THE SIXTY MILLIONS

Wairarapa Age, 17 November 1919, Page 5

THE SIXTY MILLIONS

ARRANT NONSENSE.

SIR JOSEPH WARD'S CRITICISM

(Uy telegraph—Fress Association) AUCKLAND, Last Night. Referring to Sir Joseph Ward'* cri deism of the Dominion finance) the Right Hon. W. F. Massey, in a speech at Papakura, said it was the most arrant nonsense a politician ever spoke. Sir Joseph Ward's statement would lead to the bclK;f that the Government proposed to spend £60,000,000 during the present financial year, but this, sum included the whole of the ordinary expenditure, including salaries, pensions, and interest and sinking fund on loans. He failed to see what possible obpection could be made to these items. The actual commitments for the year totalled £31,262,000, but it would not be possible to spend one-fourth of the amount in the period. Autho&ty had been obtained for £14,500,000 for soldiers' settlement, and the expenditure of this would probably extend over three years. The commitments. included £10,000,000 for gratuities and outstanding war expenses, of which the gratuities would absorb £6,000,000. Yet Sir Joseph Ward, who now raised alarm over the financial situation, had wanted to increase the gratuities to a sum that would have amounted to £B,000,000. Sir Joseph Ward's proposal wag simply electioneering. The soldiers themselves were satisfied with the amount. They knew the other proposals were humbug and bunkum, and he objected to the public affairs being put up to auction in that manner. The criticism was that of an irresponsible politician, who was doing a great deal of harm to the financial reputation, .of the country, which was ■ sound, and particularly prosperous.