The Timaru Herald FRIDAY, NOV. 12, 1909. THE BUDGET.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 14055, 12 November 1909, Page 4

The Timaru Herald FRIDAY, NOV. 12, 1909. THE BUDGET.

Sir Joseph "Ward is Prime Minister, Minister of finance, Postmaster-Ge-neral, Minister of Defence, Minister of Lands, and Minister in Charge of four other State Departments. He is after all but one person, and that may be the explanation of tho fact that when, as Minister of Finance, lie fulfilled his undertaking to deliver a "Financial Statement"- on Wednesday night, tho document is found to deal with almost a hundred and one subjects besides finance. He appears to have disburdened himself of a statement for each of his portfolios and charges and to hare strayed also into tho domains of some of his colleagues for material to make up a Budget of record length. .Land questions occupied a large share of the space, thoifgh not affecting the financial sido of the Statement, except in regard to the purchase of native lands; and at the other end of tho scale of importance is a proposal to stop pony racing. However, the document will not be officially entitled a Financial Statement, hut ji Budget, and if as a Budget it shoult represent the whole of the Ministeria' activities, it does not do justice to the other Ministers, . while somio of theii business is madouse of. It woulc have been much hotter to .do one thine at a time, and justice to the importance of some of tho subjects would ther have demanded tho devotion of mu'6l moro time to thcni. It may have been as an economy of labour that thej have been tied together in one bundle The Budget is very much like a luckybag or a bran-pie. There is somethjinj: in it for everybody, and the "prizes' are positive) and negative. For tin leaseholder who wishes to acquire the freehold of his farm, there is the promise that he shall have it. F'-i tho landless, nativo lands shall .1« bought. Tfor the settlor who wuit.j a, cheap loan on mortgage of his hind and tho local body seeking a rlionj loatv on mortgago of rales, choai money is to be provided. For the So cialist there is profitable State coa mines to refer to, and the proposcc extension of State trading in a North South State ferry service. Fw tin State Bank advocate, there is an in creased tax on banks. For the poli tician who believes in borrowing then are reiterated praises of tho results o past borrowing, and for him who doe! not believe in it, there is the con "elusion that it is not wise to con tinuo''borrowing as fast as hitherto There is a gift to old age pensioners ttue supcrannuitants, and a bonus for fill iiig the cradle on Crown leaseholds And, -strangest of all, .Prohibitionist: and Moderates arc" to get—something—that, will satisfy them both—" for se veral years to come." (The something is set'forth to-day.) On the othc'i side, the wealthy are to he squcczcc a little more whilst alive-and a goo'ci doal more aftor death. The businosf man and the holiday maker will have to pay moro for long railway rides; and •Racing Clubs pay more for the privilege of following their sport—with a .setroff in the prohibition of pony racing. And the consumers of dutiable imports arc to furnish say £50,000 a year through additional cost of such commodities. The positive prizes may he acceptable, tho negative ones will not hurt anyone very much,— and largely they go" to meet the cost of defence. They will make very little, if any, observable eliffcrcncc in the life •of tho people. One proposal■ in the Budget will make an enormous difference. This is the Internal Defence scheme, which will affect directly, and importantly, the lives of tens of thousands of laels "from 12 to 18" who are to bo required to undergo successively physical and elementary military training; and rtf tens of thousands of voting men from "18 to 21," who are to he required to undergo military training, and to begin it "as soon as' the requisite registration can be completed." The training of both sections is to ho mainly carried on in the evenings and on half holidays, but with a fortnight in camp each year for the elder section. Our boys and young men and their parents, have only to consider what this moans, and they will say that the Internal Defence scheme, from its effect upon the life of the people, is by far the most important proposal in Sir J. G. Ward's 1909 Budget. It is conceivable that tho scheme could be made as popular as the football which

it must in a very large extent displace. Whether it, becomes as popular or not will depend very much on the way it is carried out—if Parliament adopts it. Eight at the outset it is proposed to "spoil the ship for a ha'portlr of tar." Those under compulsory training are not to ho, provided with uniform—one of tho most important aids to popularity among tl\o trained, and to respect among tho rest of the. community. tho "military game" must bo mado popular if it is to be made.successful, and it lias been played so long in uniform by tho Volunteers that the uniform now stands for* tho game. The school hoy, tho footballer, the hockey player, and even the staid bowler, attach great importance to their "colours"; and tho idea of disregarding this symbol of co-ope-ration and cohesion in connection with the military game implies a lack of consideration for a genuino, natural, and valuable element in human nature. If persisted in it may wreck the whole scheme. In addition to tin's scheme tho Budget mentions an "active force" of 20,000 men between 18 and 30.' The only hints given of its nature seem to indicate that it will be a forco very like tho present Volunteers, save that it will bo equipped and exorcised on Imperial lines. Parliament and Country will eagerly await tho details of these schemes.

DOMINION PROHIBITION. Tho most interesting item of news in this morning's papers throughout tho Dominion is that from Wellington, which explains tho mysterious passage in tho Budget, regarding amendments of the Licensing Law. The Primo Minister informed the House yesterday that lii's colleague Dr Findlay had "boon in touch with tho representatives of both parties," and had induced each of them to agree to a reduction of tho "majority" from 60 per cent, to 55 per cent., and to the acceptance of " Dominion Prohibition " by. the same 55 per cent, majority. These proposals havo yet to he Iqokcd into by the House, and it is to bo hoped that thoro will be found Members to inquiro why the Hon. Dr. Findlay bargained with only two parties, when.there aro threc\ parties concerned, and tho third, tho ignored party, the most important one. By a convenient short sightedncss, purposely adopted,. tho Prohibition Party sec only tho few licensees and a few drunkards as forming tho party opposed to them; and Dr. Findlay has adopted thO same short and harrow-focus. The second "party" dealt with must he the licensees, who have .only a. financial interest 'in, the matter. Tho groat section of .'the Sy l,lic ' +» supply . whose wants licensees, wholesale, and retail, 'exist, has not been consulted; has apparently been treated as a nqgligihtfl quantity. . <->-,.»■ -p.... . ■,■■ ■-..-. ..'>