POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2626, 6 September 1882, Page 4

POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE.

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[PROM THE “P8883."] 1 WELLINGTON, September 5. The Select Committee upon the special taxation for public works presented report to-day. After tracing the history D f the idea as embodied in various Public Works Acta, the committee express 'cbe fob lowing opinions : —That there is n, O evidence in any c£ the Acts relating to. the public works of on intention to specially •* tax property increas.-d in value by the construction with public money of railways, roads, bridges, harbors, and other public works.” The principle on which such taxation can be justified is a reasonable one, hut so far as the committee is aware it has never hitherto been successfully acted on by any Government. The plan which former legislation suggests, of apecially taxing provincial districts, the committee reject as involving serious unfairness in many oases, and as being opposed altogether to the national system of public works, especially railways. The raising of the property tax has been proposed as an easy and equitable mode of obtaining a contribution of the additional value given to property by public works. This involved such large and very complicated questions that the committee were not prepared to give any opinion as to such a plan, which could of conrse be easily carried out, but would probably be very unfair in its expenditure, while the Crown and Native land* and property below £S(K) in value, however muoh they might be benefited, would make no contribution. The —proposition to tax only property specially Increased in value appears at first sight to be entire, but as regards the past is open to the objection that in many cases probably the majority of the present owners having become purchasers since the construction of the works benefiting their properties _ have already paid for the enhanced value in the purchase money. The same objection is not applicable to the future, and the committee see no objection to apply to that extent the principle enunciated in the reaolution of the House, provided that the owners of property to be affected are beard by Parliament before the expenditure is incurred. The committee is of opinion that when any railway or portions of railway made out of the proceeds of any future Loan Acts' shall be open for traffic, if the net returns from such railway or portions of a railway, after deducting working expenses and allowing coats of repairs of permanent way, rolling stock and plant, be not sufficient (o pay the interest upon the money expended in making snob railway or portion of a railway, then the Governor in Council shall raise an amoant sufficient to pay such interest I>T imposing and levying a tax on the increased value of all land benefitted by the formation of such line of railway. Any public works to be commenced henceforth should be undertaken on the condition that property which may bo specially benefitted by such works shall be subjected to such special charge or treatment as the General Assembly may hereafter determine, having regard to the limit at their disposal. The committee ■re not prepared to suggest the necessary legislation, and they recommend that the subject ehon’d be carefully considered during the recess, and taken up by the Assembly in the next session. A return was laid on the table to-night, showing the number of licensed pawnbrokers in the colony. They are as follows : Auckland, 6 j Thames, 1; Wellington, 2; Christchurch, 3 j Ashburton, X ; Timarn, 2 ; Camara, I; Dunedin, 11; Invercargill, 3. Total, 29. The Local Government Bills are still going steadily through the House, and are expected to be all through either during to-night’e sitting or to-morrow. The Maori members threaten to stonewall the Crown and Native Land* Bating Bill, but it is probable that they will soon be stopped by the Chairman of Committees compelling ~ them to keep to the point, which is speedy death to the Maori eloquence. Directly these Bill* are finished, including the Crown and Native Lands Bating and the Committee’s amendment, the Loan Bills will be gone on with, and it is hoped these will be got through to-morrow. The public works estimates, and probably supplementary estimates ■lso will be circulated on Friday, and it is expected they will be got through on the same day. The House will sit on Saturday, and again at tan o’clock on Monday morning, and it is supposed that all the business intended to be dealt with this session will be so far completed ~by 'Monday afternoon that most members will be able to leave by the - Hinemoa for the North and by the Botofor the South, tho prorogation taking place on following day. The “Hansard” printers have petitioned Parliament to consider the following grievances under which they represent themselves as laboring:—lst. The price paid for “Hansard” composition Is totally inadequate to the length of time they are compelled to work. 2nd. They are only engaged during the sitting of Parliament in each year, and therefore contend that the Government should pay their passage to and from Wellington, as otherwise those who have come from other places will be seriously out of pocket. Mr Hutchison has tabled the following notice of motion for Thursday—“ (1) That in tire opinion of this House the Customs duties upon tea and coffee are impolitic and unjust, os pressing nndnly on the masses of the people, besides being a charge in many eases amounting to 100 per cent, upon those commodities, the consumption of which ■hould be encouraged as tending to the promotion of sober and economic habits. (2) It is therefore desirable that these duties should be repealed, and this House recommends the Government to make arrangements for so doing in the next session of Parliament. (3) That a land tax on a progressive scale be substituted therefor. This -land tax to be levied on all lands alienated from the State, and held in case of agricultural land in any qnantity over 2000 acres, and in the case of pastoral land in any quantity over 20.000 acres. A question asked by Sir J. Hall in the House to-day elicited the information that the probable cost of printing the papers ordered in connection with the Brogden case would be about £SOO. Mr Dick stated that this sum would be placed on the Supplementary Estimates. Captain Morris gave notice at to-day’s sitting of Parliament of hia intention to ask the Government to-morrow what steps they propose to take in connection with the case of James Farrell, ex-detective, of the Thames.