The Northern Advocate Daily THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1936. DOMINION FINANCES

Northern Advocate, 6 February 1936, Page 4

The Northern Advocate Daily

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1936. DOMINION FINANCES

Registered for transmission through the post as a Newspaper.

The Minister of Finance, the Hon. Walter Nash, has published details of the Dominion’s income j and expenditure during the nine I months of the present financial year. Compared with the same period of the preceding year, the position is to be regarded as satisfactory. The Minister feels justified in predicting that the budget will be balanced when tiie financial year closes on March 31. If this prediction be verified, the people of the Dominion will have cause for gratification, and, incidentally. they should not be forgetful of the contribution which

the late Government made towards the achievement of such a happy state of affairs, which, not so long- ago, seemed to be one of the things beyond reasonable expectation. We are sure that Mr Nash and his fellow Ministers will be the first to acknowledge this service rendered to the Dominion. It is unfortunately true that wind and rain have brought disaster to many parts of the North Island since the end of December, when the third quarter of the year closed, thus incurring heavy expenditure which was not forseen. but it is sincerely to be hoped, for the sake of everybody, that the predicted balancing of the budget will take place. This lis particularly to he desired by the Government, which, if it is to bring into effect the policies various Ministers have foreshadowed, must have more, rather than less, money to handle. Governments. like private individuals, may have laudable ambitions, but it is the/ essence of wisdom to measure the cloth before using the cutting out scissors. If would he presumptuous to suggest that the members of the Government are not aware of tins'fact, but it cannot l)e forgotten that they are in a position different from that of a Government which went to the electorate pledged to observe economy in every branch of expenditure, He would he a .shortsighted opponent of Labour who would welcome adverse economic conditions calculated to hamper the Government. The better things are for the Government the better they will ho for the people of the Dominion as a whole. For that reason, the encouraging state of the national finances is to be welcomed.