The Hawera Star. SATURDAY, JULY 25, 1925. THE BUDGET.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 25 July 1925, Page 4

The Hawera Star.

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 1925. THE BUDGET.

Delivered every evening by 5 o’clock -n Hawera, Manaia, Normanby, Okaiawa, Eltham, Mangatoki, Kaponga, Alton, Hurleyvilie, Patea, Waverley, Mokoia, Wliakomara, Ohangai. ■ Meremere, Fraser Road, -an Ararata.

While no taxi»yer will find .anything in Mr. Nosiworthy’s Budget to justify him throwing his hat in the air, few should read cause for disappointment, and generally the healthy state of the country’,s finances should induce sound sleep to-night. Most of the figures in the Statement, of course, have been published before. It is to the proposals for the, current, year that attention naturally turns. There the throe main points ure the intended abolition of the mortgage duty, the reduction in the income tax, and the addition of ha.Ll'-a-crowiv a week to the age pension, irrespective of income or property. The repeal of the mortgage duty is further evidence of the Government's sympathy with, the (struggling settler; and the increased pension for old people and the blind shows how the heart of true* Liberalism beats in the breast of the Reform Administration. The promise of early proposals for a revision of the Custom* preferences suggests that the way may be. opened for granting some further assistance to sorely .stricken. British industry ; and with, the arrival of our second cruiser, H.M.S. Diomede, before the end of the year, our national conscience may rest a little :easier when we make investigation of the comparative costs of naval defence to the various parts of the Empire. It is pleasing to see the State Forest Service showing an increasingly handsome return each year, for the work which iit is doing would stilL he u#rth while without an, annual •surplus. It iis ,apparent from the Minister’s remark's that the Government has in mind trying out the local! loan market for some of its next issues, and there is much to be spiel in favour of. such a policy. Mr, Nos,worthy does right, too, in drawing attention to the diminished margin of exports over imports and in sounding a note of mild warning lest this margin be still further reduced. 'Sales of cheese that have been made in this district, in the past few weeks indicate that for one section, at least, of primary producers next .season is .going to. be an improvement on the present; and there is always a tendency in good seasons for non-essential expenditure to run a little more freely than is good either for the individual or the community. In such ci'rcumjsta.ncps advice of caution is not out, of place.. The' Mi mister pays more than one well-deserved tribute to the work of the late Mr. Massey in rilie portfolio of Finance. It will be recognised that the achievements; of last finia.nd.al year were largely of hi.s planning, and none will begrudge bis memory the credit. The. Budget proposals, on the other hand, gain in strength and are the more welcome by reason of their adherence to the genera! policy laid down by the late chief — a. poficy of considerate,, treatment of all interestsi and of rigid public economy. The country has been given to understand that Mr. Downic Stewart., should his health permit, will shortly be assuming control of the Treasury. There could be no more capable permanent .sucoeissmr to Mr. Massey, and none better qualified to carry out the year’s programme a,si laid before, Parliament and people.