GOVERNMENT CRITICISED

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XXVI, Issue 7903, 17 September 1929, Page 2

GOVERNMENT CRITICISED

SPEECH BY LEADER OF RE- ; FORM PARTY OFFSET TO DEFICIT 3y Telegraph—Press Association AUCKLAND, this day. In his speech at the opening of the new rooms of (he Political Reform League, the Hon. J. G. Coates, Leader of the Reform Party, opened his remarks with a brief reference to the “truce” that been formally agreed to in the short session in order that the Government might have an opportunity to give legislative effect to its election pledges. The chief results, he said, had been a series of attacks on the Reform administration’s record. In particular the Government had attempted to put upon the Reform Party tho blame for the £577,000 deficit and the answer to this was that the deficit was more than offset by £2,200,000 of surpluses which Reform had accumulated during its term of officeThe new and increased taxation proposed in the Budget was in no way necessary to make good the deficit. Of the taxation proposals the increase in primage duty was especially objectionable, because it took no account of capacity to pay.