Promises Not Kept

Northern Advocate, 22 July 1939, Page 5

Promises Not Kept

[Per Press Association. Cojjyright.il WELLINGTON. This Day. Charging the Government with having failed to live up to its undertaking to keep interest rates down, Mr J. N. Massey (National—Franklin) speaking in the Address-in-Reply debate yesterday, said local bodies today could not borrow money at 3i per cent, yet the Government had been talking about making money available at one

[ per cent. He did net believe local bodies could today borrow money at less than 4] per cent. County councils from one end of* Now Zealand to the other were strongly opposed to increasing the burden on ratepayers, and realised that

they must operate according to the ability of ratepayers to meet the charges. He asked if New Zealand could afford to pay for the high standard of roads now being demanded by the Main Highways Board, the Public Works Department and the travelling public, and asserted that more money should be spent on roads in outer areas. The time had come, he said, to review the whole question of local body taxation, which was increasing by leaps and bounds, and he also thought there should be an overhaul of the system of hospital rating. The House rose at 5.30 until 2.30 on Tuesday. So far during the debate 37 Government members, 19 Opposition members and two Independents have spoken.