WHEAT DUTIES AND SILVER

Taranaki Daily News, 24 August 1931, Page 16

WHEAT DUTIES AND SILVER

PROBLEM OF STATE LOTTERIES.

MR. C. A. WILKINSON GIVES VIEWS

The wheat duties and the question of silver coinage were again discussed by Mr. C.. A. Wilkinson, M.P., when he addressed a meeting of electors at Pihama on Saturday night. He was ready, he said, to have an-. other fight on the question of wheat duties and cause a division of the House. Labour would only go so far as to favour an inquiry. “But we are sick to death of inquiries; what we want is action,” added the speaker. “If they have a surplus of ivlieat next year will they give us cheap wheat then? No, they will not, they will export it.” Referring to the arrangement for a share' of the profit on the coinage ot silver, Mr. Wilkinson said he wanted the profit on the whole • of* the silver in circulation, and that was £1,250,000. That figure was arrived at by taking the amount of silver in circulation at £1 per head, or equal to £1,500,000, and deducting the cost of minting. It had been suggested that there would ba difficulty in getting rid of the present silver coinage, but this, Mr. Wilkinson considered, would -be no problem, at all. W'hen Australia commenced to mint money England agreed to resume a certain proportion of her coinage each year, while in Africa England had sold the current coinage to the country at bullion rates. Furthermore, it would be quite easy to get rid of British coinage because there was an exchange rate in favour of sending money to England, and immediately the embargo was lifted British money would fly out pf New Zealand. t , ■ Mr. Haseltjne asked if they could not also make money by a State lottery. Mr. Wilkinson: That is one of the few questions to which I cannot say yes or no. ' If the country can stand on its feet gambling I would say.no, but the financial position is becoming such that we will have to adopt other ways and means, and possibly lotteries will have to be considered. Mr. Kruse asked what wae the Government’s policy in regard to plantations. He . understood that certain forests on Kaingaroa Plains had not been thinned, although the trees were 30 years old. Mr. Wilkinson said he would make inquiries and see if that were correct. He had -no knowledge on the subject. He thought that more use should be made of unemployed single men in forestry operations. In reply to another question as to an alternative to party government Mr. Wilkinson said that the Cabinet should be elected for a fixed period. ‘‘lf the party system is a good system why are we in the mess that we are in to-day?” he asked. “The Independents fight . their own battles,” proceeded Mr. Wilkinson,” and do not rely on party funds. You never know who is at the back of a party. Somebody provides party funds for all parties in New Zealand, and you never know where these funds come from. Is not the money given- for some sort of protection?” ” A voice: Bribery. Mr. Tosland asked what amount of revenue was being received. in wheat duties at present and how this would be made up if the duties were removed. • Mr. Wilkinson replied that the amount of money received in this respect was not published. He could not say exactly what this would come, to as it was fixed on a sliding scale according to the market price of wheat. No revenue was derived from wheat grown in New Zealand. On the motion of Mr. J. D. Conaglen, seconded by Mr. R. W. Haseltine, the speaker was accorded a hearty vote of thanks for’his instructive address. Mr. J. 8. Tosland presided.