PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 241, 17 November 1909, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. DURATION OF THE SESSION.

In the House this afternoon the Premier made a statement regarding the probable duration of the aession. \\ itn reinird to facilitating busings lie suggested, as the whole of the proposals .contained in the Budget would be brought down in separate tolls, the debate on the Budget should be limited to the leaders of both parties. He unUiol, of course, refer to independent members. His proposal was that if with. Uie limitation of the debate on the riudget the important business should still be unelluded by December ttod, the House should .reassemble about February Ist, to deal with them and then adjourn until the following year. 'lhe bills he referred to as the most important were the bill to authorise expenditure on the Dreadnought, and the bills dealing with defence, land, native lands, liccui. ing and King Country licensing, hospitals, superannuation and annuities. 1 In reference to the Licensing Bill.in the event of dominion prohibition bemg carried, it would involve changes m the incidence of taxation, and time would have to be given to adjust this, ife Land Hid, he proceeded, would be circulated at the end of the week. He hoped members would restrain ther selves, in view of the near approach oi | CUris'teas,..

A SUGCE.STIION OPPOSED. Mr. Massey, while anxious to facilitate Oie work of the sesaiou, Nsaid ho could not deprive members of their rights <by asking tlieon to refrain from tweaking on tho most important matters mentioned in the Budget. He regretted the necessity to meet again after Christmas, but the House must face it. Mr. McLaren considered the changes foreshadowed in the Budget revolutionary, and should have been submitted to tho country before being presented to Parliament. Members could not do justice to the Budget if there were only two speakers' and the rest sat dumb. The Premier Baid he only made the suggestion for the House to accept or reject Mr. Hogg hoped no member would submit to be gagged. The Premier's proposal was the most extraordinary he had heard in the House.

llr. Fisher: We are rapidly approaching a stage at which the country is being asked to put up with administra' tion witliout control. THE DREADNOUGHT.

Replying to Mr. Malcolm, who asked whether it was true that the Govcrameat would, ireeclw! 'tenders ifor it/ho construction of a Dreadnought, and, if so, would the Premier consider the advisability of leaving that to the Admiralty, Sir Joseph Ward said the Government toad no intention of abrogating its prerogatives. The Government had nothing to do with the construction, but the House would have to ratify tie acceptance of the tender.

HOSPITAL BILL. The House went into committee on the Hospitals and Charitable Aid Bill. GOVERNMENT BUSINESS. The House decided to give preference to Government business on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The Premier gave notice to sit on Monday after Monday week. THE BUDGET CRITICISED. In the House in the evening, oil tho motion that the House go into Committee of Supply, Mr. Massey proceeded to criticise Uie Budget. He said the circumstance* under which the Financial Statement was introduced were unusual. One important point in it was that the increased debt amounted to four and a half millions. The present position and the outlook were far from satisfactory, aud he could see no inclination on the part of the Government to taper on". Ho intended to deal, not with details, but with the principles underlying tho Statement, which was A COMPREHENSIVE COMPROMISE. He compared the Financial Statement to a company prospectus. The Budget proposals embodied onany reforms advocated by the Opposition! The Treasurer's admission that increased taxation wns necessary was calculated to damage tin credit of the country. Hardly a riass in the country was allowed to escape. In his opinion the estimates of amount to be pi'ui'.m-cil 'by various terms "were much lower than they were likely to prove. The primage duty was iinore likely to produce £8.1,1100 than £50,000 as stated. He could not see the necessity for New Zealand being taxed much higher than the (.'oimnon'ivealth States. The Customs taxation would fall upon consumers. The same remark applied to banking taxation. In fact of Hie taxation proposals wo were told the country was never m|orc prosperous. The (present state of affairs was due to the Government's failure to introduce proper land legislation. The amount estimated from death duties was just equal to the liabilities iu connection with the gift of the warship to the Imperial Government. Huge areas of land were lying idle. The arrivals in the dominion were equalled by the departures, and other unsatisfactory conditions obtained. These never/ would bo removed until a proper and statesmanlike policy was )>ut into operation. He objected to the death duties applied to widows' estates, which under the proposed legislation Mould pay .death duties' twice. The Government asked for borrowing powers to the extent nf nearly eight millions, which was ;.m enormous amount for a small country like this. He congratulated the Government on the concession to the freehold principle, but twitted the Liberal, party with willingness to vote freehold or leasehold to order. He, lioivevi>r, criticised the Government's proposals in regard to granting freehold, maintaining that the value depended not on population, but on the British market, which, if lost, values would go down. He condemned the system of endowment lands us a ghastly failure. The endowments in existence retarded settlement. He advocated selling the endowments and investing the money in town and suburban lands. The Government liad been responsible (for a crim|inal waste and neiligence in connection with land settlement. He hoped the Government would repeal the objectionable provisions of the Gaming Act.

MIXISTERIIAL REPLY. The Hon. Fowlds, replying to Mr. Mas-sr-y'y criticism on the borrowing policy. sMid the House had control over thi*. ''.'lie money had gone to assist in the 'development of ttu- country. After pressing the (iovcrnmcut to expend huge sums for public works, the Opposition objected to the public debt. The Opposition accused the (iovernmentofstealing their policy, and then turned round and condemned that policy when put on the statute hook. All the public scrvices required enlarged expenditure with growth of population and the development of the country. The cause of the higher taxation in the dominion than in Australia was that the former carried on mnny more public services than the Commonwealth States. Continuing, the lion. Fowlds said the increased taxation was largely due to increased incomes accruing from the growing prosperity, for which the Government deserved thanks instead of condemnation. He defended the death duties, but thought they did not go far enough. He also defended the changes proposed in the land policy.

s MR. ALLEN'S STRICTURES. ' Mr. Allen, continuing the Opposition 1 debate, denied the Opposition were opposed to endowment lands' on principle, Imt to the kind of lands set aside for the purposo of endowment. The scheme should liave been carried out lung ago when proper lands were available, aud the old-age .pension fund and education would have derived some benefit therefrom. He characterised the borrowing policy as a scramble, which the Opposition objected to on principle. He taunted the Government supporters with slavishly 'following Ministers and taking their words) for gospel. The Ministry wn< gradually taking away all Parliamentary control from member*. Parliament had no any in presenting the Dreadnought nor in the Midland Railway contract. The predominant feature of the liudgct was the tax due to Government extravagance. Cost of railway construction bad gone up ,Ci"iS per mile, being innch higher than that of other States, and the running expenses had greatly increased. The tendency of the Budget, was to increase expenditure and borrowing. The fact that 040 men in the Civil Service were dismissed was a plain indication that the Civil Service bar! been overstaffed. He said the Premier had misled the llousv in regard to (the .su|wrannnation scheme. The Hon. ,7. Millar charged Mr. Allen with inconsistency in condemning reItrcnchment and extravagance in one breath. He denied the truth of the statement that members' had lost control of Parliament. As to the post of railways, it should be remembered that the country was very difficult' for railway construction, If railways were,to b'e

run as tliey were in New South Wales it would .mean the reduction of wage* of railway servants. MR. TAYLOR'S DENUNCIATION. Mr. T. T. Taylor considered the surrender of the State interest in renewable leases was Hie most retrograde k'lep since 1890. He considered the clauses in the Budget dealing with the freehold were utterly disgraceful. He moved ae an amendment that the Home affirm the unsatisfaetory nature of the land clause in the Budget, and that the penplo entitled have the opportunity by iiicuis of a referendum to say whether ai; more Crown lands should he sold or hether the remnant of lands be prenei M and the annual revenue in future 1.. virlahle to reduce the burdens of tuition. Mr. Taylor drastically condemned the primage duties, which would ultimately cost the consumers £250,000 a year. (Left Sitting.)