N.Z. PARLIAMENT.

Waikato Times, Volume 110, Issue 18407, 14 August 1931, Page 8

N.Z. PARLIAMENT.

TO-DAY'S SITTING. REDUCING PRODUCTION COSTS. A START WITH FARMS URGED. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) W ELLINGTON. Friday. The House of Representatives met at 10.30 o’clock this morning. Mr A. E. Jull i,United —Waipawa resuming Hip Budget debate, replied to the suggestion from a Labour member that an additional £2.000,000 could be obtained from death duties. He characterised such a line of action as unsound policy, because the country would actually be using up its capital to carry on yearly allocations. Everyone who had been connected with business concerns would know what difficult situations arose when it became necessary to provide huge sums of money for death duties. New Zealand did not possess such a reservoir of accumulated wealth as there was in Great Britain, and it was therefore not possible to dip into it with the same apparent lack of difficulty. Mr Jull added that even in Britain the lack of difficulty was only too apparent. Mr Jull defended Hip actions of the Government in regard to highways finance, and said that despite allegations by Reform members that the revenue of lhe Highways Board had been reduced as the result of contraventions of the Art, lhe actual revenue of Hip board had increased by £’oo,ooo in one year.

Eulogy of Reform. .Mr \V. P. Endean (Reform —Parnell said the Reform Parly had guided lhe ship of stale through glorious seas up to the year 1928, but in that year there had been a change of Government, which had allied itself with the Labour Party. The Reform Party had warned the Government of the depression, but the warning had not been heeded in time. The payment of standard wages on relief works and other extravagances had heaped up taxation until the country had been bled white. Had the Reform Party continued in office the Budget would have been different fro mthe one the Prime Minister had introduced. He complained that New Zealand's financial advisers had not taken sufficient notice of Australia, and quoted warnings made to the Government by members of the Reform Party. The Leader of the Opposition had suggested a short session of Parliament, but the Government of lhe day had been so lacking in vision that it had not taken timely action. Had the Government heeded the advice there would have been a saving to lhe country of £1,250,000 in economies. The Government had not grappled seriously with the cost of living, continued Sir Endean. If the prices of the Dominion's products did not recover. cosls would have lo come down in conformity. A start would have to be made on farms, not only in regard to wages of shearers and shepherds, but in farming operations generally. Transport charges also would have to be reduced, and there was the necessity for rationalising indusThe House adjourned at 1 p.m.