PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 26 September 1907, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. 3y Telegraph.—Per Press Association. 'The Council met at 2.30. The Hon. T. Kelly moved in ihe di-' ection of urging on the Government! hat the Dominion Day holiday should ie observed on the same day as the nniversary of the foundation of the olony, thereby avoiding the establishment of an additional "holiday. The Attorney-General said the holi!ny question was before the Governnent. Those holidays Jtvhich everyone bought should be preserved would be escrved- The Government did not eel that Anniversary Day and )ominion Day, however, should be nerged. It would be possible to keep ,hese two days apart without adding ■o the number of holidays already in •xistence. The Government hoped to wing down its proposals dealing with the holiday question this session. After this statement, Mr Kelly agreed to withdraw his motion. The Fire Brigades Act Amendment Bill was read a lirst time. 'i'ne amendments to the Tariff Bill were received from and tht striding orders suspended in order that they might be dealt with at oneu. The amendments were agreed to., WAITARA HARBOR BILL. The Hon. Louisson niuved lUc seconc reading of the Waitara Harbor Italricl audKiiipoweriug Bill. The Hon. Samuel opposed the mcas ure in a long speech which ho had noi concluded when the Council adjournec at 5 p.m. until 7.30 p.m. . Tho Council resumed at 7.30. On the Waitara, Harbord Board Bill the Hon. Samuel spoke for three hourj in opposition. ' , The debate was adjourned,, and th< Council rose at 9.40 until Friday after noon. . ~...„ „,: at^i\MiM

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The House met at 2.30. BHEACH OF PRIVILEGE. : .Mr iioruauy raised a quebiiuii of piniloge respecting lue puuiieauoii nil me i.yucllon Times of a puugiapn criticising members who hud complained ut dcieetive reporting hi Hansard and the Press, and staling, inter alia, tlut the Hansard "reports were 1105 C flattering, probably because they were verbatim." • 'liiia, he thought, was a reileetion upon the members of the House, and he tor one intended to eater liis protest. He praised the Hansard work, but complained that _ tlie Press of the coiony did not give) fa iij p!ay to the members of the House. ji.em.bers did not want any favors from the newspapers of the colony, but they uid want fair play.' He would go the lengtn to say tnere were members in tne House who were, for various reasons, under the ban or the Press, and . he would have thought the Press would be above such littleness. lie protested against youthful members of tiie Press sating in judgment upon members of the House who had forgotten more than the former ever learned. He moved that the article was a breach of the privileges of the House. The Clerk read the article, wmeh produced considerable laughter. Mr Barclay thought Mr Hornsby hud magnified the importance of the paragraph, and failed to see why valuable time should be wasted in the discussion of the subject when more important business was awaiting consideration. After considerable discussion, the Premier stated that while he did not approve of the paragraph, he 'did not tuink it amounted to a breach of privilege. Possibly it was a youiig man wno had written it, ana he would not like to see anything done that would hamper his prospects. He thought the matter might be allowed to drop now that it hud been ventilated. _Mr Massey deprecated the waste' of time over the subject, and thought members should be able to submit to criticism without being hurt. The motion was negatived. ADJUSTMENT OP HOLIDAYS. The Premier made a statement respecting Dominion Day. It was in tended, he said, to bring down legislation similar to that which, existed in New South' Wales and South Australia regarding holidays, which were always held upon a Monday. Holidays would be so re-adjusted as to overcome the objections which had been raised. REPLIES TO QUESTIONS. Replying to questions, Ministers said that the Admiral of the Australian Squadron had upon all occasions readily afforded assistance of the fleet in searching for overdue vessels, and would doubtless' continue to do so; that Government employees are being paid for Dominion" Day; that the question of introducing legislation with a view, to promoting the construction of tramways in districts where settlers are prepared to rate themselves to provide interest upon capital required, is an important one, and will be fully considered; that the complaints of "ragging" new hands in railway cleaning sheds have been made a,t various times, akid dismissal or severe fines have been imposed where offences were proved; suitable action will continue to Im taken and severe punishment meted out wherever an offence is sheeted- home; that the question of introducing and promoting the passing of the Model By-law Bill, prepared by the Roads Department, must necessarily depend upon the progress of the business naw before the House; that the Harbor Boards Bill only deals with the constitution of Bonrds.nnd does not give taxing powers; where n, Board has not taxing power, a special Act would be required; that it is impossible this session to in legislation relating to the issue of a uniform set of school books to the State schools of the Dominion, as the 'subject involves too many large considerations. The House resumed at 7.30. Tjhe Premier moved that the House,' at rising, adjourn uutil 2.30 on FriUuv —Agreed to, . The Land and Income Assessment Bill was further considered in com- I niittee. At clause 9 (life tenant liable for graduated tax if the owner of the fee simple), Mr l 2a rd l.oped the Premier had given due consideration to the clause, as if it contained any error it mignt lead to a great amount of iitigiition. Verbal amendments made by the Public Accounts Committee in the clause were agreed to, and the clause passed. At clause 10 (lessees liable as if i owners), the Premier explained that I the object was to prevent evasion of' land tax by sub-division. The loss on this account during the last couple of yen™ had been £IO,OOO a year. Mr Aitkon contended that it was impossible for the Department to know whether sub-division was real or fictitious.

Mr J. Allen held that the clause established a new principle in taxation, inasmuch as if a man held £50,000 worth of land in foe-simple, and a like jaraounfc of leasehold, he was assessod for graduated tax, as if lie held fee(aimple of r£lo,ooo (sic). That would prove a great hardship where men held' bona fide leases that they, could not get rid of. i . ;'• .1 ■ The Premier said large leaseholders of land were quite as harmful as freeholders The interests of leaseholders I weie fcurly protected by the clause. Mr Izard wanted to know whether the Government intended this session to bring in a hill providing a n equitable | system of taxing leaseholders. In his opinion, taxation should be on the freeholders to the full extent of his interest. : : ■••wr.wnwn the Premier replied that that was a matter for the Department. Mr Barclay field thai' tKe result would be the insertion in future lenses of a clause providing that lessees should not be liable for any increase in taxation which might ncenie under (he Bili, and thus throw upon the owner of the fee simple the liability to l pay the tax. Mr ,T. Allen contended that a leaseholder should be graduated on his interest as a leaseholder, and not as under the Bill on his interest as a freeholder. He could not rid himself of his liability by any arrangement with J dilate

In the House the original clause was agreed to, with a new sub-clause 4, | providing that the provisions of section 10 do not apply to a leasehold estate I existing at the "time of the passing of the Afct, unless the owner or predecessor in the title 'has been at any time within five years before the passing of the Act, the owner, at law or in equity, of ft freehold estate in land subject to f cull lease. At clause 11 (shareholders' liable as ,-if owners of company's hind), considerable discussion ensued.

The Premier emphasised tho necessity for safeguards against evasion. The clause, as amended by the Public Accounts Committee, was passed. Glaus* 12, making two coinpanios having the same shareholders, one in ,the eyes of the law, was parsed undiscussed. Clause 13 (joint owners to ho assessed both jointly and severally), evoked I considerable discussion, but passed as brought down from tho Public Account* Coiulnittcc. 1 Clauses 14 and 15 were agreed to, oind progress reported. Tho House rose at 11.25.