SEARCH FOR MONEY

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 68, 21 March 1931, Page 10

SEARCH FOR MONEY

HON. G. WITTY'S IDEAS

BOOKMAKERS AND -WHISKY

LEGALISING OF SWEEPS

Increases in amuseuieut ta* ation, tho legalising of sweeps, tt.e licensing of bookmakers, aa d the granting of permission fct r the manufacture of whisky in N<3 w Zealand were all advocated V<y the Hon. G. Witty when speak ing on the Addrcss-iu-Boply debato in the legislative Council yesterdaj/ afternoon.

Mr. Witty said that to-day the man who was in the Civil Service vms a very fortunate person; his sympa.thy went out to the man outside the Service, the general labourer in particular. It was surprising to hear Sir Frani) is Bell advocate a tax on sugar, which was one of the necessities of life. 4 . tax of 2d a pound would practically double the price of sugar. If Sir Framjis had suggested doubling the tax on . amusements he would have everybody w!ith him, but ho' ventured to say thai. very few people would support a tax on the necessities of life. Too much money was being spent on picture she ws, which in the main were unseemly things. Pictures in the main were net I of educative value and dealt with divi >rce cases and bare limbs. , It was not the duty of. Parliament to encourage people to go in for more and moro amusements. "There is far too much of it," he said. "But you needn't go to the pictf ires. Look at the newspapers. Some •of the advertisements are disgusting, and I wonder that the papers print tl.em. It is the luxuries that are keepij jg the meu in the towns. That is why they won't go out into the country to •"« ork. The Government could make a Hot of money by increasing the amusemq at tax. "Then there is anothq r thing. Every year we send a lot of n» oney out of the country to Australia fat: sweeps. Why not legalise them here? Why not keep the money in New Z{ aland? Then, again, why not licence bookmakers? I would not allow them, on the racecourses, but they could . have offices in the towns. They coii Id be taxed on every ticket they sold, and the money could bo divided —one* third to charity, one-third to the State, and one-third to tho racing club whichr was holding the meeting. Every city Imd every village in New Zealand is ful 1 of bookmakers. There is scarcely an o ffico or a factory in the country that /Joes not have its bookmaker or its collector. You can't stop betting, so win ' not licence it? There are sonic good 1 >ookmakers, really honest men. I have 'had dealings with them in the past, am d I suppose I -will do so again. I wou] Id rather see them licenced than see a ' lot of underground work going on. "MAKING WEEISKY NOW." "There is anothij r thing I would do, and that is to per* lit the manufacture of whisky in New 0 ealand. Whisky can be manufactured hi are just as well as it can in Australia. "In the no-lieenco districts they are ma king whisky now. If we had proper distilleries, the Government would make v lot of money out of the manufacture of whisky, and it would be an incentive to the farmer to grow more stuff. 3 ' Mr. Witty advoi jated the manufacture of paper pulp in 'Now Zealand, remarking that it woulcl be better to manufacture paper here than send millions of pounds to Amen* ca. There was also no reason why New Zealand should have to send to America, for the timber to make its butter boxes. Another sourceof revenue would bo the exploitation of the mineral wa alth that was to be found in the nj ountains in- the Nelson district. , In conclusion,, Mr. Witty suggested that borrowing should be curtailed, especially by 1 ocal bodies. Such was tlio extent of local body borrowing today that rates, were in excess of taxes.