BURNING BENZINE

Evening Star, Issue 19637, 17 August 1927, Page 9

BURNING BENZINE

MINISTER ON THE SLUMP THE MOTOR AND THE FARM [From Our Parliamentary ttcroKTiiß.] WELLINGTON, August 16. One or two tilings wJiicii maiso it hard to borrow money tor the land and hard to employ labor wore by Mr K. ri. Williams, Minister ol Works, in his brief contribution to the linancial debate. War conditions had created a demand lor increased cool storage in New Zealand, but most of this was now useless, and it would bo wise for freezing companies to write off tho expenditure, because it was useless to-day. Taking the average value of motor cars and lorries in New Zealand, the large sum of £26,328,000 was invested in them, and there was the added expense of keeping them going and buying benzine. Ho would not deny that tho motor was a useful machine, but an expenditure of nearly thirty millions was not necessary in a country of this size. If six millions ot that sum had been spent in topdressing the dominion’s lands it would hav„ benefited the country to a great extent. (“Hear, hear.”) In addition to the expense of motors, there was local body borrowing, details of which ho gave from official sources. Mr Williams went on bo say that when the farmer complained that lie could not got borrowed money with the same readiness as before the war, lie had to remember tho immense amount of money borrowed by local authorities, power boards, river boards, etc., against tho land, which caused lenders to loox a little at tho security. Although the motor car was quite a good thing for the farming community, he was afraid it led to spending a good deal more time on it than was needful. “Wo know the temptation of a line day and a thirty-mile run to the match or saleyard and back for dinner, and instead of spending the time on the farm we burn benzine, and do nothing.” Mr Fraser: Are you suggesting that i« widespread t* Mr Williams: “Not very widespread, but sufficient to do a certain amount of harm.” The Minister suggested that all these expenses explained the difficulty of the wage earner in getting work. When there was this population floating about there must be a shortage if the money was not used for productive purposes. -Years ago thousands of men were employed bushfelling, hut that was stopped, and it was in this direction or in tree planting that attention must be turned.

THE DETERIORATED LANDS CRY. 'i’heu. in his opinion, there was too extravagant a use or the term “deteriorated Jand.” An unwise emphasis on this aspect made it difficult for people living in the backblocks to convince lenders that they wore more favorably situated than some who were on deteriorated lands. Although a good deal of criticism had been levelled at aggregation, from what he had seen ha was confident that some distric in the hack country would never come hack until they were reaggregated to a certain extent, and worked in large areas by men with capital, who would nu mind losing some of it if necessary. Mr Burnett: The only solution. The Minister added that a great many young people in the country were foeiing the pinch of getting work, realising for the first time in their lives that it was a wise thing to keep a job when they bad it. His department in July, 1924. had 6,560 men in its craplav. To-day they had 10,360. Members woVo criticising the Government for borrowing, yet they made constant requests to put on men. As Minister of Works Ire had to exercise the greatest caution not to prejudice tho men who had been permanently employed on public works. He agreed witii Sir Joseph Ward that the Government must be careful over expenditure on public buildings, but some must be_provided. The Estimates included £55,941 for school buildings. £49.276 for the Agricultural College; then_ there was a post and telegraph building vote of £86.000; mental hospitals, £68,000; and hospital institutions, £15.000.