PARLIAMENT.

Feilding Star, Volume XII, Issue 156, 27 June 1891, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE QF REPRESENTATIVES, Thtjjbsday, June 25. The Speaker took the chair at 2.30. The Petitions Committee recommended the payment of a sum of £750 to Colonel Stapp for services rendered to the country during the Maori war. v Sir Johu Hall, Mr Bryce and Captain Russell spoke highly of this office's claim to this amount, and to the past services he has rendered to New Zealand. The Premier said a ~ bill to give effect to old soldiers' claims would be brought in during 1 the session, and the recommendation of the committee would be takeu into consideration at an early date. The Premier moyed the adjournment of the House to do honour to the memory of Captain Fraser. He was a man who commanded the greatest respect", and he begged to move that the House adjourn until 7.30. Mr Bryce seconded the motion for adjournment which was earned. The Speaker took the chair at 7.30. Mr Duthie resumed the debate ou the Financial Statement, saying that he came to the House untrammeled by Party feelings/ and held himself free to take what course he thought proper. The continued and increasing exodus of population was a serious matter. As to the settlement of the land, he believed to a certain extent in small settlements, but they must be in contiguity to a market or to larger blocks of land where 1 extra work could be obtaiued by the seitler. ■ It was desirable to get the land settled, but the system of small settlements must result in failure. Most of the land was bush, which had to be cleared, and'the qnly thing to be done . with it was grazing, which .would not enable a man to bring up a family. Mr McG-uire thought that in regard to retrenchment the present Government - could compare favourably with the past. He .spoke in defence of the retrenchment policy of the Government now in office, and remarked that if the land tax would dnye people out of the Colony, as stated ,- the property tax had in one year, in 1879, driven them out at the rate of 10,000 in one rush. » He was formerly in favour of Protection, but had changed his mind .lately on that point, believing that it had done much harm to colonial trade. .He should support the Government in their measures. '-, "" Captain Russell said the returns showed .that during the last few years there had been a greater increase— a phenomenal ' increase— of settlers' than there had been • even in the most- prosperous" "days" of the - Colony, so that it was, not right to Bay that there had' been 'an exodus of all classes.- People in Australia had told - him that they were willing to put capital into land in New Zealand, but that the" assertion that capital was to be so hardly taxed prevented them carrying that.project into execution. That was one more proof of the harm these threats were doing. - The income tax was a policy which' had nothing genuine in it whatever, and the reduction in postage was one of those pieces of claptrap .which imposed upon the people until they Began to consider it. No one demanded such a reduction, there .being the penny post , card for them to fall back on, and it wasau undoubted fact that the reduction would chiefly benefit the merchant class. Refemng to the Land Tax, he thought f 3000 exempting was a monstrous piece of iniquity; he would have no exemption on property at all, and he believed a truly Liberal policy was that realised wealth of whatever nature was a proper basis for taxation. Mr Pinkerton moved the adjournment, of the debate, which was- agreed to. Fbiday, June 26. The House met at 2.30. Replying to Mr Palmer, the Hon. Mr Beeves said the Government intended to proceed with the case of Judge Edwards in the Privy Council. • Mr Pinkerton -resumed the ' debate on the Financial Statement. He agreed with the proposals brought down by the Government. Mr Kelly (Invercargill) refuted the charges brought against Ranger Campbell, of Invercargill, -by Mr Scobie Mackenzie, and 'said the whole thing was got up to make a serious charge against the Minister for Lands. ' Messrs Mackintosh and Taylor also spoke in support 'of the Government policy. ■ Mr Bees said the present ' Financial Statement was, in his opinion, the only one for the last 20 years that was calculated to advance the financial condition of the colony. Mr T. Mackenzie expressed his belief that the Government would not get the revenue they estimated -from the Income Tax, and the ' graduated Land Tax would fail to reach a great many landowners who ought to pay their share .of taxation. The present Government had gone in pledged to give the Roman Catholics jnstice (No !) He (the speaker) asserted that five of the Ministry were in favo* of it; their names were the Premier, the ' Hons. Messrs Buckley, Ward, Seddon, and J. McKenzie. The Hon. Mr McKenzie: Falsehood! I neyer stated so in my life. The Speaker asked the hon. member to withdraw the expression. ■ The Hon. Mr M cKenzie : I retract every word I said, but at the same time I "" must say that members should be protected from attacks - being made upon them. ■ ■ — Mr Mackenzie continuing; said the Government should give up talking so much about capital and go in for real practical legislation. Mr Hogg spoke in support of the Government. > - . The House rose at 1.20.