LYONS GOVERNMENT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22213, 16 March 1934, Page 9

LYONS GOVERNMENT

DR EARLE PAGE’S CRITICISM OPPORTUNITIES MISSED. SYDNEY, March 15. “ The Lyons Government will go down in history as the Government of missed opportunities,” declared Dr Earle Page (Leader of the Country Party), speaking at the annual conference of the Australian Country Party in Victoria. He added that the Government had maintained the Scullin tariffs practically Intact, and had refused to remove the primage, as recommended by the Tariff Board. It had failed to give adequate taxation relief, had grossly under-esti-mated its revenue, and had missed a fine opportunity of substantially reducing unemployment. It had failed to rehabilitate the primary industries by some kind of comprehensive plan, and had missed a wonderful opportunity of removing the old age and invalid pensions from the realm of party politics. The Prime Minister (Mr J. A. Lyons), giving the other side of the picture at Goulburn, claimed that the Government, in regard to tariff policy, was merely carrying out the Ottawa agreement, giving preference to Britain, and thereby (inferring great benefits on Australia’s own primary producers, with the result that Australia to-day, according to Board of Trade figures, was the world’s second greatest supplier to Britain. Mr Lyons said he wondered whether the Government’s critics, when they were clamouring for reduced tariffs, realised how interdependent were the primary and secondary industries of this country. The Government had taken no more taxation than was absolutely necessary for the effective government of the country, while, judging from the cheery optimism of the it was evident that the Government had faithfully done the job it set out to do.