BEER DUTY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1894, 31 October 1913, Page 4

BEER DUTY.

PROPOSAL TO INCREASE IT. ADEQUATE LICENSES SUCCESTEB. The Hon. F. M. B. FISHER moved tho third reading of the Beer Duty Amendment Bill. Mr. G. V. PEARCE (Pntea) said he had in Committco moved an amendment to raluco tlio duty on boor, as an indication that the duty should bo doubled. In the House ho had had a vory full discussion on his amendments, and amongst others who h<vd declared in Committoo for an increase in tho duty on beer wore Sir Joseph Ward,, and Messrs. Russoll, Hnnan, Buxton, Ngata, Atinore, Ell, Isitt, Forbes, Laur-. onson, Webb,' and Voitch. Ho hoped this would impress upon the Government tho necessity for imposing the tax at once on the browing monopoly. Tho country would be put to a good deal of extra oxpenso on account of the smallpox epidemic, and tho strike, and ho would therefore urge tho Government to tax the brewing monopoly without delay. Mr. P. C. WEBB (Grey) said ho would support the proposal to increaso the tax on beer because beer manufacture was a monopoly, but ho thought the Government should take over tho browing industry. Mr. G. WITTY (Riccarton) declared that Mr. Pcarco had brought in his amendment at tlio instance of the Government as a feclor as to how tho House, felt on tho subject of the increase. Mr. A. E. GLOVER (Auckland Central) said ho was prepared to put any reasonable tax on brewers, but he did not think an increased tax on beer would affect tlio brewer. If the Government wanted to attack the brewers thoy_ should do so through licensing legislation to reduce the brewers' tyranny over publicajia. Mr. L. 51. ISITT (Christchurch North) said that although tho Opposition was called tho party supported by brewers it would be found that an increase of the beer tax would bo' supported by nine out of ten members of tho Opposition. Mr. R. M'CALLUM (Wairau) said tho tax would fall on tho brewer, but ho would pass it on to the farmer by paying loss for barloy. He suggested that the - propor way to ' attach the liquor monopoly was to demand from public-houses an adequate license fee. There were hotel licensees in Wellington who would pay willingly £2000 a year to tlio Stato for the monopoly they enjoyed. He would advise the Government to consider this. Mr. Fisher: We've considered it all right. When the House met at 7.30 p.m. the Bill was read a third timo without further discussion.

SCIENCE AND ART BILL. Tlio Science and Art Bill was considered in Committee and reported with amendments, including the following r.ew clausc moved by Mr. J. S. Dickson on behalf of Mr. A. M. Myers:— ' " BA. (1) All pictures or other works of ar-3 purchased for tho Dominion Art Gallery out of moneys appropriated by Parliament may, on application in that behalf, bo temporarily transferred for exhibition to such public art galleries as tho board 1 from time to timo directs. " (2) Applications under this section may bo mado by the governing bodies of such galleries, but such governing bodies shall, if required, furnish to the Dominion Art Gallery a sufficient numbor r of works to fill tho places of t-hoso transferred. The cost ot such transfer shall be defrayed by the Government," THE RAILWAYS BILL.

SECOND BEADING DEBATE. Tho Hon. W. H. HERRIES moved tho second reading of tho Government Railways Amendment Bill. Ho said that Jig intended, after the second reading,. to refer the Bill to the Hallways Committee so that any of the railway ■servants who desired to do so might give evidence. The principal amendments in the Bill wero with regard to leve lorossings, and inquiries when aeeident stook place. • Another clause empowered tho Minister to modify the report of the Board of Appeal. This would enable the Minister to temper justice with mercy. At present ho had to either allow or disallow the decision of tho board. Tho crux of the Bill was in the schedulo. The First Division had got practically all that they contended for in the petitions sent in and a littlo mora. Silt JOSEPH WARD (Leader of the Opposition) said, that it was gratifying to find' that tho men of the First Division were getting that recognition to which their services entitled them. Mr. W. A. VEITCH (Wariganui) said the Bill was a great improvement upon service conditions, particularly in tho First Division, and he greatly appreciated the efforts of the Minister in this direction. He hoped, however, that tho new regulations would be in the hands of members before tho Bill was considered in Committee.

Tho discussion was fcontinued by Messrs. Ell, Witty, arid Hanan. Tho debate was continued by Messrß. H. G. Ell, G. Witty, J. A. Hanan, J. V. Brown, E. J. Anderson, J. G. Coafces, and J. Robertson. Minister In Reply. Tho Hon. W. H. BERRIES,-in reply, thanked members for tho favourable reception they had given to tho Bill. Ho though every membor in the Hoaso must have recognised that tho Bill was an endeavour to carry out tho promise ho had made to the first division last year. He had come in for some hard knocks in the passage'of tho Railway Bill last year, becauso ho had not dono his duty to the first division, but he had to stand firm because ho had then to do his duty to tho second division. This year he had done his duty to the first division to the satisfacion, ho thought, of members of tho House and of the Officers' Institute. Ho was amazed to hear members of the Mackenzie Cabinet criticising adversely the importation of a General Manager, since the proposal to import a General Manager had been in tho Governor's Speech of that Cabinet. Ho was glad to hear all members say, howover, that they would give their loyal support to the now General Manager, regardless of their opinions as to his appointment. Ho hoped that /in a year's time they would bo able to say that the importation had been justified. This was his opinion after his experience of Mr. Hiley, and ho hoped and belioved that Mr. Hiley would improvo tho management of the railways to a very largo extent. With regard to tho veto of the ,Minister on tlio decisions of tho .Appeal Board, he would be glad to give up his right of veto if he could get an Appeal Board constituted like that for tho first division. _ Tho weakness in tho) present constitution of tho Appeal Board was that the Head Office was not represented, and tho Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants would not accept an appeal board similar to that of tho first division. In answer to tho request that members of tho railway service should have full civil and political rights, ho sajd that the regulation was not very stringently enforced in fast. There was an officer of the railway service who was a borough councillor in a borough near Cliristcliurcli, and ho had not been dismissed. It was, however, thought advisable to retain tho regula- «> tiuvt if fttpdom wnro nbtiEod. to

tlio detriment of tlio Department,- the regulation could bo enforced. The Bill was read a second timo, and referred to the Railways Committee.

POST AND TELEGRAPH. THE AMENDING BILL. The Hon. R. H. RHODES (Post-master-General) moved the' second reading of tTio Post and Telegraph Amendment Bill, and explained tho provisions of tho Bill. On© important feature of the Bill, lie said, was that tho amount for which, a depositor could receive interest in the Pest. Office Sayings Bank was increased' from £000 to £1000, In/ the Bill it was not proposed to increase tlio rata of interest, but it was intendeiT to pay 3 per cent, for sums in excess of £300. One reason for increasing tho amount' of tlio maximum deposit- was that a great deal of money was being deposited with local bodies and other institutions which would take larger sums than £600. Mr. J. V.'BROWN (Napier) complained of the grading of the Napier Post Office. Wireless Rates. SIR JOSEPH WARD (Awartia) said tho rato charged on wireless messages from tho coast to ships, lOd. per Word, was much too higln The high rato might have been necessary to begin with, but it should not be neccssary liow that tho publio had bccon-.o used to wireless. Ho knew that tho charges were only partly within tho control of tho Post and Telegraph Department, but ho would like the Minister to do what ho could to reduce the rates. Ho also asked what was being done towards laying a State-owned eable across tho Atlantic, to complete the All-Red to England. Until this cablo was laid there could bo no very eon« sidorable reduction in the cablo Tates. Mr. G. WITTY (Riccarton) -urged that tho charges for telephones, especially for telephones outside tho radius of ono railo, were too high. Mr. C. A. WILKINSON (Egwont) also Bjyoke about wireless ion ships. | Many matters in connection with this, lie thought, were worthy of the Minister's attention. The operators on ships were badly paid, and the accommodation provided for them was uncomfortable and poor. Also tho service on ships j was not so good as was generally supposed. Only -bjie officer was carried oh a ship, and he went off duty at midnight, unless he wero kept on for some special purpose, so that after midnight there was no one at call. Also, thero was only ono method of generating power for tho installation on ships, so that if t-lie engines wero damaped by a serious accident, such as a collision, the wireless would be useless. Mr. 11. G. ELL (Cliristchuroli South) advocated tlio sotting up of more slot telephones.

Minister's Reply, The Hon. R. H. RHODES, replying, assured the Leader of the. Opposition that there was nothing behind the proposal to raise tho maximum deposit in the Post Offico from £600 to £1!XK). Ho admitted that tho charges for radio messages wero heavy, his was not due, however, to. tho Government, but to the company's interest. Efforts were now being mado by representations to tlio coinTpanics, and to the Radio Telegraphic Conference to have the rates reduced. Ho had -not lost sight of tho proposal to have a State-owned cablo across the Atlantic, but lie understood tho people in Canada were not anxious to go 011 with this venture. They, wero now proposing to erect a big wireless station to communicate with a similar station in England or Ireland. Also, it seemed to be very difficult to get the English Postmaster-General to move in in this matter. Regarding telephone charges, lie hoped to be able to reduce the rates to dustant- subscribers vydien the automatic system was Qstalbd. Tho second reading was agreed to on the voices, and, tho Bill was referred to th Public Accounts Committee.' The House toso at 0.30 a.m.