Films Bill Provokes Brisk Exchanges

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 476, 4 October 1928, Page 8

Films Bill Provokes Brisk Exchanges

POSTPONED ACTION ; (THE SUN'S Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON. Wednesday. The introduction in the House of Representatives, by GovernorGeneral’s Message, of the Cine , matograph Films Amendment Bill, designed to defer for twelve ! months the operation of the tax ation system embodied in the | recently passed Cinematograph Films Bill, led to some brisk ex changes last evening. I At the outset Mr. A. Harris asfc„i that the purpose of the Billi, e ’ ' plained and Mr. E. J. Howard asked what was the matter with the Om erument that it did not keep even ii • own members informed of its tions. ien * The Hon. A. I). McLeod: We don', have caucuses three times a dav Mr. Howard: Whether you do or not f'Hrlv re DOt tren, ' np your rank and flie aaid ,hat the position was that his supporters had conn deuce In the Government. A Voice: That’s quite obvious. Another: What about the Licensing Bill. Is that what happens when coyote for Coates. ‘ Mr. Coates: A vote for Coates is a vote for safety. Mr. H. T. Armstrong: It is a first party risk. Mr. Coates: I’m told I don’t put on enough swank for some people. Mr. P. Fraser: You must be frightfully embarrassed. Mr. Coates said that the position concerning films taxation was diffltu] The Government wanted to be sur> that it was being fair to New Zealand companies. Therefore it was suggest - ing the postponement of the operation of the taxation clauses for 12 months so that these clauses, which assume 12& per cent, of the gross receipts as a reasonable taxable margin on which income tax may be levied, may be further investigated. Mr. Wilford: You provided for 12$ per cent, margin in the Bill. Mr. Coates: Yes, but it does not work out fairly in every case. It may give the tax collector discretion ary power which is dangerous. Mr. Wilford: I think it is crude. Mr. Coates said that the taxation clauses would operate definitely next year unless Parliament altered the law before then. Mr. Wilford: This means that the quota has gone and the tax has gone. Mr. Coates: The quota has not gone. Mr. Wilford: It is suspended. Mr. Coates: If the companies do not observe it then it will be enforced by Order-in-Council. Sir Joseph Ward: You are postponing the most important part of the Bill. This Government will be producing Orders-in-Council till the day of judgment. After further discussion the Bill was read the first time.

one school three classes, each with a sole teacher in charge of over 70 pupils, both surprises and distresses me. I can assure you I would value Miss Greville’s proffered information if slue will forward it to me through you. sir. I would not hesitate to level sharp criticism at the committee of such a school, unless it could show that it had used all means within its powers, in demanding the Education Department to remedy such an evil. A GORDON HULTQUIST.

BROADCASTING RACE RESULTS Sir, —• Could you, through your correspondence column, inform many interested people if the Broadcasting Company is going to carry out its stated intention of broadcasting the results of racing at Ellerslie and elsewhere, as it did before the ban was applied? Surely some explanation is due to owners of receiving sets, many of whom, especially in country districts, have been disappointed after the publicly-announc* «i statement that arrangements were to be made to counteract the action of the New Zealand Racing Conference Hoping you will be able to find room for this short note, which, I think you will agree, is of some interest to the public. LISTENING IN. Te Aroha. CREMATION Sir, A few opponents of cremation — which does thorpughly in 50 minutes the work that it takes Nature four or five centuries to complete—argued a few years ago that it was not at all certain that the body feels no pain during the process of incineration. The spiritualists in London, at the present time, seem to confirm that argument. In their opinion, it is not safe to burn a body until three days have elapsed since the time of death, for fear that the soul, not yet liberated from its earthly envelope, might suffer. On the other hand, a great English scientist has just declared that as soon as the heart stops beating and. consequently, the blood ceases to supply the brain with oxygen, it dies. And is not the soul the life of the brain? Further, if it is possible to cut through living flesh without causing pain, while the brain is asleep under the influence of an anaesthetic, the more so can one painlessly burn a corpse, the action of death being more effective than that of chloroform. However, the day will come when—as is the case in Germany (the Germans are precursors in many things, poison ga? included)—death chambers specially built for the purpose will be found in ' all cemeteries, where the bodies will be kept until such time as mortification sets in, this being the only sure sign of death. How many persons, even in our enlightened days, live in mortal fear of being buried alive, either through the carelessness of the doctor certifying to the death, or through being in a lethargic state which deceives even the cleverest men of science. Fortunately, those cases are of rare occurrence for such prolonged death must cause real torture, as one can imagin' from the feats of the Hindu fakirs who, after several hours underground, are none the worse for it. I have known families where each member, in his will, begged the survivors to have his arteries cut at the wrists, or his heart pierced with a ha: pin or even his head cut off, before burying him. I would prefer a postmortem examination which kills most effectively, as none of the generally taken with a living body ar deemed necessary; moreover. such an operation, which is considered sacrilegious, only by simple souls nowadays, is of great benefit to science.