CLEARING THE AIR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23885, 12 August 1939, Page 11

CLEARING THE AIR

ASSURANCE WELCOMED TOO MUCH LOOSE TALK ACTION OF OPPOSITION DEFENDED (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON. Aug. 11. “We are indebted to the ActingPrime Minister for his statement.” said the Leader of the Opposition (Mr A. Hamilton) when he rose to speak to the amendment. “It is all very well for him to try to put the blame on us. but I think the Opposition has done a distinct national service.

“If the Acting-Prime Minister likes to move a resolution stating that the credit of the Dominion is not in danger," Mr Hamilton said, “and that our national debt will be paid to the uttermost farthing, ! shall be delighted to second it, for it is high time that the question was settled,”

There had been loose talk about the debt position not only in the House, but over the radio as well. Mr Hamilton said. . Mr A S. Richards (Government. Roskill): Who said that? “ i have listened to it in this House and over the air on Sundays, Mr Hamilton said. “The Government has taken no action to prevent it from going abroad." Mr Hamilton said he had beard that sort of talk over the air last Sunday night from an official paid by the Government. Mr Fraser; That is unfair.

Attack Unwarranted

If that sort of thing did not mean that the country is working up to a position where it would not pay the interest on its debts, Mr Hamilton said, he did not know what it meant. The Opposition was doing the Government a service irf trying to clear up the position, and he was glad that a clear statement had been made by Mr Fraser, His attack on the Opposition, however, was entirely unwarranted in view of the speech made by the member for Grey Lynn.

Mr Lee; It was a good speech. Mr Hamilton: It very likely expressed the mind of the hon. member and of a good many other Government members.

Mr Hamilton said he appreciated Mr Fraser’s statement and his assurance that repudiation had never been discussed In party caucus or otherwise entertained, although he had his doubts about some members of the Government party.

Probably, he remarked, it was the intention of Mr Fraser and some other members of the Government to honour the country’s obligations, but he was not so sure about some of the tag ends It was the sort of talk some Government members had indulged in that was doing damage to New Zealand not what the Opposition had done. Mr Lee; You have not said one word for New Zealand or made a request for decent terms. Effects of Recent Policy “I know the terms are hard,” Mr Hamilton said, “ but has any country had better terms under similar conditions? If New Zealand wants to get good terms it should keep its credit good. If the terms imposed by Britain were over-hard, it is the Government’s own fault. It knew these loans were coming due and should have made provision to have a few ( millions in London to reduce the debt." The last Government had cut the interest on its internal debt, Mr Hamilton said, but not on its debt in Britain. In New Zealand, the people had the right to elect the Government of the Dominion, but the people of the Old Country had no control over affairs here.

The Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr W. E. Parry): Have you two standards of morality? It was proposed in the Budget to set up a national savings scheme. Mr Hamilton said, but how would that fare if the people doubted the Government’s intention to repay? That question. however, had been cleared up in the statement by the Acting Prime Minister, and in making that statement Mr Fraser had done the country a service.