WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 29 September 1922, Page 1

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE} TAXATION BILL. SUBSTANTIAL CONCESSIONS. SPECIAL TO GUARDIAN. Wellington, Sept. 27. Though Mr Massey has postponed the perilous task of undertaking a comprehensive revision of the incidence of taxation till after the general election, the Bill lie introduced in the House of Representatives yesterday provides for substantial concessions to some of the most hardly pressed members of the'(community. It had been hoped in many quarters that the Prime Minister at least would venture upon a readjustment of the company tax, which {would have removed the most flagrantly unjust features of this impost, but.! as he explained during the discussion which followed upon the motion for the introduction of the Bill, it would have been inconvenient and inadvisable to deal with the great questions involved piecemeal. As it is, the reduction of the land supertax from 33} per cent to 10 per cent and the abolition of the income supertax of 20 per cent,-will release for trading and; industrial purposes nearly a million of money, which under the present rntek has been engulfed in the public treasury. Assuming that the Minister’s proposals are accepted by the House,’ (and on that point there can he no doubt, the maximum rate of income tiix will bo reduced from 8s fid to 7s 6d in the £ and the other rates in graduated proportion.

.THE CRITICS. On the whole the Bill was fairly well received by fthe recognised critics in the House. ;The rank and file of the Reform Parity, of course, maintained a stony silepco, save for an occasional more or letls pointless interjection, and the discussion remained mainly with the Labour Party, Mr McCombs, the member; for Lyttelton, in particular. displaying a “book knowledge,” at any rate, of the public finances, which is not equalled by any of Mr Massey’s colleagues. It is recognised on all sides that the Prime Minister is running some risk in making any reduction at all in the volume of taxation. Several members on his own side of the House have expressed the opinion that a revision of the incidence would have been a sounder policy. But the Minister has taken the line of least resistance with a stout heart, realising its perils and believing an improvement in prices and financial conditions will pull the country through. Daring of this optimistic variety would have been pronounced sheer madness forty years ago. but the Dominion has made great strides in self-reliance during the interval.

OVERDONE. Mr David .Tones, the member for Kaiapoi. rather overdid his role of humourist in the House last night when attemtping to defend the Government from a scathing attack delivered upon-its housing policy bv the Christchurch Labour members. If the Christchurch workers, ho said, had not secured the houses they required under the Government’s benefieient building scheme it was their own fault in sending to Parliament men who talked loudly and did nothing. Tn his own constituency thirty odd houses had been given in the erection of others. TTo had been on the seone bright and early and got from the Government what his constituents wanted. After much more to the same effect Mr .Tones resumed his seat amidst appreciative tributes from his own side of the House. A few minutes later Mr D. Sullivan, one of the most promising of the Labour group, rose and dealt with the member for Kaiapoi. That gentleman. he said, had had nothing whatever to do with the erection of the houses he had mentioned. They were the result of the efforts of the Christchurch City Council, and the member for Kaiapoi had impudently taken credit for other people’s achievements. And so the laugh veered round to the other side of the House and Mr Jones said never a word. THE THREE PARTY SYSTEM.

One of the evils of the three party system, as it is known in the House at the present time, is that it conduces towards n vast amount of superfluous talking. Air Wilford. as the officially recognised leader of the Opposition , feels it his dnt’v to say a few words whenever the Prime Minister or one of bis colleagues makes a statement of anv importance. That is the traditional obligation of bis posftion. But Mr Holland, the leader of the militant Labour Party, docs not acknowledge the authority of the Liberal Labour leader and takes upon himself to say whatever be may think proper to the occasion, without any regard to tin' fact that exactly the same thing lias been said by bis rival. The evil is made particularly acute this session bv the near approach of the general election and the natural desire of the party leaders to make a good impression upon the constituencies. Their example, of course, is infectious, and the expiring Parliament is likely to be remembered as one of the most lof|iiaeious that have ever taxed the patfence and the pockets of the electors.