WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 27 August 1917, Page 4

WELLINGTON NOTES.

HOW THE WIND BLOWS

A STRAW lN THE HOUSE

(Our Special Correspondeut) &

Wellington, August 23

The rank and file of both the old parties in the House are in a wilful mood just now and it' would be easy to attach too much significance to the reception given to Mr Isitt s proposed amendment to the motion for going into Committee of Supply on Wednesday night. The member for Christchurch North in seeking to emphasise “ the advisability cf substantially increasing the duty on beer and spirits Was careful to explain that he had no wish to embarrass the National Government, of which ho has been ar, consistent, though perhaps a somewhat disappointed snpporter since the beginning of,the party truce, but his proposal at once arrested the debate on the Budget , and put members in the position of having to say off hand whether or not they Were in favour of increasing the duties. On the Speaker putting tlio question the voices were distinctly lii the affirmative, and though When Sir Walter Lang put the question again there was vt larger volume of sound on the other side, the advantage seemed still to remain With Mr Isitt and his supporters. ON SECOND TUOnOHTS. For a moment or two it looked as if the House had landed itself into an extremely awkward position, but with those moments for reflection members recovered their sense of proportion and When the Speaker, exercising fcfio discretion allowed to his high office, declared the voices to be against the amendment, no one called for a- division and the occupants of the Treasury Benches and their critics were able to breathe again.

, Of course * the adoption of the amendment by the House wmild have imposed no obligation upon the Government to revise its taxation proposals, but’ it would have been Strongly resented by the Minister of Finance and his colleagues and would have been hailed ivith delight by the little group of members who habitually flout ministerial authority. No doubt Mr Isitt himself sought chiefly fo administer another blow to the liquor traffic, but among his supporters were several mem bets who wonldvhave gladly assisted in discrediting the Budget. These restless spirits are at no other time so happy as they are when baiting Ministers and towards this end they are ready to associate themselves wi h any disgruntled minority. Waste. During the debate on the Budget there have been many protests against the waste in the public service, particularly in the Defence Depart merit, and many of them appear to be too well-founded.

A. statement prepared by General Robin and laid on the table of the House by Sir James Allen shows there has been a great improvement in this respect in the Military Camps during the last few months, but it leaves behind an uncomfortable feeling as to the, state of affairs that must have existed before the reforming hand of the Minister got to work.

At Featherston, for instance, refuse which at the beginning of the year was being carted away at the expense of the Department is now being boiled down and is yielding a profit of £2OO a month. This and many other savings are largely due to the peivsonal efforts of the Hon A. M. Myers, the Minister of Munitions'and Supplies, who, without stinting in any 'way, has cut down the monthly bills enormously. His .methodical, bnsiuess-like ways might be supplied very beneficially to the administration of some other Departments. Tin? FA It ME us’ BURDEN. The Minister of Agriculture got his opportunity in the House last night to refute some of the criticism that has been lOvel’ed against him in connection with the butter-levy and the prices of wheat and merit, and by a simple straightforward statement of the facts cleared away a good deal of popular misapprehension. Mr MacDonald deprecated the assumption that the farmers were growing rich at the cost of the rest of the community and seeking to evade their full share of taxation and service. [This was flagrantly untrue. But the primary producers must realise, as most of them did, that in the present crisis they must take a national and not a nlere sectional view of fheir obligations. The butter-levy was going '.to touch them vety lightly, when the higher prices were considered, and the Government had met them fairly in the matters of wheat and wool and meat. It was essential that the cost of living should be kept as low as possible dnripg war time, and the local bodies could assisi in this, direction if they only would bestir themselves, but the sacrifice must not bo demanded wholly Lom the farmers or from any other Rection of the community.

TEA. Mr H. J. H. OkSylS contribution to tfi§-financial debate last night was a closer analysis of the Budget proposals than had been attempted by most of the previous speakers. He accepted the National Government as'oTre of the necessities arising Ovft of the war and one not- altogether to be a der plored. He did not denounce the" tea duty, believing the women ,as ilie chief users of tea would be glad of the opportunity to contribute directly to the revenue, but urged the Government to move warily in the taxation of unimproved land values. *This was not the strain in which most of his predecessors had been Speaking, but enquiries show that the work of the Yahlation-DepaVt-ment will have to be brought up to date before any scheme of land taxation can be made entire!) equitable.

Mr Okey quoted a case in which land capable of carrying three and a half sheep to the here was valutd at only an acre, while land of a similar character in another district was valued at £3O an acre.