THE ACID TEST.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVIII, Issue 10737, 7 November 1928, Page 5

THE ACID TEST.

FINANCE MINISTER ON STATES- - -MANSHIP. TELLING CRITICISM OF WARD POLICY. A BUSINESS-LIKE STATEMENT. (Press Association.) INVERCARGILL, Nov. o. The Minister for Finance, the Hon. \V. Dbwnie Stewart, addressed a large meeting at Gore to-night. Dealing with the dissimilar views or the three chief parties in ■ the field at the election, he said that both Reform and Labor were quite opposed to the pobey put forward by the United Party. Nothing had impressed him so much as the criticism of the United programme levelled by Labor. . The Minister referred to the criticism levelled at the Government in respect of land,settlement, but claimed that the Ministers' of Lands and Agriculture wore doing everything possible. The position in this respect was difficult in all parts of the. world. After dealing at length with the borrowing -proposals of Sir Joseph Ward, the Minister said:— “I rely on the people of New Zealand to keep our borrowing within such normal limits as a businessman would consider reasonable, having regard to the proper development of this fine estate. If it be the hall mark of high statesmanship to largely increase our annual, borrowing, lend money at less than cost price and burden the taxpayer with the deficit, then wc may admit that the United Party have

a statesmanlike policy, but if it be the test of sound government that borrowing should be kept within Such limits as will not adversely affect our national credit, but be adequate to complete, with businesslike promptness, 'our public works and land settlement and finance housing, then I claim that the Refoi-m Government lias answered to this test.’'' ,