as having done a vile thing.” The Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr. Parry: I submit that the point of order cannot be dissociated from the charge made by tlie member for Waikato.

At this point Mr. Goosman intervened and said: “I am sure it would be the right thing for me to withdraw what I said. Ido so aud express my regret. What I said was done on tlie spur of the moment.” . The Minister of Supply: I wish to withdraw the word that 1 used. The Speaker, Mr. Schramm: A very happy solution nil round. The incident then closed. Rehabilitation Policy.

Rehabilitation was not a parly political question though it was fair to say it was n governmental responsibility., stated Mr. Gerard (Opposition, Mid-Canter-bury). Local rehabilitation committees felt that their responsibilities were being curtailed. Power was being taken out of their hands, and that was wrong. Hie State Advances Corporation was getting a stranglehold, and he did not think recommendations of committees were receiving sufficient consideration. Mr. Gerard said that if rehabilitation and reconstruction were the success they all hoped it would be, the Minister of Rehabilitation, Mr. Skinner, and ns Cabinet colleagues would take credit lor it, and it therefore followed that if there were mistakes they should accept some 01 the blame. The Minister of Rehabilitation was an over-worked man. He had the important portfolio of Lands as well, and the administration of rehabilitation should be a full-time job. The Mate Advances Corporation should .act under the direct direction of the Minister. Mr. Gerard said he agreed with the statement of the member tor Clutha tluu what was required was the co-operation of the Church, educational authorities, employers and employees. 1 he Church had a big part to play, and he thought the tendency was to think too much, ot material things and too little of spiritual things. They needed the help and assistance of all ami the goodwill of 1C “ Imbilitation committees. The tcudemy was to ignore these committees. 1might be necessary to take some land for the settlement of soldiers. He did not. see why the Government should be afl ‘T'f l we were the Government and could not settle these soldiers, we would do lU said Mr. Gerard. “I am sure we would. Mr Gerard said the Minister of Supply had stated that, full plans tor reconstruction and industrial develojiinen were in hand, but he had not re enl anything of them. These plans might In. secret, but in (he interests of the connll y they should be discussed. The House was entitled to know what they were. Surplus of Wool. The reconstruction of the Wool Coiineil on a .similar basis to the Meat. ><• ■ was urged by Mr. Gerard. He h ' l '' f 1 25 per cent, of the country s exp .itcame from wool. H 1 '’" 11 .! ' quarter of their standard ot huii„ belonged to the wool industry. \ very disturbing statement publish I „ few days ago. one by the L’nited States 'tariff < ••inmission that by the end of Oct*,ber hm would be a surplus ot -I.OllO.tH" pounds of wool. That was equivalent to 12.000.t100 Now Zealand bales. 1 hi. I tion of the compeliiion of rayon and oln ■irlHic 111 fabrics had not received the at'tentiou' it should. The Wool Cm.ne. should bp reconstituted that it he responsible to the Producers in m operation with the Government. It con t'wn make an i'nmediale inveshgn regard I" post-war market ing aml 11 H pr.sal of this amazing surplus f nuint diato action were not taken, the v*a might end with no effective means of maxke tins ilia f-yrolU-t?-. Tlw l» sltJul l VM*

different this time from what it was after the last war, for there was now the competition of artificial fibres. If the price of wool fell only a very, small amount, even twopence or threepence a pound, the back-country runholders' could not carry on. National Income and Wealth. An analysis of.,.the national income of the Dominion was'given by Mr. Anderton (Government, Eden). The national income today, he said, had reached the sum of £256,000,000, or £155/16- a head ot population.. In 1937-38 it amounted to '•£110-2- a head. During the war the national income had increased by 41.5 per cent. He was quoting the figures, he said, to show that the country was really progressing. In 1928, when the National Party was in power and the country was thought to be at the peak of its productivity the national income stood at zoo 7/9 'a head. The national wealth today was such that few people 10 or 11 years ago would have thought possible, and it was largely due to the administration of the Labour Government. Private wealth amounted to £750,000,000. An Opposition member: You have devalued it by half. . Mr. Anderton said the private wealth had been produced by the farmers ano workers of the Dominion. Notwithstanding this, 1.8 per cent, of the private wealth was owned by betwecu one-fifth or one-sixth of the people. About 30,000 people commanded about a quarter of the total private income of the country, lhe system which made such a disparity in distribution possible was the same which had brought poverty to many early settlers. The position today was little different, except that the standard of living had been enhanced only by the .fact that the Labour Government had distributed the national income more equitably • among the people who produced it.

TASMAN AIR SERVICE

Selection Of Terminal MANAWATU SUGGESTED “We cannot yet predict what the development in air services across the Tasman will be.- though the matter is constantly under review,” said the Prime Minister. Air. Fraser, in reply to an urgent question asked by Mr. Hodgens (Government, Palmerston North) in the House of Representatives yesterday. Mr Hodgens had asked the Prime Minister if he would undertake to take into consideration proposals of the Palmerston North Trades Council and the Palmerston North Labour Representation Committee relating to the suitability of either Ohakea or Milson aerodrome for the transtasinair terminal before committing himself and the country to the Rongotai proposal. , “We understand that .the greatest hazard to the modern weighty aircraft is in the take-off or landing and we are advised that this risk is much less in either of the aerodromes in which we are interested." said Mr. Hodgens in a note to his question. ; Mr. Polson (Opposition. Stratford) : There is better still at Bellblock. The Prime Minister said that the member for-Palmerston North and the member for Stratford would not expect him to enter into discussion on the relative merits of aerodromes. He could say. however. tliat the Government would most certainly give the fullest consideration to the proposals referred to by Mr. Hodgens, ns well ns to all other proposals whigh might: be put forward from time to time relating to the suitability of either Ohakea or Milson aerodromes as a transtasman terminal. Indeed, it was absolutely essential that a full examination in the light of modern developments should be made into the use of these and other aerodromes when post-war civil aviation was under review. He would point out that there was also a good aerodrome at AVhenuapai suitable for landing aircraft but the question of best distribution centres from which smaller plnnes would carry passengers had to he considered.

WAR GRATUITIES

Immediate consideration by the Government. to the question of payment of war service gratuities to members of the New Zealand forces on retirement or discharge was suggested in notice of a question by Mr. Macdonald (Opposition. Mataura) to the Minister of Defence, Mr. Jones, in the House of Representatives yesterday. He said the matter was widely discussed by the servicemen and an early announcement would assist them in formulating plans for tlie future. In a note to his question he added that the Canadian Government recently announced the. scale of gratuities which would be paid in accordance with length, sphere and terms of service and estimated to cost 750,000,000 dollars.

REQUEST FOR REPORT

“In view of the sweeping .mid condemnatory statement made by Professor Rutherford of the Auckland University College on the standard of education of certain first-year students, will the Minister have a full report obtained and submitted to tlie Select Committee of the House for its consideration.” asked Mr. Oram (Opposition. Manawatu) in notice of a question to the Minister of Education, Mr. Mason, in the House of Representatives yesterday. “That, report would enable the committee if it thought fit to confer with representatives of the Secondary School Teachers’ Association, which is holding its nnnunl conference in Wellington this week.” said Mr. Oram.

COAL TO BE RATIONED IN AUSTRALIA

SYDNEY, August 23. Announcing tlie Government's decision to ration coal consumption, tlie Prime Minister, Mr. Curtin, said the reduced stocks of coal available necessitated n re-balancing of the Australian war effort. A contraction of certain defence production would be inevitable. Workers displaced by coal rationing would be allocated to other industrial activities. As well as coal for transport and industrial purposes, gas and electricity for domestic use arc ’expected to be rationed. “Once again the Federal Cabinet, has run away from the striking miners,” says the Sydney “Telegraph.” commenting editorially on flic announcement of fuel rationing. “The Prime Minister's kindergarten rebukes to the tough boys on the coalfields will onlj- encourage them to persevere in their war against the Australian community and the elected Federal Government."

EMPIRE COMMUNICATIONS

OTTAWA, August 23. Mr. Mackenzie King announced that tlie reorganization of file Empire's telecommunications services by tlie establishment of n public utility corporation in ilu> United Kingdom and each Dominion, also India, has been proposed by the Commonwealth Uomniuniealions Council. Proposals which have been submitted to various Goveruineiits suggest that tlie corporations should be separately owned with the necessary linking nrrnngcnients.

CZECH-FRENCH ALLIANCE i ■ ■ ......

(British Olllet.'il Wireless.) RUGBY, August 22. A Czech-French declaration was signed in London today to Hie effect that Ute relations between lhe two countries should be Hie same as before Munich. This means that the French-Czech Treaty of Alliance, the validity of which had been considered doiiblful niter Munich, is again in for' l '.

RIJSSO-MPANESE war?

CIII N'GKING. August 23. The tTiim se newspaper ‘‘Naliou.’il Herald.” which ri-lleels the views of the Chinese Foreign Ollie'-, predicled today th,-it Russia will declare war on .Lipan ill the near future. _ _ The “Hi-r.-ild" made a prediction alter regret I ing the nei-essilv for Iwo separate imnfci-eni-es al Dumbarton Oaks because Itussia hud not doi-lnred war on Japan.