FINANCE BILL

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23259, 21 July 1945, Page 4

FINANCE BILL

More Provision For F ?habilitation Progress Hindered By Shortages (N.Z.P.A.) WELLINGTON. July 20. The debate on the Finance Bill was continued when the House of Representatives resumed this afternoon. The Minister of Rehabilitation (the Hon. C. F. Skinneri referred to the needs of rehabilitation and said that the reason for taking powers to make more money available was that more money was required than formerly for various matters, including the purchase of land for returned men. The provisions of the Bill did not affect expenditue, but provided a . wider margin for expenditure until estimates could be brought down and money voted.

Mr Skinner said that 150,090 acres of improved land had been purchased and could be cut uo immediately for settlement. Already 87 properties had been balloted for. Of these 30 were not fully developed and the successful settlers were working lor wages on reading and fencing and would take over as farmers when the land was sufficiently developed. It would not be possible to complete the charges against the land until'the necessary improvements were made. No man would be settled on land that was not sufficiently developed to provide a decent living and meet all commitments. So far as housing was concerned, about 25 per cent of returned men wanted homes either to rent or buv, and the only limiting factor at tlie present time was manpower for the production of materials and building. That would be corrected bv the return of another 20,000 men, he hoped, before the end of the year. Those men would accentuate the position at first by wanting homes, but on the other hand they would supply the labour required for the production of building materials and homes.

“A Secondary Consideration” Mr W. A. Bodkin (National, Central Otago) said that every section of the community should be prepared to help to rehabilitate returned men, and any sacrifices necessary on their behalf should be made cheerfully. It appeared as if the State's attitude was that it would protect its own finances at all costs. The settlement of soldiers appeared to be a secondary consideration. The only way to secure enough land for soldiers was by subdividing the larger farms, and that could not be done

without some loss, because when extra homesteads were added the land could not be asked to carry the whole cost. If the State persisted in taking single holdings because they were safe financially, all that would be done would be the replacement of experienced farmers by returned men. Mr Bodkin advocated the development of orchards for returned men. He said there was a large area of Crown land in Central Otago that could be developed in that way with water owned by the Crown. The Minister of Defence (the Hon. F. Jones) said that better war pensions accounted for a good part of the increased expenditure. Mr W. J. Broadfoot (National, Waitomo) said New Zealand had made a great war effort, but it had gone beyond our man and woman power. So far as war pensions were concerned he wanted the case of a man who had dropped dead on final leave investigated. It was claimed that the man’s widow was not entitled to a pension because the man was Grade A and, consequently, death was not due to war causes.

Shortage of Suiting The Hon. D. G. Sullivan, later during the debate, said he admitted that there were real difficulties in the suiting material situation owing to the tremendous demand on the mills for the supply of military clothing, the shortage of labour, and the restricted supplies of material available from overseas. The annual requirements in New Zealand were between 240.000 and 250,000 suits. Production last year was more than 80,000, but production for the first three months of this year was 27,000 suits. Instructions had been given that 50 per cent of the existing stocks had to be held for returned soldiers. Mr F. W. Doldge (National. Tauranga): What about prices? Mr Sullivan said it was a subsidised line and while one could pav £2O or more for a suit, it was possible to buv one for less than £lO. which price, he thought, was reasonable. Before the House adjourned at 5.30 p.m. the Hon. W. Nash said the debate on the Bilil would be continued on Monday, and on Tuesday evening the Prime Minister would open the debate on the UN CIO report, which would be tabled, and present a motion for the approval of the Charter and its ratification.