DEBATE ON BUDGET

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 87, 9 October 1937, Page 11

DEBATE ON BUDGET

SPEAKERS IN PLENTY

MANY TOPICS DISCUSSED

PEOPLE'S SAVINGS

Full advantage of the latitude offered by the debate an the Financial Statement was taken by those members Of the House of Representatives who made their contributions to the discussions yesterday afternoon, and when the adjournment was taken .there was no indication of an early conclusion to the debate. Replying to the comments of the member for Central Otago Mr. A. S. Richards (Government, Roskill) said Mr. Bodkin had tried to create the impression that the people of New Zealand were in danger of having .to face a financial disaster worse than the recent economic depression. "He has done the country a great disservice," said Mr. Richards. "He has endeavoured to create an atmosphere of panic, dnd no one will thank him." Mr. Bodkin had made a great play on the people's savings, but he had forgotten to mention that two years ago, when the Labour Government was placed in power, the deposits in the Post Office Savings Bank showed the average savings of the people to be £49 a head. Yet, within a year this average had risen to £62 a heaS. This was a direct result of the policy which Mr. Bodkin had done his best to condemn and it showed that the people were not afraid of danger threatening their savings. CHALLENGE REPEATED. Mr. Richards then repeated the challenge thrown out by other Government speakers, asking the Opposition to tell the country what part of the social service expenditure provided for in the Budget was extravagant and what parts of it they would reduce. Mr. Richards said that during the 21 years of office of Mr. Massey, Mr. Coates, and Mr. Forbes, £199,000,000 had been added to the National Debt of the Dominion. During the war period there had been an emergency meeting between Sir Joseph Ward and Mr. Massey to determine how New Zealand should finance its part in the war. Posters and placards had been distributed throughout the country urging the people to have confidence in the Government, as the Government was backing the bank-note issue. Had this arrangement not beeri made there would have been great difficulty in financing the war. What was done then showed that the Government of today was going in the right direction in connection with its banking policy. The Government could go ahead with safety and do good for the people of the country. TIED TO WORLD MARKET. Mr. J. A. Roy (National, Clutha) said that Government members seemed to prefer to discuss subjects that had little connection with the Budget. He wanted to know why manufacture ers, if they were selling more today, had to sell imported goods. Talking about the 40-hour week for farming, as suggested by one speaker, Mr. Roy said he did not see how the Government could produce a 40-hour week cow. The reason why the Government could not pay another penny or twopence a pound for butterfat was because it was tied to the world market. Why not give the farmer a little more and put him on the same footing as other pe6ple? Touching on the question of land policy, Mr. Roy said that some definite policy, should be brought down very soon. Today in New Zealand there were hundreds of young men waiting to take up land, and waiting for the Government to bring down a decent land policy to enable them to get established. Much of the money now being spent on public works could be better used in improving backblock roads and providing bridges over rivers to serve worth-while country, said Mr. Roy. He added that he considered money well spent on education. OBJECTS OF SOCIALISM. Mr. E. P. Meachen (Government, Wairau) said that Socialism was a science which had for its objects an improvement in the arrangement of society. The Government was opposed to a society that allowed a few to be rich while the majority was in want. Socialism did not destroy free- : dom; indeed, in his opinion, there could never be complete freedom without Socialism, Every person was a part of society and should work along with other good citizens for the com- i munity's good. If individuals did not realise their obligations it was the duty of the State to make that would compel them to do so. Mr. Meachen supported the completion of the railway lines under construction. The people of Marlborough had been contributing to the railways of the country for many years, he said, and it was time that the South Island Main Trunk was completed so that they could secure some of the benefits derived from the railways system. Members of the Opposition had had the effrontery to come to Marlborough and tell the people that they were not being properly treated, while if they were in power they would stop the railway construction. Mr. K. J. Holyoake (National, Motueka): I never said that. Mr. H. Atmore (Independent, Nelson): They did it before. Mr. Meachen: Anyway, I'll warn the people of Marlborough that I for one will not trust the Opposition. ] Rising to a point of order, Mr. Holy- ! oake asked if a member was in order 1 when he suggested that the Opposition • could not be trusted. 1 Mr. Speaker: I do no! think there is anything in the point of order. It is a quite common thing for one sido to < say that the other side cannot be trusted. 1 ROADS AND CROSSINGS. 1 Continuing, Mr. Meachen said that it was absolutely necessary to have . safer railway crossings in New Zea- j land, but the Opposition insisted on . criticising the Government for what was being done. The Government had been accused of making roads into speedways, but good roads owere needed and it should be remembered that the work being done was for the future, It had been said that some ] of this work was uneconomic, but it • was much more worth while than chipping the grass along the roadways, and that sort of thing had been done by the last Government. 1 The debate was interrupted when the House rose at 5.30 p.m. until 2.30 J p.m. on Tuesday.