NEWS AND NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1519, 15 August 1912, Page 6

NEWS AND NOTES.

PAYERS OF INCOME TAX. INCOMES TOTAL £11,066,621.. A return giving interesting statistics regarding tho taxation of inco'mes was preSPiited to the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon, on the motion of Mr. Laurenson (Ljttelton). The total number of income tax payers is 11,303, including 532 companies, and discharges on incomes under .£3OO, who are not entitled to exemntion. Their incomes ' aggregate. JE11,066,1i21. Tho folloving table shows the number of persons paying taxes on incomes of various amounts , and the total amount in each class: — Income. Number. Total JC3OI) to -£500 5,876 .£2,297,905 ■iTiOO lo .CIOOO 3,215 .ti.OOO to X 10.000... 1,542 .ei«,000 to .£50,000 02 0:1,673,975 Over JC50.000 1U .ti1,)20,4G8 MAORI REPRESENTATION. The following reply by tli? Hon. W. F. Massey (Prime Minister) to a question by the Hon. A. T. Ngata is intcrestinß: "The Govemmeiit is of opinion, that.the time lms.not yet arrived for.Uie abolition of special Maori representation." A COAL DEPOSIT. , Cabinet is upw Considering the ndviv ability 'of. getting a rspDrt-a.5 to the ccst of a light railway from Cape Poulwind lo Charleatcn, «i distance of about teii miles, through level country. Tho matter v;as rai-ed in the Houso of Repfesehtatives .reiterday in a question addressed by Mr. Colvin ro the Minister for Public Works. The member for Buller stated that (hero is an inexhaustible supply of good household coal in tho Charleston district, which could ho put on truck. l , at Ipfs than 2;. per ton rlelivniwl in Wrllington at from 12s. to Us. f.nv ton. TAUPO-TOTARA PETITION. Thf! petition »f the Taupo-Totara Tim- >£ CouiKaDj-, m.yiicb. U-oskt for aakt-.

aiioe in extending its tramway or in the alternative for Hie right to purchase a large iiroii of Crown and Nativn hind, which would boiieiit by Hie extension, was mentioned in the House of Representatives yesterday.

Mr. Macdonald ?nid that he had presented tin* petition, lint had not been notified us (o whi'n it would lie. .hoav<l or an opportunity "jiven of calling evidence in support of Uio pelilinn. Tiio Prime Minister said that the Government prepo-rd lo give tho petitioners a special committee, lie was not prepared nt the moment to nominate, (he committee, but would do it. on die morrow.

IN BRIEF. The petition of Thomas Nicholson, of Wellington, praying for further relief in connection with his application for an old-ago pension, was yesterday referred to the. Government for favourable consideration. The Petitions Committee recommended that tho petitioner should be granted £2Ci.

The Petitions Committee made no recommendation on the petition of E. W. Pidgeon, of Christcliurch, asking for a remission of duty on cigarette-making machines.

The petition of tho Wellington Farmers' Meat. Company, Ltd., praying for a refund of a penalty incurred under the Stamp Duties Act, was yesterday referred to the Government for favourable, consideration. . .

• 'l'h» Wellington District Suburbs Iliilc Club recently petitioned Parliament for a refund of duty paid on a. trophy won in the "Daily Mail'' Empire C'hallsn'sn Competition. Yesterday the petition was referred fo .the Government for. favourable consideration. . '. .

Tho petition of J[. If. Kiliaroa and 19 others-for. a grant of j>l3oo to enable an extension to be made to .the Xative College at Otnki was- referred to the Education• Committee. : " .. The firm trading as "the Taraiiaki (Xew Zealand) Oil Wells, Ltd.," has petitioned asking for the refund of at least "half of a sum of £1200 paid as Stamp duty when tlielirm purchased the properly of the Taraiiaki Petroleum Company. • ■ • ' .