THE COMMONWEALTH

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 556, 10 July 1909, Page 5

THE COMMONWEALTH

GRADUATED LAND -TAX. ■) ■ ' : UNATTAINED OBJECTS IN DOMINION. TIMBER INVASION. . (By Teleutaph.—Press Association.—Oopyrlcht.) Melbourne, July 9. Sir William Lyno imparted lifo to the censure debate by making bitter personal attacks on tho members of tho Cabinet over the fusion.. Sir William, concluded by demanding an increased iduty on timber. Ho claimed . that the industry Was being ruined. • Some; of the speakers claimed that tho progressive land tax in New Zealand had failed in its objects of breaking up largo estates and keeping land values $own. They predicted a similar failure here. Tho debate has bean adjourned till Tuesday. . : ... ... ' ... .. adjodtrned; (Reo. July 10, 1.6 a.m.) V, Melbourne, July 9. Tho censure dobato in'tho Federal Parliament has been adjourned till Tuesday. PREMIERS' CONFERENCE. : ' RECONSIDERATION OF FEDERAL FINANCES. ' ' Melbourno, July 9. ; It has beon arranged that tho Premiers' Conference shall meet at Melbourne on August 13. The chief : subject to ,bc discusscd will bo tho financial relations of the States and the Commonwealth. The Prime Minister (Mr. Deakin) will attend and give liis views. ■ ■ i 1 f FEDERATION AND STATES. . .. ' OLD, AGE PENSIONS AND FINANCES. , Thoro was a conference of Premiers v not long ago, during the regime of the Fisher Government, which rejected tho Premiers'' proposals as, to apportioning the finances of tho Federal Government and tho States. But the Deakin Government may arrivo at a different attitude, for it: estimates the cost of Federal . old ago pensions at coneidorably moro than tho 'Fisher Government's estimate. ■ It is said that ' the latest estimate is JC2.000,000," per annum, or half-a-million more than the?previous; one, : In a reoent speech tho Premier of New Soutlv Wales, Mr. Wade/ said that under this ; present system tho. Commonwealth could only reserve to itself *,one-fourth of. the net; revenue from Customs and cxciso. A sum of JEBOO.OOO had 'boon reserved. But he '.ventured';'to say that the "obligations' oFthe Commonwealth Governmont undiT, this heading would ; be. in twelve months, about; a million and a quarter sterling. ; Tho. Commonwealth would not 'be ■ able to meet this obligation, and by Juno' 30 next many deserving old people would,.be;left without; their pensions,' . The following outlines: what; Mr./Wado; considers a fair : offer.'by -.the States to,thqCoin: monwealth:—The States were about to pass over. to the Commonwealth the old, age pensions,' navigation, quarantine, audi.other ters involving Inrge and increased expenditure, ,'nnd tho States,could not expect to receive back from the Commonwealth' Government the same amount which tliey used to' enjoy. ,Ot the lli millions the\Commonwealth could now claim, only 25 per cent., ; but .when the States wero rolieVcd from, the various mattors to which he had'already referred, ho thought that they would,,out of the 111 millions, bo able to allow the Commonwealth ij .millions, or Pi , roughly, .10 per. cent., whereas it \Va£" now receiving only, 25 per cent. v.