NEED FOR CONFIDENCE

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 123, 20 November 1931, Page 10

NEED FOR CONFIDENCE

GUARDING NATIONAL

PURSE

The necessity for exercising care in public expenditure was stressed by the Coalition candidate for Wellington Suburbs (Mr. B.A. Wright), when speaking at Ngaio last evening. There was no doubt, said the candidate, that practically all the countries; of the world hail been living beyond their income and now they were being asked to pay theipiper. Confidence must be restored before they would be able to make any real progress towards financial rehabilitation. Unless there was confidence there would be a disinclination on the; part of the people to spend their monoyand that would mean that business pjeople would suffer." If confidence was the first essential, then surely the best i way to bring that about was to return a Government to office that wouM-carefully guard the national purse.'i Which party would do that? The Labour Party had been tried out in other countries, and-without exception their record was one of profligate' expenditure. The New Zealand Labour' Party hid not yet had a' chance to show what it would do in office,, but was the present the time to make dangerous experimbnts? At the height of I a storm a ship's captain ,did not place an untried officer in charge; he took charge himself.j: "New Zealand to-day may be likened to a ship in trouble,"j said Mr. Wrigjit.-"Let us then place ourselves in. the hands, of experienced men. The .best way we can do that, I submit, is tb return the Coalition Government to office." j

Mr: Wright rvvent: on to say that if a country could not control expenditure and make ends meet it very soon lost its reputation. A Government should maintain its reputation at all costs, • and thit was what the Coaliion Government was out to do. What obligations the Government had would be honoured ti> the letter. The people could rest assured of that, and; on that basis would Ifew Zealand's reputation be maintained.