FINANCE OF NEW ZEALAND

Taranaki Daily News, 22 August 1931, Page 11

FINANCE OF NEW ZEALAND

MORE POST OFFICE REVENUE DECREASED EXPENDITURE SHOWN DISTRIBUTION OF PETROL COSTLY. By Telegraph—Press Association. Wellington, Aug. 21. Resuming the Budget debate in the House of Representatives to-day the Hon. J. B. Donald, Postmaster-General, supplemented his statement of the pievious evening regarding post office returns. He said it was gratifying that in. addition to an increase in revenue there was also a decrease in expenditure. Furthermore, the department still had its best months before it. Referring to the wheat duties, Mi. Donald said he did not see why tho wheat farmer should necessarily have tlie value of his land kept at £2O per acre when the sheepfarmer, was finding his equity dwindling away. Mr. Donald did not agree with the Hon. J. G. Cobbe that the number of members of Parliament could be reduced. He considered that many Parliamentarians were already overworked, and he hoped that when there was an improvement in the national finances the Government of the day would increase the members’ salaries.

Replying to the assertion that the Government could makp £2,000,000 by taking, over the distribution of petrol, Mr. Donald said that on the difference between English and New Zealand prices there would be scope for only £1,250,000, and from this there would have to be deducted the consequences of greater storage charges, greater distribution costs and the costs of freighting spirit double the distance. Furthermore, during the time involved in all these processes evaporation would be a very high charge* Mr. J. S. Fletcher (Ind., Grey Lynn): “Every one of those excuses applies to England.”" Mr. H. Holland (Ref., Christchurch North) expressed the opinion that it was a pity tliat the services of members of the old Unemployment Board had not been retained, because their experience would have been valuable. He urged that money should be spent on more productive works, and he enumerated st number of relief works on which he considered money had been frittered away. He accused the Government of extravagance in expenditure on railways and roads. Mr. F. Lye (United, Waikato) said that although a large numberof Opposition members had spoken during the debate there had nbt been much in the way of constructive suggestions. .He defended the- Government’s administration of the funds from the petrol tax. Mr. W. Nash (Lab., Hutt) said much had been heard about the Arbitration Court awards in relation to farming costs. He argued that labour charges were a comparatively small item.