POLICY DEFENDED

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 36, 11 August 1939, Page 5

POLICY DEFENDED

The opinibn that the petrol tax was justly applied was expressed by Mr. T. H. McCombs (Government, Lyttelton), who said he thought that its effect on farmers would be nothing like the exaggerated story told by the Opposition. The National Party was actually hindering production by a continuation of its present policy, and in claiming thr* the farmers did not want the guaranteed price it was not | truly indicating their wishes. j Discussing the Government's policy of expansion of industry, Mr. McCombs said he was confident that the goods produced in New Zealand could be sold here. The country was willing to buy from Britain everything that could be bought with the money available, but if the money was to be used for debt payments, then to that extent British goods could not be imported. That made more urgent the necessity of expanding local industry, and he claimed that success had attended all the Government's efforts in that direction. Through its import control policy New Zealand would experience the same boom in the manufacturing indus- j tries that Australia had experienced, and for the same i*eason, said Mr. J McCombs. The Opposition had claimed i that New Zealand would lose prefer- j ence on the British market because: of its policy, but Australia h-^.d not suffered because of what she had done j in the prohibition of a large number of British imports. The debate was adjourned at 10.30 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. today. j