GOVT. POLICY

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 September 1934, Page 13

GOVT. POLICY

MR FORBES’ CLAIM. [PKB PBESS ASSOCIATION.] CHRISTCHURCH, September 14. /An optimistic view of the future financial position of the Dominion was taken by the Prime Minister, Mr Forbes, in an address at the annual Association Day smoke concert. The last few years had been difficult for the Government, said Mr Forbes. Before he occupied his present position he had thought the position of Prime Minister was pleasant. He had found, however, that the first things he had to do as Prime Minister were unpleasant. Faced with figures showing the flnancail position, he had found that, unless certain things were done, the country would get into a far worse state. He had said to himself: “You are not here to receive bouquets but to do your job, whether it is pleasant oi' unpleasant.” Many things he had done had caused dissent, but they had been done in the honest belief that they were for the good of the country. Instead of being faced with a Budget estimating for a deficit of nearly £8,000,000, a Budget now estimated for a surplus of something like £BOOO. That was a tremendous difference. When the Coalition Government was faced with a deficit of £8,000,000, the Government did not attempt to make the finances balance, maintaining that in the circumstances it should do the best it could, and when times improved, present a better budget. “I do not apologise for what we had to do,” said Mr Forbes. “We did not make matters worse, and we have a right to be proud of that.” He declared there was no clearer indication ot the improved financial position of the country as a whole than that it had been possible to estimate for a surplus. He took credit for the Government for having restored partly the cut in civil service salaries, and for reducing the unemployment taxation.