BUDGET DEBATE.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 120, 17 November 1909, Page 3

BUDGET DEBATE.

THE LAND QUESTION. MR. T. E. TAYLOR MOVES FOR THE LEASEHOLDERS. AN AMENDMENT PROPOSED. INTERESTING DISCUSSION. The debate on the Financial Statement commenced in the House of Representatives when it resumed after the dinner adjournment last night. All the public galleries were crowded, and the members' benches were well filled. The feature of the proceedings was Sir. T. E. Taylor's amendment traversing the Government's loan proposals. LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION. Mr. Masdey, in opening the debate, commenced h\ a reference to the amount of work to be done and the little time left to do it in, and by a reference to the Financial .Statement as "important." Ihe outstanding point of it was that during the past year the public; debt had been increased by four and a half millions, and he was afraid that the same thing would happen during the present year. He consideied that the oiillook was not satisfactory, as the Government showed no disposition to keep borrowing dovn to reasonable limits. In spite of promises of "tapering off," the amount borrowed showed a steady increase, and it was the duty oi the Government to indicate the directions in which the expenditure should be lessened. The Government was following the line of least resistance, and pur- • suing a policy which was getting them tco lapidly into debt. A "COMPREHENSIVE COMPROxMISE." He complained of the manner in which the business of the session- was conducted. It was quite evident that Parliament would have to meet again after Christmas, and he urged" that it was unfair to the Houie and the country thui the long summer session should be undertaken. That led him to again complain of the postponement of the session from last June, and then he went on to refer to the Budget as a ''comprehensive compromise." But, lie urged, reform was required in the Railways Department, in the Public Service, in the finances of the Dominion, in the second branch of the Legislature, and in regard to local government. As to the la«d question, he was glad to balieve that an improvement, was to be effected, but they would never gel any real reform until the people realised that the country was being run solely for the benefit of the Party in / power. He saw no sign of foresight", statesmanship, or patriotism in the Budget; it was like a company's prospectus, and ended up with v call on the shareholders. WHAT THE OPPOSITION HAD ADVOCATED. Some of the proposals had been advocated by the Opposition for some time past— freehold, national training, and the putting of the superannuation fund on a sound footing. Nothing hurt the credit of a country so much as a proposal for increased" taxation — and there were several proposals of that sort in the Budget. There was scarcely a class in the community which escaped the new taxation proposals, except, perhaps, the collections taken up in the churches on Sundays. (Laughter.) He believed that the additional taxation would realise a hundred thousand pounds more than the 5*150,000 anticipated by the Budget, but even now tho" taxation was greater than in any- of the Australian" fclates. Was thero any necessity for that state of things? No. COST OF ADMINISTRATION. The cost of government had increased yearly by about half a million a year for a number of years, and he contended that with ordinary economy that increase v/onld have been avoided. The iron-ease in taxation would eventually faU on to the ordinary citizen. The position that the country had ,got Into was due to the fait that the Government had not brought m a sound land policy that its legislation had had a bad effect, and that its policy had been unstatesmanlike and careless. ' DEFENCE PROPOSALS. _ As to defence, he said the Prime Minister knew that the increased expenditure to pay for the Dreadnought would not be lequircd this year. 'Ihe amount requireu for that purpose would be obtained from the mcieased death duties, and it slibuld have been set aside for that purpose. The country would never be prosperous and contented so long as they continued the present spendthrift policy. 'Ihe- country was one of the , best, and the fault lay ir the management oivts public affairs. They had allowed themselves to be blown about by every breath of public opinion, and if that policy continued they would probably find themselves- in more serious diih'cultws. As to the increase of death duties he had less objection to those than to any ptlMi 1 increases pioposcd, but ho criticised adversely the proposed increase in the lax on pioperty lett by a husband to his widow. The retrenchment scheme, it seemed, had vanished into thin air, as was shown by the Estimates, and it was clear that the cost of government next year would be gieater than the ccst this year and last. If that sort of thing went on they would have further increases of taxation — increases which bud not yet been dreamt of. Turning to borrowing, he pointed out that the Government at present has power to borrow for various purposes *.7,870,000 in one year. That was tco much. As to the land policy he congratulated the Government Party on having become converts to 11k; doctrine of ii-t«hold. What a- change from the policy of three years ago when they nailed tho leasehold flag to the mast! On that occasion the picsenL Minister of Railways {Hon. J. A. Millar) and the Hon G. Jj'owldc* expressed their determination to >t:ir.d by the leasehold, and he remarked, amid laughter, that there was joy in tie Irechold -tamp over every leasehold yinuer that rspented. What a change ! The principle had been conceded, and could not uo departed from. "They are coming round to our ' way of thinking," he said, but he would have far more respect for them if they had stuck to their opinions and their principles. There was much, however, ' to do, although the Government had given way, and it would be a long whilo bsforo the Opposition got its way, and put as many people on the land as possible uud«r the best possible conditions. As to details, he suggested that the freehold bhould be given on an occupation-with-right-of-purchase basis. Land taken up under renewable leare would become endowment land — a fact which the Premier did not seem to recognise. Iso land Jaw would last longer than nine or ten years in this country, and it was no use making conditions to last for 150 years The increment in value was not always in consequence of the increase of population, but because of the fact that we had a good market in Britain. If that market was lost, dairying land now worth £30 an acre would not be worth £10 an acre. The system of endowments had been a ghastly and miserable failure ; w-?re they not set apart to please

the leaseholders and land nationalkers in the House and their supporters outside, and it was just as well that^Parliament should rectify the mistake as quickly as possible. He urged that the land should be opened under the o.r.p. system, and the revenue utilised in purchasing endowment lands near the cities, and so make an endowment worth having. The experiment of placing retrenched public servants on the land would not result in one success out of a dozen ; it - was a course of action for which those responsible should not go unpunished. Land should be found for all those who required it, if it was possible to do so. There were vast areas of land lying idle, and it v was their duty to bring it into profitable occupation. The land question would never be finally settled, because of the change of conditions, but they must give confidence to the man on the land, that there should not be undue re-aggregation or too much sub-division. The rebate proposal in tho Budget would merely encourage the man who was able to pay his rent at the due date to refrain from' paying it. To encourage the prompt payment of rent the Government should leave the land as it is. GAMBLING. In conclusion hs expressed approval of ths proposed amendment of tho Gaming Act, but hoped they Mould be able to avoid sharing the proceeds of gambling with racing clubs. The way to do that was to repeal the very objectionable features of the Uaming Act of 1907.