UNITED PROMISES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20312, 20 July 1929, Page 13

UNITED PROMISES.

FULFILMENT CLAIMED, TALK OF CHEAPER MONEY. " THEY ARE RIDING TO ORDERS." [BY TELEGBAFH. —SPECIAL REPOETEXL. ] WELLINGTON-. Friday. The claim that the Government had redeemed its election promises, as far as was practicable, was made by the Minister of Public Works, the Hon. E. A. B.ansom, in the House to-day. Finance had been made available for the workers. The Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Coates: At what per cent.. ? The Minister: We will deal with that later. The Minister said the people were acclaiming the Government for its payment of higher wages. A Member: What .about the fellows who were put o5 works altogether ? The Minister said there were more public works employees engaged to-day than for many years. Had not the Prime Minister given effect to his promises regarding the railway policy ? A certain amount of land settlement had been placed under way, and this would be increased later - The Minister also referred to the break-ing-in of pumice land, and said that where free land had been made available, as in the case of the Guthrie settlement, near Estonia, he had found a very satisfied set of settlers. He hoped the same policy would be carried out by the present Government with respect to some of those lands. , Mr. H- G. R. Mason (Auckland Suburbs): Why do you hope? Why do you not decide ? A Reform Member: It is all right; they are riding to orders. The Minister said it had been stated by Mr A- Hamilton (Wallace) that men were waiting for a reduction in the State Advances interest. The member for Wallace had forgotten that the rate had been increased by the Reform Party. Mr. J. A Nash (Palmerston): Yon have not reduced it. The Minister: The Opposition overlooked that the present position was created by themselves. The rates will be brought down in due course. The Minister said that when his hands were clear the Minister of Finance would be able to. borrow money again to put the clients of the department on a better footing than they could be on with other lending institutions. The- ijmister was convinced that the money could be borrowed in New Zealand at a lower rate, but there were other channels in which those moneys should be invested. COST OF MOTOR-CAES. DOMINION'S LARGE BILL. [by tzleghafe .—puess association.] WELLINGTON, Friday. A statement that there were in New Zealand thousands of motor-cars belonging to people who ccruld not pay their grocers' bills, but were struggling to meet the monthly demands of motor dealers, was made by Mr. G. R. Sykes (Masterton) in the House to-day. Something should be done to remedy this position. There were 200.000 motor-cars in the Dominion, and allowing £IOO a year as the average cost of upkeep of each, it could be assumed that motor-cars were costing £2,000,000 a year.