BUDGET DEBATE

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 11280, 9 August 1930, Page 5

BUDGET DEBATE

LABOR© COMPLAINT AG AINST BANK OF N.Z.

LOAN OF £200,000 FOR' NEW '. •' - THEATRE

■'FARMERS HAVE' DIFFICULTY ‘ * "IN GETTING MONEY

(Pro9P ABaoolfl.tion.) . WELLINGTON, Aug. S. - The Budget debate was resumed.in the House to-day by* Mr Mason (L.) who supported the- objection that l.lad been raised by Air F. Langston© to the action'of'the Bank of New Zealand in lending £200,000 for Ijie erection of .a new theatre in Auckland. He that tl.fis amount had boon advanced purely on a- guarantee- basis wl.'iilo farmers'bad great' difficulty in obtaining loans on tlie same, or an even more businesslike basis. He asked tho Minister to inquire whether the Governlrient’s representatives on the board of the bank had given due regard to to necessity for transactions being in: the best interests of the country.

Ml- Burdott (Ri.) said lie thought the Minister of Education bind lost a great opportunity in not adopting the suggestiori to consider the suitability of tlie present education system for girls. He did not. eonsider it met modern requirements. Girls were' entering unsuitable occupations and were forcing young men out of work. He'thought land settlement could be improved bv.embody ing a greater degree -of co-operation Mr Lee Martin (L.) said there was an opportunity! for the Prime Minister to' render valuable service to the producers of tI.T? Dominion, if. when attending tlie Imperial Conference he "would endeavour to arrange for the more satisfactory marketing of New Zealand butter. Experts had agreed that- there was no ipason why tlie price of our butter Iliad fallen so far. Air Martin also urged tljat the problem of the derating of farm lands should be undertaken without delay. It would be necessary to afford some relief if the stability of the man' on the land was to be. ensured. He attacked the work of tlie Department of - Agriculture. He said lie was not blaming tile. Alinister, but lie believed the-,present director had outgrown bis usefulness. There was need for new life in the Department.

PRIME AIINf.STEP REPLIES TO CRITIGSAf

“COUNTRY ACCEPTS POSITION”

INCREASED POSTAGE NOT

FAVORED

Replying to the debate, Air Forbes said lie considered that the criticism on tlig whole, had been very fair. Ho realised that it would not l.Xve been too much to have expected the somewhat drastic proposals in the Budget- to have been received without opposition. While lie himself Dad known that- the proposals were wise and were the result of very careful investigation, jtwas not to be expected that': lal! members of the IJou.se, would agree to them without a- certain, amount of explanation. He ' thought the country had now accepted the position. It had been regarded as too serious a matter to hold hack the prospects of a fall in revenue, and lie was very pleased with! the response- of the country -to Lis action in taking the people into Iris confidence before the session began. It was the only propeg thing to do, to prepare the country for the position tliat would have to be laced.

Referring to the Hon. TV- D. •Stewart's suggestion, that tl.'J Government should have concentrated on two or three sources of revenue instead of indnlfging in a large number of irritating methods, Air Forbes said it was the endeavour of the Governmeni: to, make tl -o harden ns widespread as possible. It would bring everybody, to a sense of realisation’ tliat' ho was doing his share‘to help the country in a time, of financial, depression. Tile Prime Minister added he could not soe .any special reason why poopin' and firms who Wrote a large number of letters should lie singled out/ to contribute to the extent suggested by Mr Stewart in the- form of an increased rate of postage.

THE PETROL TAX

ROAD USERS SHOULD PAY FOR,

ROADS

Replying to criticism of th’o petrol tax, Mr Forbes stated tliat as it was; being brought home ,to the people that -there Avas need for all to pull together and l.’clp t° meet the requirements of the financial situation, meetings of protest were becoming fewer and fewer. At.. a iimo such di-s the present, as much of-.t1.]0 burden of taxation for special purposes as possible should be shifted from the shoulders pi the general taxpayer. It had at first been necessary to supplement tlie HigDways revenue by contributions from the Consolidated Fund, but when the first'pet hoi. tax was imposed more money had been placed at the disposal of tho hoard. It had been able to carry forward surplus) csj but -he believed That had there been financial stringency" at tlie time tlie Reform party was is office, it, too, would have taken the course that the present.../Government now adopted. If the Hoiise was not prepared) to -agree to the petrol tax, it 'would mean that There would he no ' money for spending on backblocks roads. IU was a, fair, and just proposal to aslc road .users to pay for this work. Tlie JTigbwayk Fund had not assisted the : men wUo, were trying to make the , of,.the position, /in, the; hackhlocks, and .it was time money was set aside to .provide them witli good; roads. 1

In conclusion, Mr Forbes said lie realised that in the next two weeks there should be no waste- of time; be did not want to be one of the offenders. Under the circumstances, bo would not delay tl’e House any longer. There were some arguments to' ■vyhich* he’would like to reply,'.but it had - tq>be recognised that the Budget was; tl.’o speech, of (the Minister of IFinatice, dealing', not only with the Government’s proposals, but also with tho reasons for tlJero,

THE ESTIMATES A 3. ■ ■ . '•'■ v * ■ .- MINERS’ PHTHISIS PENSIONS LABOR- AMENDMENT LOST ON ' l ” ’Voices , •// _ , Tl.,'e House then wont into eimimittec to deal- witlv tlie Estimates. ‘ The vote, of £90,00P for the Leg-islative-Department ivns taken first. Mr Holland, Leader of the Labor party, moved th'o‘reduction of-trie voto[ by oiie pound as a. protest against tlio Government’s failure to give effect to tl.ie favorable recommendations of the jk-ititions committee in regard to miners’ phthisis pensoits.. ■

Air Samuel. (R.) endorsed the*’ protest and asked • +h« Government to give, an assurance that the position would be reviewed. The Hon. W. A. Veitcl.l said the practice had been‘to decide cases on a -radiography examination. If trie Government stepped outside the law it would . create a precedent which would load to unlimited difficulties. The only alternative, would he to amend tUe law. ,

Air Forbes said tl.’at at a, fairly -low - estimate, it would ' cost £2,'B-50,-000 to give effect to all the favorable recommendations of committees last session. However, lie asked that eases in which it was felt the decision was unsatisfactory .sl.Vmld be referred to the'committee again. It would then be possible to review them, and if necessary to recommend amendments to legislation.

Air H. E. Holland said the Prime Minister’s suggestion held out- some hope. He asked, however, that if tl*e Government was, going to oppose eases, -it- should do so before the committee. If the Prime Minister could give an assurance that in the event of petitions again being successful, the Government would give them favorable consideratios. Mr Holland said l.ie felt sure his colleagues would let the amendment go on tlie voices. Mr Eorlies said tlie Government would be prepared to give the re-/ commendations as favorable consideration as possible.

The amendment' was defeated on tlie voices.

SWLMMTNG GRANTS

Messrs Sullivan (L.), Field (R.), Carr (L.), Harris (R.) McCombs (L.), and MeKeoii (L.) -appealed for the renewal of th-e- grants to the Royal Life Saving Society and tlie Sw imm ing Associations. Mr Wilkinson (I.)) asked the Government to reconsider the- payment of £60,000 annually as the subsidy for the &an Francisco and Vancouver mail services and the carriage of mails across tile United Slates and Canada. He pointed out that direct steamer routes t-o Britain could he utilised for tlie carriage of mails. The vote was ,still under consideration when tlie House rose at- 5.30 pin. till 2.30' p.m. oil Monday.