OPTIMISTIC VIEW

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIV, Issue 234, 15 September 1934, Page 7

OPTIMISTIC VIEW

Dominion’s Finances

MR. FORBES PLEASED

By Telegraph-Press Association

CHUIbTCHUKCH, Sept 14

An optimistic view oi the future fin •imial position oi the Dominion was taken by the Prime Minister, the Ht Hon. G. W. Forbes, in an address at the annual Association Day smoke concert ot the United Travellers’ arid Warehousemen s Association. The last lew years had been difficult for the Government, said .Ur Forbes Before he occupied his present position he had thought the position of Prime Minister was pleasant. He had found, however, that the first th.ngs he had to do as Prime,Minister were unpleas ant. Faced with figures showing the financial position, h 0 had found that unless certain things were done the country would get into a tar worse state. He had said to himself; “You are not here to receive bouquets, but to do your job .whether it is pleasant or unpleasant.”

Many things lie had done had caused dissent, ho said, but they had been done in thu 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 the Budget was now estimated for a surplus of something like £BOOO. That was a tremendous difference.

When the Coalition Government was faced with a deficit of £B,O/0,(100 the Government did not attempt to make Hie finances balance, maintaining that, in the circumstances, it should du the best it could, and, when times improved, present a better Budget. “I do not apologise for what we bad to do.” said Mr Forbes. “We did not make matters worse, and we have a right to be proud of that.”

He declared that there was no clearer indication of the improved financial position of the country as a whole than that it had been possible to estimate tor a surplus. He took credit for the Government for having partly restored the cut in Civil Service salaries and reducing the unemployment taxation.