PARLIAMENT IN SESSION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14685, 19 November 1909, Page 5

PARLIAMENT IN SESSION

THE SITUATION REVIEWED. INTERVIEW WITH MR JAMES ALLEN, M.P. Mr James Allen, M.P., member for Bruce, arrived in Dttnedin by the first express from the north yesterday, and, coming direct from tho House in'session, was approached by a Times reporter with the object ol obtaining some of his impressions on matters that are at present beforo Parliament. TAXATION AND EXPENDITURE. "I do not consider," said Mr Allen, " that His Government has yet carried out a great pari' of iho retrenchment in tits country that it is possible to carry out. It has so far shown very little signs of rurenchmeiit. Tho Estimates do not show it, and until the expenditure has ibeen reduced it seems to me to be a most improper tiling to propose fresh taxation. It may bo necessary to provide for new services, such as additional defence and tho interest on the cost of the Dreadnoujjhl; but 1. consider that the I'iime Minister is asking for more taxation than is nccp.'.-iiry, and he will i;?t- mere revenue th:m is lwecasary unless ljo means., as ho lias hinted, lo get euonsli surplus revenue to transfer a considerable amount to tho Public Works Fund for public works purposes. 1 question very much whether that is foimd policy. Taxation and ordinary revenue should bo quite sufficient to meet ordinary expenditure, and capital expenditure should be provided for in tome other way. It scents to me to be a very dangerous thing to rely upon ordinary taxation and ordinary incomo not on.ly for ordinary expenditure, but for capital expenditure as well. Takiiv (lie reduction that be says he can bring about ill expenditure—namely, about £250,000, —and his own estimate of the fresh revenue of £450.000 per annum, means a provision for .something like £700.000 a year, and I cannot see" the necessity for that. Indeed, I consider that he can reduce tho expenditure by more than a quarter of a million, and thus save harassing the people with primage duty and taxation of *ach things as racing clubs." NO POLICY ON THE GOVERNMENT

BENCHES. "As regard.? the prom.Wd 'legislation, the 'bills that the Prims Minister must bring forward most urgently will be the taxing bills, and if wo get 'tlk-sa through by Christmas it is quite as much as we shall be able to manage, with the Hospitals and Charitable Aid Bill, which is just about completed. So far as I can gather, there seems to be no policy whatever on the Government benches' except M'hat they ean scratch together at a moment's notice, and it would be extremely interesting to be, at a Cabinet mcctiit|r-ns a newspaper reporter with permission to publish all that went on." DEFENCE PROPOSALS. "As regards the defence proposals," said Mr Alien, " I have only to say that so far as they go in the' direction of national training the'y are verv much in accord with what i myself,' with the assistance of Mr Rhodes .'mid Mr Fisher, proposed during the short session. The weak part of the proposals is that, which limits the voluntary training to 20,000 men, some, if not tho whole/of whom aw to make up the so-eallfti experienced force- available for service outside of New Zealand. I cannot see how a compulsory system of training of youths between the ages of 18 and 21 years is to work along-

side a. voluntary system, which not onlv extends from 10 to 21 years of age, but is supposed to go to 30 years of age. It is difficult enough nowadays to get Volunteers, and 1 cannot sse how tho service of Volunteering will be more U> the liking of our people from 21 to 30 years of age under the scheme which is foreshadowed in the Financial Statement. However, the bill is to be referred to a committee of tlv» House, and I hope and expect that that committee will deal with the matter without any party feeling whatever, and entirely in the interests of the' country; and it may be. expected that the bill will come from that committee with many improvements in it." WHERE OPPOSITION IS LIKELY. "It is quite probable that the bill in regard to death diitica will meet with some opposition where it imposes burdens upon widows which are not now imposed, and there will be considerable opposition to the primage duty. I doubt vei'v much if the Houf.3 will lake kindly, to the tax which it is proposed to levy on racing clubs. It is impossible to say what will happen in regard to the Land Bill. I doubt very. much if It will come up this session, and •if it docs coma up before, Christmas there will be such opposition from the leaseholders on the Government rid« that it will not get through before the House adjourns." RAILWAY SUPERANNUATION.

'' I notice in the newspapers," said Mr Allen, "that Sir Joseph Ward has said that my criticism with regard lo die Railway Superannuation Fund was unfair. It is all very well for him to say that it is unfair. The public must take that for what it is. worth, and 1 invite the Prime .Minister to show in what particular it was unfair. He lias continually told me and the country that the Railway Superannuation Fund was sound and that the contributions were sufficient to provido for Ik benefits in the act. 1 always doubted that, ami have from timo to time asked'for an actuarial investigation in order to Hud out whether it was correct. That has always been refused, and Iquestion whether it has taken place vet. Notwithstanding the assurance from 'the Prime Minister that the funds of the scheme were sufficient lo meet the demands made upon it, and notwithstanding his assurance that the accumulation of tne capital was going on, he has now asked Parliament lo provide £25.000 every year to bolstei up the scheme. ' His onlv answer to my criticism has been that I did not want any superannuation scheme, lhat is quite incorrect. I have always b'eeti in favour ol superannuation schemes as long as they were «nmd and a.s Ion" as those who got the benefits out of them paid their proportion by way of contributionn. My aim has always been in re-aid to railway superannuation, not to unset it, not to stop it, not lo do away with it, but _if if required, as I always believed it did, support from the State, to give that support in fair prouortion in order to make the thing sound and to assure to the railway men for all lints the bsnefits of their -superannuation, and not let them run the risk of any future Government, when the fund began to diminish, bringing down to Parliament a proposal to alter it in the direction of destroying il."' AX UNANSWERED CRITICISM. " The Prime Minister, by way of answering ;ny criticism with regard to extrayagame, puinlsd out that 1 had been asking for expenditure on railway* and other works in my district and those adjoining it. All I have to say in answer to ihis is that it is my duty to place before the Government the demands of my constituents with regard to works that they consider ara required, and I intend to d'o fo, and will continue to do so. It is the duty of the Government to know the whole requirements of the Dominion in order to honestly decide what it can do and what it cannot do, and I deem it to be the duty of the Government to determine what are the actual requirements of the year for ordinary expenditure and for capital expenditure," and then to ask Parliament to make provision accordingly. Instead of doing that, the Government comes to Parliament and says ' Wo want so much loan money.' Nothing' is said about what it is wanted for, and when it is obtained it proceeds to divide it up, and in that division it is right that I should make, representations as" to the n:-eds of my constituents. What Sir Joseph cays is no answer to the criticism made by mo that he, as leader of the Parliament, is extravagant.