BUDGET DEBATE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 198, 23 July 1941, Page 2

BUDGET DEBATE

NATIONAL GOVERNMENT ISSUE. j DIVERSE VIEWS. ! (Press Assn) WELLINGTON, July 22. j ijio Budget debate was continued in ■ the House oi Representatives, tins afternoon, by Air L). W. Coleman (Gab., Gisborne). Ho strongly criticised tiie Opposition tor its attitude toward the Government. Ho could hol see, he said, how it was possible to form a National Government when two sections in the House were so much opposed in principle. The Loader of tno Opposition had appealed tor national unity, saying it would only be brought about by the creation ot a National Government, said Air Coleman, but he considered that what air Holland was . aiming at was a seat in the Cabinetj wmen lormulated tne country's domestic policy. The country itad decided who should be responsible for its domestic legislation both at the last j election and the one beiore that, and jit appeared that the Opposition wanted to be included in tne Cabinet by a backooor method.

j Air Coleman also referred to National l'arty meetings held during the ! last few months where party politics 1 had been well to the fore, but mcmI bers of the Labour Party had refrained iron) party polities for some conIsiderable time. 'J lie labour Party was elected on a definite policy and the National Party was elected to oppose it. He said the Government was determined to administer the (Social Security Act, but the Opposition said they would not administer it. Air D. C. Kidd (Nat., Waikato) said the member for Gisborne had asserted that there could be no National Government because the Labour Party had been returned to office on a very definite policy, but had they carried it out. asked Air Kidd. He would say they had not. The Labour Party had said they would not have men goosej stepping up and down the country, but if we had had men under military ■ training how much better would be our I posit.on to-day. Then Air Coleman had | defended the social security policy with which the doctors would not cooperate, and he had said Lalwur would get the farmers’ vote at the next elec- ; tion Air Kidd expressed the opinion • that Labour was in for a sad disappointment in that respect. AUSTRALIAN POTATOES. Referring to Labour's apparent determination to have a general election, Air Kidd said the public would understand Unit the responsibility was the Government s ana not that of the Op- • position, which was urging the people | to get together, sink tlieir differences, and not let their boys overseas down. | Personally, said Air Kidd, he supported the Leader ol the Opposition's . remsal to join the War Cabinet, because the Opposition already bad two members oil that body and both were doing splendid work. Moreover, the Leader of the Opposition had gone so far as to offer to include Labour Party representatives in the National Government if the Opp 'S’iion were returned at the next election. Air Kidd also criticised the Government in connection with its handling of primary produce problems. Speaking of the Canterbury potato crop lie said he hud formed the,opinion that there would be no need to import potatoes front Australia. In view of this it was a little strange, ho said, that he had received a circular from which it appeared that one firm of merchants had received a license to import Australian potatoes.., the AI inistfer of Ala rke ting (Air Barclay; : No merchant has received any license for the importation of potatoes. -; Air Kidd: I am pleased to hear the Alinister say that, but does he know a firm called C. Atorgan AVilliams and Sons, of Kaiapoi ? , Mr Kidd then read a letter from the firm in which it was stated that the price of a line of fable potatoes expected to be available for delivery in August or September would depend on the amount’ot import duty charged. ' Mr Barclay: That does not say they have a license. Air Kidd: AVell, tliC3’ are soliciting orders. Air T. IT. McCombs (Lab., Lyttel-! ton), referring to Mr Kidd’s contention about the importation of Australian potatoes, said that no license for the importation of such potatoes had been granted, nor was it likely to be granted. Air Morgan AA'illiams had expressed the opinion that if potatoes hud to be imported it should be done through the Internal Alarketing Depart meet. The AT mister of Agriculture agreed that this was the ease. Continuing. Air ATcCombs referred to the progress that had been made during the last five years of Labour's regime and compared it with that finder past Governments. He stressed the fact that stoppages of labour had decreased to a marked extent. Especially had there been a reduction in stoppages among the waterfront workers and coalminers. National Party I members, said Air AlcCombs. bad spoken of a political truce, but he accused them of not putting their suggestion into effect. AA’ben be was in Burnham-undergoing military training National Partv represent atives had gone into his electorate and addressed ( ! the electors. Was that a political truce, he asked. SPEND! SPEND! SPEND 1 The question of a party truce was referred to by Mr AA r . A. Bodkin (Nat., : Central Otago). He said if there were any party truce this was the first he j had heard of it. The Prime Alinister rigiit at the outset had made it clear; the Government intended going right; ahead with its domestic policy, blit' he would say the Opposition had given: . the Government one hundred per cent, j support in connection with the war ' effort. It was true National Party | i members had addressed meetings, but; they were not public meetings but j gatherings of friends and supporters. I Air J. O’Brien (Lab., AVestland): j j There were two public meetings in niv i . electorate. Continuing, AH Bodkin said that I members of the Government had com- ! nipnded the Minister of Finance lor i bringing down a Budget that did not propose additional taxation, but they were forgetting that the Minister of Health (Air Nordmeyer), speaking with Ministerial responsibility, had informed the country that the Labour Govern-1 ment had reached the extreme limit' ! of taxation. Air Nash was the greatest; 1 tax-gatherer the country had known, j Mr Bodkin said he would not lx- snr-, i prised if the Government had to borrow 1 i thirty millions this year., The Govern-j jmont was squandering- everything I upon which it could lay its bands. Internal expenditure had increased |bv £ls 000,000-from £24.000.000 to | £39.000.000, but that was only part of the story. AA : e were also going to borrow for war purposes some £O7 000 000. The Budg'd was one of spend, spend, spend, and let tlie future take care of itself. . 1 i After the Alinister for Housing had spoken, the debate was adjourned.