Oroua Electorate

Manawatu Times, Volume 60, Issue 277, 23 November 1935, Page 3

Oroua Electorate

THE DEMOCRAT CANDIDATE. The Democrat Party budget was dealt with by Mr. E. Pair, the party’s candidate for tlio Oroua seat, at his meeting at Halcombe on Thursday night. In answer to those who claimed that the Democrat policy could not bo carried out, Mr. Pair put before the meeting tho budget proposals of tho party in detail. Dealing with the proposed expenditure, ho said that permanent appropriations would absorb £10,034,000 which amount included interest and sinking fund on tho proposed loan of £8,000,000 for national development and unemployment purposes, while tho annual api>ropriations would be £8,740,000. Tho actual appropriations for J 035 by the present Government amount to £11,057,833, a difference of approximately £2,300.000, which is accounted for by tho fact that the Health and Pensions vote included in the abovo ligures is reduced by £1,750,000 through tho Democrat National Health and Pensions scheme. In addition there are savings totalling £OOO,OOO in maintenance, overcharges for depreciation and general and departmental administration savings. Other items of expenditure are the restoration of Civil Service salary cuts, assistance to superannuation fund and Maori claims totalling £850,000. Salary restorations, superannuation fund, etc., would £850,000, and subsidies to farmers £3,750,000, making for a total of £23,974,000. Tho revenue was estimated to produce £24,055,000. This estimate is Mr. Coates’ estimate, and tho estimated increase in Customs duties as a result of oxehango reductions. On tlieso figures, revenue and expenditure, there was a surplus of £SI,OOO. Tho expondituro on national health insurance and pensions would claim £5,650,000 made up of pensions £4,000,000 and health insurance £1,650,000. The revenue would bo as follows: Contributory tax, £3,750,000; from annual appropriations (included in estimate), £1,900,000 which balances with the proposed expenditure on this head.

Tho foregoing budget, said Mr. Pair, provided for tho abolition of tho sales tax, gold export duty and an income tax reduction of 10 per cent. Provision has been made for the payment of produce subsidies as if the whole of the exchange wero removed immediately. Actually, exchange will not conic down immediately in one step. Tho amount of subsidy payments Will be lessened accordingly. Then primary produce prices rise to normal paying levels, there will bo no need to pay subsidies, and further taxation reductions will be made accordingly.

Dealing with tho Main Highways taxation, Mr. Fair remarked that his party would not uso this revenue for other purposes than that for which it was paid, namely tlio main highways.

A number of questions wero answered and a most enthusiastic and successful meeting was terminated by a hearty vote of thanks to tho candidate, the mover adding that ho appreciated tho straightforward manner in which Mr. Fair had answered all questions. Mr. E. R. Long presided. ME. W. H. OLIVER’S CAMPAIGN. Continuing a splendid series of meetings throughout tho electorate, Mr. Oliver spoke at Otari on Thursday night. Following much the same lines as his Tccent speech in Feilding, he held the rapt attention of his audience throughout. Ho dealt especially with unemployment taxation. Tho Labour Party, said Mr. Oliver, belioved that this particular tax should bo ou a graduated scalo similar to tho income tax. In other words, those best able to pay would be called upon. He gave a hypothetical tablo showing that no income of less than £IOO would be taxed. To such, the one pound per annum would be cut out altogether. From £lOl to £2OO the rate would bo one penny in the pound. Every £IOO would increase tho tax by one penny in the pound. Mr. Oliver pointed out that the income of New Zealand is received in the following proportion: One-half of tho total is received by 5 per cent, of tho people, while tho other half is shared by tho remaining 05 per cent. In simple language for every £IOO of income received in New Zealand, five people rccoive £SO of it, while the other £SO is divided amongst the remaining 05 people! Mr. Oliver would see to it that those live people did something solid to help tho other 05. Mr. Oliver, as a returned man—he was the first private soldier to enlist in Feilding, and ho did not return until May, 1919—had somo very hard things to say about a Government who could manage to pay the manager of the Reserve Bank £25 a day while returned soldiers wero on tho unemployed, scarcely ablo to live. Some had died by tho roadside, while others to end their misery had taken their own lives. If over a Government had betrayed a people this one had. Mr, Oliver, as a truo British subject, believed in Britain for the British. He strongly objected to being governed by Jews.