BRITISH FINANCES

Southland Times, Issue 21660, 23 March 1932, Page 7

BRITISH FINANCES

IMPROVED OUTLOOK EMERGENCY NOT YET OVER A BALANCED BUDGET (British Official Wireless.) Rugby, March 19. After referring to the improved financial outlook brought about during the past few months the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr Neville Chamberlain in a speech at Birmingham uttered a warning against optimistic assumption that the emergency which had called the National Government into existence was over and against a premature relaxation of national effort. “We have indeed witnessed a change for the better since the National Government took office which has been described as almost miraculous, but that position can only be maintained if we maintain the course that brought it about, namely, a determination to pay our way and balance our Budget,” he said. During his speech over the week-end the Minister of Labour, Sir Henry Betterton, said that the cause of the renewed confidence now generally felt throughout Britain was the prospect of a balanced Budget. Britain was almost alone among the nations in a position, though at great sacrifice, to pay her way. He believed that, when orderly progress once again took the place of economic chaos, the nation might find itself in the position of being among the first to take advantage of a general world recovery. The employment figures also justified feelings of restrained optimism.