APPROPRIATION BILL

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 41, 12 November 1920, Page 8

APPROPRIATION BILL

SUBSIDIES AND TRANSFERS PROVISION FOR REDUCED TEA DUTIES The Appropriation Bill, introduced in the House of Representatives yesterday and passed by both branches of tho Legislature, contains forty-one clauses ami the usual mass of schedules and attached m-.-cnunts. Jinny •of the clauses arn thosj found in every Appropriation Bill, conferring certain authorities oa the Government. Tho Bill appropriates i15.982.35fi from th» ordinary revenue account for. the vear ending March 31 next, and ,£3.6G0.G0u out of the Public Works Fund. The arants from separate accounts amount to JE7.624.207. ' . An indemnity is given for unnuthone--1 ed expenditure amounting to .£451.750. i Moneys deemed to bifj'jrrccoverable are written off to the amount of .£43.415. Provision is made for the' new butter subsidy. The Minister of Finance is authorised to pay, in addition to .£600.000 for the butter subsidy, other sums up to ,£750.000 "to meet any emergency which ma:*, arise affecting tho public health, interests, or safety, or in providing for such essential supping as foodstuffs, coal, and raw material. The salary of the Auditor and Con-troller-General is increased from .£llOO to J31300. - ' . _, The. salary of the Public Service Commissioner is fixed at .£ISOO, and of each , Assistant Commissioner at .£I2OO. _ / Provision is made for special increments of salary to officers of the Public Service on tho ground of "outstanding merit and ability, combined with good and diligent conduct," and by reason of tho officer being regularly employed in the performance of special unties. It is provided tnat retired civil servants in receipt of superannuation, it they'become entitled to remuneration for services from the Government, shall not havo any deducFion made from their superannuation if tho aggregate amount of "remuneration and superannuation does 32 not. exceed .£26 ss, per month. Special provision is made for the payh, ment of a sum equal to the amount deSj ducted or deductible from superannuation allowance in respect of payment for ,M special services to the Government in the ... eases of D. Robertson. A. D. Thomson, „! H. J. H. Blow. W. S. Short. H. Max--10 well, and J. Hav. • 0 f Tho Bill authorises the payment of i, B the cost of living bonus to superannuated re civil servants and dependants on the fol0. lowing basis i— To pensioners in receipt of less ig than 4!100 a year, a maximum bonus t- -of £46, the increased payment not to exceed .£100: i» To widows, a bonus of ,£2O for tho ir current, financial year: d 1 (' To children, a bonus of £20. The payment of a pension of .£250 a *j year to Colonel T. W. Porter in recogni■jn lion of faithful services is authorised. ,j The Minister of Finance is authorised to transfer money from the War .Tlxpenses Account to the Discharged Sol--1 diers' Settlement Account. He is also authorised to transfer ,£1,000,000 from "„ the Consolidated Fund to the Dis- , charged Soldiers' Settlement' Account. :i Another .authorisation covers the transfer of d 81.000.000 from the Consolidated Fund to the Public Works Fund. The paymentof .£2ooo'to the late Gov-ernor-General in respect of special exi- pendituro incurred in connection with le the visit of the Prince of Wales in Is validated. a Payments made by the Government in ;s the purchase of Australian wheat and d by local authorities in the reception or d entertainment' of the Prince of Wake io are validated. • >f A new clause added to the Bill after it i- reached the House, on motion of the 0 Primo Minister, provides that the Gov't eminent may reduce tho rates of Cus'e ioms duty on tea. When thj reduction ■'" is declared, tea in bulk is to be free of [1 duty if the produce of. British DoniinK ions and 2d. per pound in other cases. '• Other tea is to pay 2d. per pound if the lt produce of British Dominions, and id. ! - per pound in all other cases. • The Bill Discussed. V The debate that followed the introduc,r tion of thn P Bill had little to do with the measure. Each speaker took for his subt' ~ ject the things in which he had displayed n most interest during the session. The e opponents of tho Government niade the B usual uncomplimentary references to the ~ work of the session. According to one or j two, the Government had achieved nog thing worth while. Other members point. |j ed out that matters were not quite so bad as that. Mr. J. Edie (Bruce) asked >, for a return (in yards) of the speeches '. recorded'in Hansard, under the names e of certain members. The Prime Minister \. did not ask the House to wait and hear r a reply to the criticisms of the Govern- •- ment. He was content to let them pass. The Bill was passed by the House. The t Council received it immediately put ■r- it through all stages without discussion. f IMPERIAL CONFERENCE " NEW' ZEALAND'S EEPRESENTA- . TION. , In view of the House not having had - an: opportunity of discussing New Zeae land's representation at the next Imt penal Conference, Mr. W. 'El. Parry t ("Auokijand Central)' aiskcd the Primo T iuThister yesterday morning whether ho 1 would give tho Houso an idea if the re- ' preventative would' commit New Zeaalnd t to any action beforo reporting to I'ar- ■ liament." 3 Mr. Massoy said that so far as the - next Imperial Conferenco or meeting of I the Imperial Cabinet was concerned, ho t could say nc once that, it was mnst unlikely that he himself could be there. ' It was quito certain that New Zealand would bo represented by. at least one and pofisibly two Ministers, who would . bo visiting England. In addition there I was also the High Commissioner. He had no doubt that whatever happened New Zealand would lie represented, Mr. Parry: Will they be able to com--1 mit New Zealand? 1 Mr. Massey said-that when they re- ' turned they would report to Cabinet and 1 to Parliament as to what had been done, ; and it was for the two latter to say ) whether they agreed or not. \ Mr. A. S. Malcolm (Clutha) asked tho Prime Minister. whether he would give ' the House early next session an oppor- ' (unity of discussinsr Imperial relations. 1 He remarked that he had asked for that 1 opportunity early this session, but none ' had.been 'given. The Prime Minister said that in thn past, year or two. when ho and the late ! Minister of Finance returned from their visits to Britain, they reported to Par- ' liament, and an opportunity was given to discuss these matters. Ho had nn doubt that those ivbo represented the Dominion at tho next Imperial Conference would also report. It was no nso suggesting that the House should discuss Imperial affairs in the dying hours of thcl session. Mr. Parry: Should the discussion not. 1 take place beforo the delegates go? i Tho Prime Minister said thev were not delegates in the ordinary sense of the ' word. Ho hoped that tho business of the \ cession would not be so pressing next ' year, and that he would ask the House \ to give a day or probably two days to ' linporial affairs early in ttie proceedings. ' ANOTHER PENSIONS DIVISION When the Supplementary Estimates were beforo tho House of Representatives vesterdav afternoon, Mr. P. Fraser (Wellington Central) moved that a payment to the Commissioner of Pensions should be reduced by £1, as an indication (hat (he Government's provision for old-ngo pensions, widows' pensions, and other civil pensions was not adequate. ' Thn motion went to a division without debate, and was rejected by 35 votes , to 25. ; BUSINESS OF THE SESSION REVIEWED A roturn of tho business of the session ! just concluded shows that 105 public '. Bills were passed ftJUI 38 public Bills , dropped or otherwise disposed of. Tho number of divisions was 122. On an ; average the Houso sat for 7 hours 10 minutes per day. The number of questions asked of Ministers was 730.