BURDEN OF THE WAR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16205, 15 April 1916, Page 8

BURDEN OF THE WAR.

NEW ZEALAND FINANCE.

MR. PARR'S COMPARISONS.

Some interesting comparisons in connection with the present war and the Napoleonic wars were made by Mr. CJ Parr, M.P., in an address delivered at New Lynn yesterday afternoon. Mr. Parr said that not even in England, where the people were doing ten tunes more than those in New Zealand, did they approach the height of sacrifice of their great grandfathers of 100. years ago. Bo compared Britain finaice during the Napoleonic wars with the borrowing and taxation of the present war. The great struggle against Napoleon was fought when Britain's population was only eleven millions, as compared with the sixty millions of Britain and her Dominions to-day. The national wealth now as compared with that in Pitt's time was as thirty to one- Yet Britain piled up a national debt of £1,100,000,000 in fighting Napoleon, and she also submitted to enormous taxation. When the 20 years' struggle culminated at Waterloo taxation in England was four times greater than in the year before the war. In the f (resent war taxation in Britain, allowing or the last Budgot proposals, had increased on the average about 65 per cent. In New Zealand the comparatively wealthy peoplo were paying taxes which had increased from 25 to 75 per cent, since the war, according to the nature and extent of their property. Working people in New Zealand were not directly taxed by the Finance Act of last year, but the increase in the cost of living was in itself a severe impost on this class. In the Napoleonic war Britain spent over one-third of her capital in winning the war.

So far New Zealand had not really felt the new taxation at all seriously, said Mr. Parr. • Moreover, she was • borrowing over half-a-million pounds from the British Government for her war needs. It wou'd soon become a question whether she would not have to find these war moneys herself and so relieve the Mother Country. In anv event such would be the burden of war loans, pensions, and military supplies that the Finance Minister would certainly require to impose heavier taxation at the end of the war. He assumed that the war., would lust quite another eighteen months. The right policy was to discard luxuries and costly pleasures, and save money. By this he did not suggest ac» cumulating money in the banks. There Was a tendency to do this; Only by the wiie use and investment of bur savings audi surplus funds could the general prosperity of the Dominion be maintained.