PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 110, 17 August 1910, Page 4

PARLIAMENT.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 16. HOUSE OP REPRESENTATIVES. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. I lie House met at 7.30. Hon. Xgata resumed the demite on the Budget. He pointed out that the law generally did not differentiate between iwiropean and Maori. I n regard to native land legislation, he said in the past Europeans who had transaction with natives had not always been of the highest class. This had led to protective legislation m connection with the alienation of native lands. The time was not ripe for abolishing such legislation. It had been recognised that aume resections should be placed upon tile Maoris in dealing with their lands, and land acts embodied restrictive legislation in regard to the sale and mortgage of lands Provision had bden made on the Statute book for the gradual ureaung down of the communal system, but time must be allowed for this to be done. \\hen people asked that Maoris fee placed on the same footing as' Europeans, it meant -in most cases that the natives should pay the same taxes a» the whites. The Maoris would not be equal for a long time ta come to diacharge the responsibilities sought to be put on them. In many cases Maoris were paying land tax. Mr. Luke said the country desired to see justice done to the Maori race. Thepresent position was that nativos owned' 155 acres per head, as against 05 acres held by Europeans. He considered there was a good future before tile natives, and lie believed they would go on increasing in knowledge and in numbers. It was the bounden duty of tne State to safeguard the national endowments for the purposes of social reform «nd education. Dealing with the llfnd question, he upheld '"the leasehold system. He hoped the Prime Minister would appoint a Minister for Lands date. The question op tenure*( very well be left alone for a number of years. The report on the water power of the Dominion obtained lrom the American expert was very uneogre and not in proportion to the expense involved. He hoped that when utilisation was accomplished the power would be equally distributed to the .*i«ous centres. A progressive public works policy was required in the interests of settlers, and was as important as land tenure. In regard to education, he urjged that equal facilities be given for technical education in the four chief centres. He suggested a commission of two men drawn from the ranks of workers and employers to investigate the causes of the decline of manufactures. Mr. Ell admitted the ironworks industry had not shown the salne ratio of increase as the other trades. This was due to the fact that the iron trade was not protected by tariff. Much had been made of the alleged rise in the cost of New Zealand-made boots, but the fact was that the worker could get boots as cheap now as ever. The cost of production in the boot trade had gone down as a result of labour-saving machinery. This was also, to a great extent, accounted for by the decrease in the number of hands employed in certain trades. Referring to the criticism of the Government's finance by Mr. Fisher, he declared that whilst the Dominion spent six millions in buying estates, Victoria, had-only .expended a million and a half. In other respects comparison was in favour of New Zealand. The Government's taxation policy had been attacked by Mr. Massev, but the taxation had fallen on such institutions as jockey clubs, hanks, and on wealthy persons, not on the community generally. The self-reliant policy initiated by Mr. Ballance in 1892 by transferring from the public funds sums to public works ,had never been departed from. This had resulted in lessening {he need for borrowing. Nearly eight millions had been so transferred. It had been said that the mortgage tax had Caused a high rate of interest, but the rate had not been affected by the tax. Mr. EU went on to deal with the Land Jaxr-aod quoted figures showing that this was not oppressive on the small farmer. The best system of land taxation for the small occupier was one under which the tax was levied on the value of the land and not on improvements.

The House went into committee of supply on the motion of Mr. Carroll. Progress was reported and the House' rose at 10.45.