BURNING BENZINE

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 17 August 1927, Page 7

BURNING BENZINE

MINISTER ON THE SLUMP. THE MOTOR AND THE FARM. LAND AND FINANCE PROBLEMS Uf TEL.KGRAPII special, to the star. WELLINGTON, Aug. 16. One or two things which miake it hand to borrow money for the land and hard to employ labour were mentioned by the Hon. lv. S. Williams, Minister for Public Works, in the House in a brief contribuition to the Financial Debate. War condition* had created a demand for increased cool storage in New Zealand, but most of this was now useless and, it would be wise for freezing companies to write off thus expenditure. "Taking the average value of motor cars and lorries in New Zealand, the large .sum of £26,328,000 was invested in thenii, and -there was the added: expense of keeping them going and buying benzine. He would not deny that the, motor was- a useful machine, but an expenditure of nearly thirty millions was not necessary an a country of thiis size, it six millions ol that sum had been spent in top dressing the Dominion’* lands, it would have benefited the country to a great exteiit. (Hear, hear.) In addition 'to the expense of motors there was fo'daili body borrowing, details of wlliidli he gave from official sources Air Whlliams went on to say that when the farmer complained that he could not get borrowed money with the same readiness as before the war, he had to remember, the immense amount of money borrowed by local authorities, power 'boards, river boards, etc., -against the- land, which caused lenders to look a. little at the security. Although the motor car was quite a good thing for the fanming coriimunity, lie was afraid it ’led 1 , to the spending of a good deal more time on it than was needful. “We know the temptation of a, fine day and thirty mile run to the football match or the saleyard and back for dinner, and instead of spending the time on the farm we burn benzine and do nothing.” Air. Eraser: “Are you suggesting that it is widespread?” Mr Williilamis-: “Not very widespread, but -sufficient to do, a certain amount of harm.” The Ali nip,ter suggested that all these expenses explained the difficulty of the wage-earner in getting work. Years ago, thousands of men were employed in biusthfielling, but that was stopped, and it was in this direction or in tree planting that -attention must be turned. THE DETERIORATED' LAND CRY I hen, in liis opinion, there was too extila.vagant a- use of the term, “deteriorated land.” An unwise emphasis on this aspect made i-t difficult for people living in the baclcbiocks to convince leaders that they were more favourably situated thia.ii some who were on deteriorated lands. Although a good deal o-f criticism had been levelled at aggregation, from wli-at he had seen, he was- confident that some- d-i.st-riots in the back country would never come back until they were reaggregatied to a certain extent and worked in la-rge areas by men with capital who would not mind using some of it, if necessary.

Air. Burnett: “The only -solution.” Tile Minister added that a great many young people in the country were feeling the pinch of getting work, realising for the first time- ju their lives that it was ia- wise thing to keep a joib when they had it. His- Department in •lulv, 1924, had 6560 men in its.employ; to-day it .had 19.360. Members were criticising the Government for borrowing, yet they made constant requests to pu-t on men. Ais Minister of Works he had to exercise the greatest caution not to prejudice the men who hail been permanently employed on public works. He agreed with Sir Joseph Ward that the Government must be careful over the expenditure oil public '"Wildings, but some must be provided. The estimates included £550,941 for school buildings, £49,276 for the Agricultural College; -then there was* post and telegraph buildings vote of £86.000 mental hos-oitals of £68.000 and hos•ii.ta.ls and institutions of £15,000.