NEW FINANCIAL POLICY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20987, 25 September 1931, Page 11

NEW FINANCIAL POLICY.

i'jBBMNB rrcST BUDGET. il|||iPT UNEMPLOYMENT. COATES ALREADY BUSY. land settlement plans. r ß r TEIEGEATH. —SF-ECl.xr. REPORTER.] | 1 WELLINGTON-. Thursday. ! There is a businesslike tone about the | Banner in which the Coalition Ministry hM settled to its task of planning a propinme for the economic reconstruction g f jfgw Zealand. The Cabinet sat for gaveral hours to-d.rv and again this evenjjjg and discussed the main outline of its policv which will be presented in a gapplementary Budget to be read in the •goose Representatives a fortnight lienee- Ministers spent the remainder of $8 day in adjusting themselves to the altered accommodation and to making themselves familiar with questions of jjljor importance in their departments. .1 Tfc js evident that material alterations be made in the Budget which the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes/ introduced about two months ggo, and which 'has been held up pending tie re-adjustment of party relationships. Those who hold the most important portfolios in the new Cabinet are understood jo b# dissatisfied with the financial proposals as outlined in Mr. Forbes' Budget, particularly as the state of public accounts was by no means improved since the session began. Appreciation of Problems. enormity of the problem to be • feced is fully appreciated by members of the.new Cabinet, ail of whom have already embarked upon the first, stages of the legislation they will have to handle yhen the House resumes normal running, and it is believed the finished product of |hxs session will be very different from jhafc planned by the United Government. The question which is arousing the most .lively interest; is that of unemployment, to which the . Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates has applied' himself with more than usual energy and determination. His policy is net yet .completed for submission to the Cabinet, but Mr. Coates has already taken ■ steps to co-ordinate the work of handling this great problem. Arrangements have h«n made for members of the L'nemployment Board to work close to the Ministerial room instead of in the departmental ■quarters hitherto allotted, and Mr. Coates himself will organise and delegate a great deal of the administrative work for the board to deal with. Members of the board had arranged to yisifc Southland '* this week-end for the purpose of inspecting certain lands and roads which were suggested as suitable for . unemployed camps, but Mr. Coates has cancelled this trip and will hold members /in Wellington to /discuss preliminary details connected with a relief work scheme. A Comprehensive Scheme. Land development and the provision of adequate access to prospective settlements I will form one important phase of the .neiv unemployment policy, details of which Mr. C-oaVes will not as yet disclose. He tUted thi3 evening, however, that the Lands, Public / Works, .Agriculture, Labour and Native Affairs Departments would W-involved in what he considered to be a comprehensive scheme tor handling this difficult task. It is understood that reports submitted during the past two years to the United Government by the advisory committees /in various districts en the possibilities of 'land development will be carefully overhauled with a view to establishing as accurately as possible how much Crown and other land is suitable for treatment by tha unemployed as a means to sett Lenient and also to the permanent relief or the unemployment problem. Among areas . to come under consideration wili be a ' large block of 141.492 acres of undeveloped country near Tokaanu, on the fhores of Lake Taupo. a are at, deal of J which has been purchased by the Crown, and npon which an important report was presented to the Government during the past few weeks by a specially-appointed advisory committee in conjunction with departmental officers. Heavy Nature of Work. The unusually heavy nature of the duties undertaken by Mr. Coates in handling three of the most important portfolios has aroused comment and a certain amount of admiration, even from his political opponents. In view of Mr. Coates' consistent criticism of Mr. Forbes' method j of handling unemployment, members o: j the.Reform Party interpret the action of their chief 36 indicating that he wou!*l Hot ask another man to do a job which he himself was Hot prepared to tackle i Mr. Coates and the Hon. E. A. Ransom j *ill probably work harmoniously toward ; a common purpose,' while other Ministers sre also co-operatim toward the relief of S the situation. / Mr. Coates hopes hisl scheme will be announced in the supple- j / mentary Budget, but if this is found im- i possible, he will fnake a Ministerial statein the House. Id' Bis work. Mr. Coaies will be assisted ; '••• By Dr. R. M. Campbell, who h.is just j returned from overseas after an extensive study of economic problems, and who Jias Been retained as ; - secretary to handle this Side of Mr. Coates' duties. / MINISTERS'. SECR KTAKIES. THE NEW APPOINTMENTS. I The redistribution of portfolios and the ■ •ftouctioQ in size of the Cabinet has been followed by a reallocation of private j secretaries to Jfmisters. The appoint- j are understood to he as follows: — j The Rt. Hon. fj. W. Forbes (Messrs. C. j Jeffery and J. .\. .Mitchell). the Rt. j J. G. Coates (Mr. \. E. Hntchings j •«d Dr. R. M. .Campbell',, the Hon. E. - t. Ransom (Mr A. W. Mulligan), the ; Hon. W. Downie Stewart (Mr. T. R. I ♦jickin}, the Hon. Sir Apirana Xpata (Mr. : £:• R- H. Balneavis), the Hon. J. A. | '*«Mg (Mr. J. T. WangM. the liort. R. | (Messrs. K. M. Sleight and W. * Deavoli), the Tim. D. Jones (Mr. W. j J Ki.nc), the Hon. J. G Cobb,, (Mr. | Matthews., the Hon. A. Hamilton j F. M. Sherwood). j