TO PAY FOR THE WAR

Otago Witness, Issue 3380, 25 December 1918, Page 38

TO PAY FOR THE WAR

HON. RUSSELL'S SUGGESTIONS.

CHRISTCHUROH, December 22. Speaking at the Aranui School yesterday the Hon. G. W. Russell (Minister of Internal Affairs) said there lay before the statesmen of New Zealand the problem of how to pay the cost of the war and still keep the country prosperous. " Our object must be to endeavour to create sources of income for the State other than from taxation." He said, "It seems to me, articleslike tobacco, petrol, and things of that kind are goods the State might easily declare a monopoly over, and make a profit from their sale, still selling the articles at a lower price than the public are paying for them now. When we were paying 3a 6d a gallon for petrol the same quality petrol was selling retail in the United States at lOd a gallon. If the Government is prepared to adopt a bold course and take a monopoly over various articles there should be a material increase in the income of the State, thus lessening the need for taxation.

"Some people think this war is going to end all wars," Mr Russell remarked. "I wish I "could think so, but am son— to say I cannot see any indication of it. What are we to think when we see responsible statesmen of the United States declaring they must have a navy second to none in the world. To my mind this was the most saddening and ominous thing I had ever heard. Many of us thought this race for armaments and this building of Dreadnoughts and battleships would cease, and I look upon the American declaration with grief and sorrow: I hope # the great nations will set about disarming rather than burdening themselves with colossal fleets and armies."