PARLIAMENTARY ITEMS.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 4, Issue 402, 11 June 1880, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY ITEMS.

In the Council on Tuesday, the business was purely formal, and occupied but a short time. • „ In the House of Representatives,* after a number of notices of motion and questions had been disposed of, the following Bills were introduced and read a first time —To extend the franchise to women (Dr Wftllis.) To prohibit party processions (MrPyke,} . v ... Some unimportant motions having been put arid xsarried, . * . ; , The Hon. T. Dick moved the second reading of the Licensing Act. In detailing its provisions he said that it was proposed to introduce what was known as tocal optioiij also to do away with the. bottle licenses at present in force in 'some parts of .the Colony. He explained the-provisions of the Bill at considerable length, and; he asked the House to join with the Government in making a Bill that would be at once fair to the publican and acceptable to the country. .' .. ! ' : Mr Barron sasl that climatic influences had a great dealto do with the necessities that existed for drink, and he thought that in New Zealand that fact would operate against a uniform measure being passed for the whole Colony. While agreeing with the proposal to abolish the bottle licensing system as it existed, he thought that a license of this kind placed upon a more stringent footing, the fee being say £30 or. £40, thereby ensuring that it would be in the hands of lespectable persons, would be a boon to the public. : -^v Mr Stewart also spoke against the impropriety of the total abolition of thj* bottle license. He looked upon the Bill.as whole, favourably. ■.' Mr Seddon complained that ample pro vjr sion had ript been made against the illicit sale of spirits. He also maintained that some concession should be made for the aecomod'ation houses. He also objected to single women being allowed to hold licensee. The debate was interrupted by the 5.30 p.m. adjournment. On resuming at 7.30, the House went into Committee of Ways and Means, when the Hon. the Colonial Treasurer delivered his financial statement. A condensed epitome of the statement appears in an-

other column. Major Atkinson concluded •atjive minutes past nine, having spoken 'exiictfJNm hour and a half, and sat down amidst vociferous and prolonged cheering. Sir George Grey pointed out one great defect in the financial proposals of the Government. He said that it was necessary before they could induce the Colony to give up raising loans, they must make them feel the weight of the burden. The fact was that the first who should be made to feel that weight were the law makers, and yet the tendency of the Government policy waa in the opposite direction. The owners of large estates benefited by the public works should be made to bear that weight, and yet the only relief proposed was that the tax was to be taken off books and other personalties, and put on beer. By that means the members of this Housefriends would alone be benefited, and the population as a whole made tosuffer. The' personalty was the only tax those gentlemen could not shift from their own shoulders. They were taking the tax off themselves, arid placing it on all. springs of industry. All improvements" would be taxed, and that would operate against the march of progress. Then again the foreign bondholders were to escape free, while the same class in New Zealand wee to l>e taxed; Every one of the proposals meant to drive capita) out of I the eoJony ' That woujd be done in' selfdefence, no as to avoid the taxation imposed in this colony. -What he saidwwars r " Let us begin with a fair system of taxation—taxation! that would fall on the great magnates of the place. Not until that was done would they bring the population as a whole to a sense of the extravagance that had been going on.' The proposals made ; were unjust, tyrannical, and unwarrantable, and lie toped they would not be submitted to."

Major Atkinson said that the last speaker knew nothing about what he was talking of. The exemption would be largely in favor of poorer classes of taxpayers. It would exempt o class who just came within the. operation of the Act. He knew one great magnate who paid under the land tax £4 pei. annum, whereas under the> property tax he would pay as many hundreds. The tax was one which would overtake, the wealthier classes. Any person possessing over £400 in personal property, belonged to'a class well able to bear the imposition proposed by the property tax. "'The last speaker was one who had iridtietrioDsly circulated the opinionthat the Government could enter upon t io premises-of a taxpayer and make an inventory of his effects. That was false. If a false return was made, the tax collector was not entitled to make a valuation. He could only require the owner to get. eworn [■ evidence of the correctness of hie own valuation. . Sir.GGrey was the very man who. complained alioui works of art being taxed, and now he complained about that exemption. He was one ot a class who was never content. Hit him high or Tow, he was never content, and there was no use trying to please him.

Sir G. Grey said that it was true that he had 'objected to works of art beingtaxed, but that objection was iraadesim- :- ply as an objection.to what was a.part of the wliole objectionable system. Hie speech was simply an effort on the part of the Treasurer, delurfe the House. No British CoinVnrtnity'had" ever before submitted to a tax of the kind. He repeated that the whole efforts of the Government had been to tax the poor man and.Wlow the wealthy to get off. If th& tax was kept on at all it ought to be made to apply to personal property, so ac to overtake the rich man. He hoped they would join with their constituents in an endeavour to get the obnoxions tax repealed. Mr Roid quoted from Hansard to show that the Treasurer on the occasion on which it was proposed to impose a beer tax denounced it as wrong in principle. The Hon. J. Hall said that the explanation gjven of these proposals was.that they were made in view of the pressing exigencies of the cane. No matter what their* proposals had been, Sir G. Grey , would be bound to oppose them. He complained that they bad not imposed a. tax on shipping , . The effect of that would have been that all the chipping" would immediately be moved., elsewhere. He had told them that the large landowners should pay for tl» railways a& these m?|Mmy% bad benefited their properties. Tire fact was that large and small propfeity wne scattered indiscriminately all over tbe Colony, and it would be impossible to separate the operation of the tax from one property. The widfer the railways spread the more they • increased the value of email properties as well as large ones.-.Again, they were told that their measures were calculated to drive capital out of the colony. That wae a new character to take up. It was not eolong since he told a public meeting in this place that they did not want the capitalists. It was not true that they were going to tax the bondholders in New, Zealand and allow the foreign bondholders to go free. That was not the case. What they aimed at wasto tax the property in New Zealand, and any attempt to tax the foreigner would not be taxation but simply repudiation. Ihe effect of the land tax passed by the Government of which Sir G. Grey wae the bead was to tax the struggling land owner and allow those wbo resided in a town away from their land, to go free; As long as Sir G. Grey confined himself to declamation he was admirable, but the moment he touched upen questions of. policy heimmediately upset himself. Sir George' Grey said that under & judiciousysystem tbey'Yni'ghJe? raise enough for their requirements without going outside to borrow money. ' Jjjhat was that laud should be made cheap; and a tax imposed such as would create for the colony. Had that course been followed up there would have, been no such ac had been theicufsevof that province. His views on tbftt eub'jeet were shared in by the United] States, ac well as toe ablest men «t Home. These/prpposate were of & nature encourage men to acquireenormous estates. He had called for returns on the subject, and believed it would be shown that at that very moment they were conniving at the acquisition of such estates. No answer had been made to the charges preferred by him that the tax would not fall upon the wealthy population. He called upon them to produce the Auckland compact, but they would not do it. The fact that they would not produce that compact, which he knew they had in their pockets, was evidence that there was something radically wrong. These were facts, and it was wrong of the

Premier to say that he did not deal with facts, and facts, too, which they were not able to answer. He called upon them to answer his arguments, and not shield themselves behind a plea that it was mere Reclamation, ifa had been misrepresented by the Premier m regard to the foreign bondholders. "Wfcat he contended for was that the foreign liolder should be taxed the same as the New Zealand bondholder. Colonel Triuftle quoted from Hansard to prove that Sir George Grey had beeni.n the habit of-making unfounded and inaccurate statements. . Mr George defended Sir G. Grey from the accusation made against him by Colonel Trimble. , Mr J. B. Fisher also spoke on the same, side. , ' ' , Mr Gisborne objected to the .proposals for taxation made in the statement. Ihe -property tax was like the proposed beer tax, uneound.in principle. He suggested the repeal of the property tax, and the substitution of a tax on incomes. In reply to Mr Montgouieiy, ** The lion. Colonial Treasurer said that provision would be made by which the new duty might be added to prices under existing contracts. Mr Seddoa opposed the property _ tax, 4t*vocating- the exemption of mining.

machinery. . '.",.' ' Mr Speight said that Major Atkinson had shown there was no -. real ground, for making the property,tax exemption, .he, promised, as the objections were purely _ , ■;'■;.• The motion Imposing the beer duties wae then put and carried. The Horns adjourned at 12.10. , ■ ... <• Wednesday is private members day. In the Council the'Hon W. Mantel introduced, the Deceased Wife's Sisters Marnage Bill. A discussion took place on the second read-, . ing of the Native Reserves Bill, which was postponed. V In the House of Representatives a mes«age from the Governor was laid upon the table, containing a despatch from the - Secretary of State intimating that the honor of knighthood had been conferred on the Speaker (Mr G. M. O'Rorke). The, Speaker was duly congratulated by both - sides of the House, and acknowledged the. compliment. The Municipal Corporations Act Amendment Bill (Mr Hutchison) was read a second time, its ' committal being postponed for three weeks to give mumci-. palities time to express their opinion, on the measure. , Further discussion took place _on the Licensing Bill, the debate was adjourned till the following evening. . • • ■ The Auctioneers' Licensing Bill was read : a second time and the House adjourned. ;