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THE WAR LOAN.

"A REASONABLE RESPONSE." Press Association. DUNEDIN, Auril 4. In an interview regarding the war loan Sir Joseph Ward (Minister of Finance) emphasised the imperative need, for war purposes, of the whole of the money that the public are being asked to provide. The Minister added: "One feature about war expenditure, unlike the ordinary expenditure of a country, is that so long as the war goe< on, we cannot wait. War expenditure is quickly incurred, and so long as the war goes on, with whatever speed it may be, it is necessary to provide means, and there must be no delay of any kind. For instance, there is no such thing possible under war expenditure as making provision for it out of unauthorised expenditure. •'One recognises that to many people public finance is such a hard matter-of-fact subject that they may give it only passing attention. That occurs no doubt in the case of people who have some means, and who may not be impressed with the vital importance, for the carrying on of the war, of full financial requirements being available, so that the country may meet, daily and weekly, the war conditions. For that reason one finds it necessary, from time to time, to call special attention to the matter. Naturally one does not want to bother people who are engaged in their normal occupations, but the providing of money is just as important as, and in some respects more important than, the providing of men, though the sacrifice made by men is incomparablv greater, and it cannot ba over-estimated, than any inconvenience experienced by those who have to provide money to enable our men to fight the battle of freedom and civilisation. "During the raising of the last loans I did not give out the amounts subscribed from time to time. Ido not think it is a good thing to do, except in a general way. Up to the present, even with the Easter holidays breaking in, there is a reasonable response being made, but it is during the last week of a loan that the bulk of the money usually comes in. I am hopeful that the experience of the past will be repeated upon this occasion, and that we may be able to avoid taking the drastic course of putting compulsion into operation, though, if it should be necessary, it must be doney

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/SUNCH19180405.2.25

Bibliographic details

Sun (Christchurch), Volume V, Issue 1293, 5 April 1918, Page 4

Word Count
400

THE WAR LOAN. Sun (Christchurch), Volume V, Issue 1293, 5 April 1918, Page 4

THE WAR LOAN. Sun (Christchurch), Volume V, Issue 1293, 5 April 1918, Page 4