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WE BUDGET
A HOSTILE MOTION.
Melbourne, October 13.
In the House of Representatives to-day the
Suppy devate was continued in Commi- <*>
tee on the Budget.
Mr. Tudor asked why people should pay
I tici. pfjr Ib. j'yr imported Aitgixx wijeu ii.
icjst the Government only 4d.
| S;r .losfph Look— The Government are
: muiinj n<> proSt out or" the sugar.
I Tudor sj.id ho <ou d not see how
j iht-y were not. Jf tbe Government
'? ir<!,(XjO tons before Mmi at less than 2^^
, somelsMly must be making a proci:. He
; proposed when the Convention BUI came
j jei'ore the House to move an amendment.
) providing that Parliament should not
j shirk its responsibility. There were no
. bettor^ moo 10 look after the matter than
i tue ,o members who had experience and
i kru-tv tht- effects of ahe ConstitaU^i'
-1 Mr. 'UuWjiliams said the Budget aad
(wen a great disappointment to people
, owing to tiie large increase in expenditure.
j'lhe indebtedness ot Australia was appal.
-; in^ about 320 millions. It was time to ay
ja halt in the carnival of expeadituiv.
?iir Joseph Cook—How shall we meet our
obligations to the soldiers if we hiit
new?
Mr. -McWiliiams said he excluded the et\
dherf ooli^ations in his remarks. lie al
luded tn the £3£90.000 debt due to Bri
! tiin for the maintenance of troops, and ths
! Admiralty charges. Primary production
| had decreased. He mored a reduction of
; tlie first item on the Estimates by fl as
an indication to toe Government that their
expenditure should be reduced by at least
?'1,009,000. *
Mr. Birle PajK deprecated the increased
expenditure. The Northern Territory had
been allowed to drift.
iMr. Fleming wanted a reduction of as
much direct taxation on the primary pro
ducer as -possible.
Sir. Gregory saw no necessity for the
Prime Minister's debt. He supported the
amendment.
Mr. Bruce thought the cost of tiie^ ex
peditionary force and the 2vaoru Island
agreement should be paid out of r*rvenne
instead of loan. They should only use
loans for reproductive works. It was
not likely that the revenue wou'd keep up
to tbe present amount during the next few
years, but if it did they would only have
55 millions of revenue every year, and 70
millions of expenditure. ft had been a
ereat mistake for Australia not to meet
more of her war expenditure out of reve
nue, as Britain hsd done. People odd
then Itave met the extra taxation. They
were less aMe to do it now.
Progress was reported.
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