PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 117, 3 October 1912, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

•WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1912, THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The Council met at 2.30. WORKERS' COMPENSATION.

The Workers' Compensation Amendment Bill {Mr. Rigg) was passed through committee without amendment, but was killed by 20 to 9 on the third reading. Mr. Bell stated that he was as much opposed to the measure as he had been on the second reading.

AUCKLAND EDUCATION RESERVES. The Auckland Education Reserves Bill passed its final stages. THE PUBLIC SERVICE BILL. Mr. Bell moved the seeond. reading of the Public Service Bill received from the House.

The debate was adjourned, and the Council rose.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES The House met at 2.30. PUBLIC REVENUES BILL. The Public Revenues Amendment Bill was introduced by Governor's message. The Minister of Finaaee stated that the Bill did away with the provision in the principal Act, which enabled a vote on the estimates to override Statute law. It also proposed to do away with the power now existing to transfer a vote for one department to another department. The Bill further provided for the recovery of monies unlawfully spent by local bodies. The Bill was read a first time. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. DEFENCE OF THE PACIFIC.

The Government is at present in communication with the Imperial Government on the subject of naval defence in the Pacific, and tiie policy of the Government with regard thereto will be announced in due course. BUTTER EXPORT.

Arrangements are being made for butter manufactured from whey to be exported under a separate brand from "creamery" butter, so that it will not interfere with or affect the high standard of New Zealand-made creamery butter.

THE WAIHI STRIKE. The strike prisoners now in gaol are in prison because of their refusal to find sureties to keep the peace required by the S.M. in the proper exercise of his jurisdiction, upon clear proof that they had committed acts calculated to provoke a breach of the peace. They can release themselves by finding sureties in accordance with the judgment of the Court. The Government ha* no power to release them unless they are prepared to advise the Government that the judgment of the Magistrate was erroneous or not justified by the evidence, or that circumstances have arisen since the judgment which have materially altered the position with which the Court dealt. The Government cannot so advise. TIIE MOKAU PETITION.

A long discussion ensued on the report of the committee on Joshua Jones' petition, objection being taken by Sir J. G. Ward and Messrs. Forbes, Witty and others on the proposal to.provide counsel for Jones. Messrs. E. Newman and Buick contended that the enquiry should be held over until the House had satisfied itself that there was some substance in the petition. The report was laid on the table and the House adjourned.

WATER POLLUTION. The House resumed at 7.30. The Water Pollution Bill was read ,a second time* pro forma, and referred to the Agriculture, Stock and Commerce Committee. AID TO INDIGENT PRISONERS.

The Justices of the Peace Amendment r>ill, which provides for legal aid for indigent prisoners, went through committee with amendments. THE PHARMACY BILL.

The committee then considered the Pharmacy Amendment Bill.

Mr. Davey moved an amendment which made it an offence for a medical practitioner or his assistant, or a registered chemist, to accept monetary consideration as commission on prescriptions; also that every chemists who supplies a medical practitioner with a prescription form recording his name or place of business was committing an offence. The Minister said that lie was prepared'to accept the amendment, which made it an offence for a chemist to pay medical practitioners for securing their prescriptions, and also to supply them with prescription forms. Eventually that part of the amendment relating to medical practitioners, directing that their prescriptions should be made up at any special chemist, was withdrawn, and the balance of the amendment w : as accepted. Mr. Young moved an amendment, prohibiting code prescriptions. '

The Minister said that the matter was covered by the Medical Act.

The Bill was reported with amend ments.

VALUATION OF LAND. ■Mr. Massey moved the second reading of the Valuation of Land Amendment Bill. He said that the Bill aimed at exempting improvements from taxation. There was an impression abroad that the valuers did not wish to exempt improvements. He quoted a letter from the Valuer-General supporting that impression, and stating that the existing law rendered the amendment necessary. He could say that the Government did not wish to exempt the man or the land from fair taxation. In connection with treeplanting, he said that the Bill assisted reafforestation. At the present time the only exemption that could be quoted was the cost of original planting. That was not a fair thing, as the man who planted trees was doing a service to the State, and should be assisted. Accordingly, under the Bill, the man who planted trees got exemption for a greater area than at present. Mr. Pcaree congratulated the Government upon the introduction of the Bill, and said that his only complaint was that it did not go far enough in the direction of exempting direct improvements.

' Mr. Witty suggested that it would play into the hands of large landowners. Wliy did not the Government, he asked, assess the tax on the prairie value?

Mr. Hindmarsh criticised the, proposals and expressed regret that the 'Prime Minister had not given the Iloiwe his ideas of the principles of taxation. The matter n,s suggested by the Minister was : nmvorkable. """ Tie asked how could valuers possibly assess the value of the felling of timber originally on laud? Mr. Buchanan said that ho would vote for the Bill, because he thought it would remedy many exi-tiug injustices. Fie pointed out,' however, that the debate had shown how impossible it was to repfirate improvements on the one hand from the unimproved value on the other. Mr. Mnsscy replied that in estates of over £3o,ooo'in value and on the estates affected hy the graduated tax the improvements amounted in value to four millions, and those in estates under £30,000 in value to twenty-four millions, a proportion of six to one, so that for

every pound Unit owners of large estates would benefit the small owners would benefit in that proportion. The Bill was road a second time, and the House rose at 12.35.