HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2270, 26 June 1880, Page 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

REPRESENTATION. • Mr Hall gave notice that he would move next sitting day for leave to bring down the Representation Bill. CIVIL SERVICE REPORT. Mr Hall laid on the table the original copy of the evidence taken by the Civil Service Commission. He explained that the Government had not yet had time to get the evidence copied, and he hoped great care would be used in its perusal. PROPERTY TAX. Reptying to Mr Stevens, Major Atkinson said that the time for making returns under the property tax had been extended to the Ist August, and that notification of the fact would shortly be made through the newspapers. BEER TAX. Replying to Mr George, Major Atkinson said lie did not expect to receive any revenue from tiro extra Customs duties on imported beer for the financial year ISBO-SI. NO CONFIDENCE MOTION. The debate on the no confidence motion was resumed by Mr Reeves. He came up with the intention of supporting the Government, but on reading their proposals he was constrained to go in Opposition. They had the material resources of prosperity within themselves if they had. only men of ability and mind to administer affairs. He condemned the property tax, and did not expect that it would ever have been brought into operation. A halfpenny duty on wool would have •realised, without any expense whatever. £150,000 per annum. He would make no distinction between washed and greasy, and by that means additional la bor would bo employed, as all the wool would be washed in. (he colony. Another impost he would propose was 5s per ton on coal, which would give a sum of £10,020. That would tend to devclope their own mines. The stamp duties should bo increased, and the education vote reduced. Then the standing .army was a direction in which reductions might bo effected. Instead of a guard of honor in front of Government House an old cripple woman might be got to do all that was required. He characterised the Local Public Works Board as an absurdity. The proposal to abolish the subsidies was unfair, inasmuch as that they were promised for a period of five years, and local bodies had entered into engagements on that understanding.

Captain Russell criticised the inconsistencies of the previous speaker. The financial proposals were, on the whole, for the welfare of New Zealand. He approved of the property tax. He was opposed to the beer tax.

Air Stewart said the debate had shown how very little could be said in support of the tinancial statement, and how successfully it could bo attacked on all hands. The more he thought over the financial proposals the more inexplicable they appeared to him to be. He believed the country with its various resources, and with anything like decent management would be one of the most prosperous in the world. If their resources were properly developed, the result would Ire that they would bo able to pay their debts twenty times over. Repudiation was out of the question and need not for one moment be seriously considered. The objectionable features in the property tax were that it was essentially inquisitorial in its character, and there were no proper safeguards for secrecy. Then again the tax struck at manufacturers which produced no incomes, equally witli those producing fixed incomes. A tax of that nature was calculated to retard enterprise. Thou again this chopping and changing of the taxation, session after session, was a most objectionable thing, and one which would be disastrous to the country. He did not agree with the theory that slipping should not be taxed. He voted last session against shipping with the view of crushing the Bill, believing it was upon the whole an objectionable one. If this tzx was insisted upon they-might just as well proclaim the entire colony a sheep run, for sooner or later it would revert to that state. Ho would heartly support any effort to reduce the Civil Service.

Mr Mason argued that, in the present state of the colony, it should not spend money in education beyond the primary stages, up to, say, the fourth standard. Mr Hursthouso spoke in opposition to the amendment of no-conlidence. The country had been living in wanton extravagance for years past, and it was the duty of Parliament to ' check its further tendencies in these directions. He referred to the macc and its empty dignities as utterly worthless, making similar remarks about Bellamy’s. Ho contended that if they wanted such luxuries they should pay for them out of their own pockets. He advocated the abolition of the Mines, Marine and Weather Reporting departments, and that the honorarium should bo reduced to bare expenses

Sir William Fox said the whole discussion went to show that the ship was in the breakers, and that it was time they put about. That was not a time to wrangle, as they had been doing - . The first question was this: was further taxation necessary ? They had members of that happy temperament who thought it was not. According to his reading - of the facts put before them, it was absolutely necessary to impose further heavy taxation. The land tax was an unfair tax because it was a penal tax. It was imposed on a class of whom the framer of the tax had the utmost detestation. Sir George Grey told his constituents at the Thames, cxultingly, that its effect would he to burst up larg - e estates. Mr Stevens said the public debt of the colony had risen from seven and a half millions in ten years to something - like thirty-seven and a half millions of money. The annual charge had risen from .£474,000 to, in a few years at least, £l,odd,ooo. That itself showed that the time had arrived when the position of affairs required looking - into, lie asked the Treasurer to disabuse his mind of the idea that the depression was merely temporary. The value of land had depreciated, the demand for their produce had sunk, and he did not sec that they had anything to look forward to for a very considerable time lleferring to the beer tax, he said it should be reduced one-half, and duties on tea and sugar re-imposed. To test the opinion of the House on this point, he would move at the proper time that these duties he reimposed. Ho far as local finance was concerned, he did not see his way to assent to the proposal for borrowing out of loan. Mr Tawhai protested against the proposal to tax native lands, fie would give his idea of the cause of the present linaneial distress, it arose from the

policy of the member for Rangitikei. who in 18G2 commenced borrowing to destroy the people of Waikato. They had gone on borrowing- over since, but where was the money now ? Mr Dick said if the Government tried to follow out all the advice they had got, he wondered what would become of

them. The Government would have to reduce their estimates. They had been waiting for the report of the Civil Service Commission, and they could not now, in the middle of the session, give proper time to the revision of the estimates. There was too much centralism, and their policy would be to give local bodies as much control over financial expenditure as possible.. The presen I system of local Government was unsatisfactory, unworkable, and expensive. It was a mongrel system. The policy was to give the fullest possible local control. They wore now face to face with the diliiculties resulting from the years oi reckless living. All who were responsible for that should now unite in helping the Government to overcome those diliiculties, or else take their places on these benches, when he would willingly assist them.

Mr J. T- Fisher produced the resolution of a public meeting Isold at Lincoln. Canterbury, demurring to the property tax as unfair and acquicscoing in the withdrawal of the subsidies. Now was the time to reduce the public service, hut (he Government wanted twelve months. He would remit, the tax on beer and put it on brewers 7 sugar. Mr Speight moved the adjourmnon: of (lie debate and the House rose at 12.20 a.m.