WAR EXPENSES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25940, 5 September 1945, Page 6

WAR EXPENSES

INCREASE IN ESTIMATES FAILURE TO ANSWER CRITICISM (F.0.P.R.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 4. The failure of Government members to reply to the Opposition criticism pf the revised estimates of war expenditure was referred to by Mr W. A. Sheat (Oppn., Patea) during the financial debate in the House of Representatives to-night. Mr Sheat said that features of the debate were the studious avoidance by the Government members of any detailed examination of the Budget and their failure to justify or even discuss fhe raised estimates brought down by the Minister of Finance, Mr W. Nash. The figures had been torn to shreds by Opposition speakers and yet no Government speakers had seen fit to reply. Another feature was the failure of the Budget to disclose the broad outlines of the Government’s plans for the post-war period, said Mr Sheat. They had been told that the Government did have plans and that it had a 10-year plan in connection with hydro-elec-tricity, but surely those plans should be revealed.

The country, Mr Sheat said, should have some statement from the Government on lend-lease in the light of the recent statement that the United States did not expect a settlement of lendlease in dollars, but expected co-opera-tion from the countries which had participated in lend-lease, in fostering post-war trade and the lowering of tariffs. That was the interpretation he put on President Truman’s statement, and he would like a statement from the Government whether it had entered into any commitments with the United States to lower the barriers against United States trade with this country. If it had, then he wished to know whether the Government intended to open the door in similar fashion to goods from the United Kingdom. The public should have this information because it had repeatedly been told that the Government intended to maintain those trade barriers, particularly the import control policy. He believed, said Mr Sheat, that it was the duty of the House to do all it possibly could to assist Great Britain to recover her trade. He hoped the policy of the country would not be dominated in the years ahead by the narrow selfish attitude of so-called insulation. He also urged a close examination of the monetary policy of the Government, which had been one of large-scale inflation and which was a grave danger to the economic and financial stability Qf the country. The speech was interrupted by the adjournment