PARLIAMENT.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 290, 3 September 1915, Page 4

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. j WELLINGTON, Sept i I The Legislative Council met at 2.30. I Tto e ;New Zealand Loan Amendment j Bii'i was read a first time. j On the motion for the second read- | ing the Hon S. George said the Bill would divert a (great deal of money from private enterprise, and would prejudicially affect the savings banks. He saw no economy being practised. Th G Government should have proposed a graduated ieduction of all salaries and reduced all emoluments. There was plenty of money in the Dominion. The banks had over eleven millions on fixed deposit and fifteen millions at current account. There were twenty millions in fjh e savings banks. He therefore thought the money could be raised easily. H e suggested thai; there should be a clause in the Act to enable people to invest in debenture.-; with a view to providing for the payment of death duties. The loan would !

be raised quite easily and extinguish j itself. It was almost certain that anI other loan would be required next | year, witr possibly a higher rate of interest. Hon Carncross said they must give credit to the Government for taking' th e best steps in their opinion to find the sums resuired. A local loan would be an education and would influence the people to take a greater interest in th e politics of the. country. He did not consider honorariums to members too munificent, but tiheught economy should be shown in carrying out public works. The National Cabinet should end the

; expensive system of carrying out a number of ivories in different times at one time, ami should concentrate its 'efforts ou one particular work. The Hon. Dutb.ie regretted there : was no suggestion to economy in the Government proposals. He affirmed that economy was necessary in order to prevent national embarrassment.

The Hon. Samuel advocated retrench, ment and econom'y. The Hon. Sir J. Hall Jones said that tris was a tiniD when economy, both public and private, was necessary, yet the estimates were framed on the same scale as in the past.

The Hon. C. H. Mills favoured the suspension of all but necessary works. The Hon. Sir Fracis Bell pointed out that members who had referred to the necessity of economy ihad failed to note that the Public Works Statement had not yet been brought down. He asserted that the estimate of expenditure on public services could not be largely curtailed. <The annual Increases for hospitals, charitable aid, asylums, and education could not be avoided. Referring to the local lean, he said surely we could not go to the Mother Country at the present time. If w e could not find the money we should close'down on any enterprise for w-hich outside, help was required. The Bill was read a second time. The Public Revenues Amendment. Bill and th e Trades and Commerce Amendment Bill (No. 2) were also read a second time. The Council went into Committee on Bills. The Council adjourned at 4.40.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

WELLINGTON, Sept 2

Th 9 House met at 2.30. Sir Josepfa Ward laid on the table a comi|araliive return /showing the' amounts paid by city men and country settlers under the graduated land and income tax. He explained that the return had been compiled to show why the Budget did not apply the graduated land tax in the sam e degree to town as to country lands.

A discussion lasting the whole of the afternoon followed, in wheih the question of town versus country was very prominent. Members generally agreed that whatever taxation th e Government asked for must be raised, but the widest difference of poinion existed as to the most equitable method of raising that money, and,the discussion was not hostile to the Government, but was intended to assist the Government in arriving at the most equitable proposals.

A lively interlude occurred in. the j House or Representatives this after- > noon during the financial debate, Mr j A. Hindmarsh (Wellington South) was girding'at the farmers and was interrupted once or twice by Mr G. V. Pearc e (Patea), who finally said, referring to an allusion by Mr Hindmarsh to the Labour Party, that that member had never done a day's work in ibis life. In a - flash botb members were railing at each other over ihe floor of the House, and Mr D Buick (Palmerston North) became embroiled. An angry informal duel between Messrs Hindmarsh and Buick followed crescendo, and had assumed considerable proportions when Mr Speaker succeeded in restoring order. Mr Hindmarsh threatened to renew it later, accusing one cf his former opponents, amid laughter, of having "grunted" during pis remarks, but the storm blew over. Mr C. A. Wilkinson (Egmont) asked in the House of Representative today if insturctions could be given by which keoraene on which duty bad

v been paid should be branded v.i:h the J Government sta.up, as 113 understood

j t-hit a certain Quantity had .qone forI »rard without {fire stamp. He ulso pointj eel out the hanSship suffered by mer- ! chant 3 whos c stocks had now run cut. j and who had to order mora under the ! increased tariff, as compared with j others fresiii supplies had arj rived prior to the imposition of the j extra duty. ! Slr Ward said that no kero- | sene that had paid duty wedd be j allowed to pass without the GovernI ment stamp. At a time when alteraI tiens in duty were being made in any j country ther-3 wer e bound to bo comj plaints. Stamps were available now j throughout the country, and the regulations under the Act wuu'd apply from August 26.