PARPIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 31 August 1907, Page 2

PARPIAMENT.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 30. j LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. 1 Per Press Association. { The Council met at 2.30. 1 The Maori Lands Settlement Bill was ( put through its final stages. jThe Pure Food Bill, as amended by| the Select Committee, was considered • in Committee of the whole Council. , The following amendments, as suggested i.v the Select Committee, were agreed I to:—The title was altered to "The Sale , of Food and Drug Bill." Drug was altered to mean any annual vegetolble of animal substance used m the, composition of or as medicine for the use of man. In the clause relating to ( the wilful selling of food or drug con-, trarv to the provisions of the Act, it was made a defence if the vendor proved that he .took all reasonable stops to ascertain that the sale of the article would not constitute an offence against | the. Act or any regulation made under

Progress was then reported, anil the Council roae at 4.55. house of representatives The House met at 2.30. , The Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act Amendment Bill, and Factories Act Amendment Bill were read a second time pro forma and referred to the Labor Bills Committee. THE TARIFF.

The House went into Committee on the Tariff Bill. „ . The Premier moved that the proceedi„"s be reported in Hansard in similar manner to that in which the procecdinas in Committee of Ways and Means were reported (usually Committee proceedings are not so reported). The mo-1 tion was agreed to. • Mr Field (moved an amendment to exclude grapes from the duty of Id per lb He contended that grapes could not be' crown in New Zealand for table purposes to compare with Australian

S 'The'Hon. Mr Millar, in reply to Mr Guinness, said that the portion of -;ne £200,000 remitted on sugar that wood benefit the manufacturers of beer would be £3OOO. ■ , Mr Poole moved an amendment providin" that sugar required for the manufacture of beer should still pay

dutv. . ~ . . ..■ Mr Wilford, whilst sympathising wit Mr Poole, said it would be impossible to say which portion of sugar of" any imported would (he used for the iCof beer. He added that if £3OOO was all that would he derived from tins source, tlie cost of collecting the duty would swallow up the whole amount. Mr Guinness said breweries had to supplv the Customs with monthly jeturas', which could he utilised for the purpose of collecting the duty. Mr Millar opposed the amendment, as it wfluld he practically impossible to collect the duty. Mr Fisher said though he was on the no-license platform as much as any other member of the House, he would support the Government. Mr Poland contended that to meet the obicct of the amendment, it would he better to increase the excise duty on The amendment was lost by 38 to 24. Mr Graham asked the Minister if ho could "ive an assurance that the reduction on sugar would benefit the consumer. He contended that jams should he n, half-penny per lb cheaper, but if iam manufacturers were in the same position as brewers, and failed to pass the concession on to the consumer, the,, the dutv should be retained, as tn| money would he better in the hmtlsot the Government. s Mr T Mackenzie urged that tlie Com- ' merce Department should keep an eye on the price of raw materials coming into the colony, and the price, the manufactured article was retailed to the consumer. . Mr Millar, in reply to Mr Hogg, said the reduction on sugar would not affect sugar refinery in Auckland in any way. The point to he remembered was thit if the Colonial .Sugar Company iouikl

it would be cheaper to refine sugar in Fiji, it would remove its refinery there whether the duty was retained or not.

Mr Wood asked if the Govenini'jnt would take steps to ensure th.it puri chasers of tobacco get lOozs to the pound. At present they got so many sticks, and thereby lost about 2ozs. Mr Millar said perhaps it could be provided for in a Bill to .he introduced. Mr T. Mackenzie moved ah amendment to place tea, however packed, en the free list.

The Minister said a deal of tea-pack-, ing was now- carried on in the colony, and the provision that tea in less quantities than olbs be taxed 2d per lb was to protect the industry. Sir T. Mackenzie said that teas picked in Ceylon and India were pure teas, but large quantities of decoctions wore mixd up with locally packed teas, and Isold at an enormbus profit to consum-, ei's. In fact, wholesale houses who were not philanthropists allowed retailors 50 per cent. He asserted that the averag* price paid for tea was Bd. This was retailed to consumers here at the average price of Is lid. The amendment was negatived bv 41 to 20.

Mr Davcy moved that the duty on

acetic .acid be reduced from l%d to y 2 d per lb, as local manufacturers were being protected to the exent of 100 per cent. He added that pure acetic acid was not being made in the colony, as the local product contained sulphuric acid.

Mr Miller said, whilst sympathising with Mr Davcy's amendment, he must oppose it, as one firm in the colony manufactured an article which did not contain the least trace of sulphuric acid.

Mr Barber, supporting the amendment, 100 per cent, protection was too high, especially as acetic acid was used in many industries, Discussion was proceeding when ;he House adjourned at 5.30.

EVENING SITTING. The House resumed at 7.30. Mr Davcy's amendment was ne«; tived by 81 to 25. °

In reply to Mr Hardy, Mr Millar said the duty on laces had been reduced, as they were largely used for cliil (Irens pinafores.

At silks, satins, velvets and plushes, not otherwise enumerated, composed of silk mixed with any other material, in the piece, 25 per cent.ad valorem up to and minding 31st December, 1007, thereafter 20 per cent., Mr Guinness 'moved to strike out all the words after ad valorem.

The amendment was negatived 3>v 42 to 18.

Mr Oke-y moved nn amendment to leduco hosiery not otherwise enumerated, from 25 to 20 per cent. Mr Millar, opposing the amendment, said numerous articles came under the name hosiery knitted garments, v.v-'i were in every sense 'wearing npnafel. and which were scheduled at 40 per cent. He added that hosiery was manufactured in the colony, and last year the value of the industry was eiiß',ooo Mr Allen contended that the industry had prospered under the 20 per cent, duty, and it should remain at that. The amendment was negatived by 34

Mr Hardy moved an amendment I make the duty on men's boots 25 wcent. ' • '■• -

Mr Hanan referred to the prosperous condition of (lie boot trade in Victoria under protection, whilst the Now South Wales hoot trade, under free trade, was in a languishing state. Mr Tanner referred to the decline in the numbers of men employed in the hoot trade, and stated that owing ' to loss of time of the men in this industry the average earnings of the workers was shockingly low. The proposals of the Government were marked by extreme moderation, and he should support them. Mr Hardy asserted a syndicate had been formed in New Zealand to corner the boot trade. We should have "Rockfellers" in the colony, and lie was not prepared to give them his assistance. He was, like Mr Tanner, in favor of unionism and helping the worker, hut this protection was going into the pockets of the syndicates. Mr Millar said it was surprising what had been done since the passing of (be 'resolutions. Importers previously would , not look at the colonial undo hoot, yet since the, resolutions had been passed, orders bad licen given for three times the usual quantity of colonial hoots. '

He contended that until shoddy boots were imported into the country the boots made in the colony Were of good leather, and it was only through imported shoddy that local manufacturers had had to adopt the same practices. Mr Poole said whilst believing in granting protection to the young indus-j tries of a young country,' he was not going to support any syndicate, and j would vote for the amendment.

Mr Massey said the duty was goingl to penalise bushmen, miners, and gumdiggers, who wore the cheaper boots.

Mr Laurenson contended that no country in the world had ever built ip an industry without protection- Even in England the districts of Liverpool i j and Manchester were protected from the industries of Ireland by a high | tariff wall, and it was only when Eng|land had fifyily established her indus- | tries that she tore her tariff walls down.

The amendment was negatived by 45 ;o 22.