PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 September 1915, Page 4

PARLIAMENT.

I HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES! QUESTIONS. By Telegraph,—View Aiiociatfua. Wellington, Last Night. In the House to-day, replying to questions, Ministers said that since March last all New Zealand i>ecf, mutton, anil lamb availa&le for export had been shippod to the Imperial Government; that the question of extending a continuance oi the House of Representatives to fit# jjears will receive the serious consideration ol the Government before the term of the present Parliament conies to an end; if necessary, legislation will be introduced to prevent alien enemies from acquiring land in the Dominion; that tho Government do not propose to introduce a Fair Bent Bill this session; that the question of party politics has not entered into the appointments of members of Land Boards by the hut Government, and this policy will also be followed iby the National Government; that the Government intends to introduce legislation on the subject ol the establishment of a permanent Board .<$ as soon a» ■ jmctlcaw; Wirt hw reduction in railway freights can lie made at the present juncture, and it la inadvisable to add to the expenditure by increasing the pay of railway servants; that a fee of two hundred guineas was paid to the Solicitor-General for drafting the Cook Islands Bill; that until tho report of the Roiftl Commission 'on the 'boundaries of Education Board districts had Jbeen submitted to Cabinet qould not be said when it would be presented to Parliament. THE BUDGET DEBATE. Mr. J. ifcComba resumed the debate. Ho complained that only one-third of tho taxation had been put on the land and income tax, and lie saw no sign of any attempt.to reduce the cost of living. He adversely criticised the action of the Government over the wheat question, which had resulted in increasing the price of flour. Ho said that tho cereal statistics quoted in the Budget were incorrect; instead of a shortage of wheat there was a Biirplus. He cliim-:ed-that the! embargo on oats'should not have 'been removed' until the price in the Dominion 'had b<!en ridttced. He Objected to the tax. on kcro&tye, and said the increased tax' on petrol would litfmpcr industry, while /the - increase in tlie railway charges' was simply* an attempt to avoid taxing people 'Who ought to be taxed. ' * ,B!

EVENING SITTING. On the House resuming in' the evening, Mr. ilcCombs concli:d;d Lis address by summarising the figures on the wheat supply, lie asserted that there was enough f6r normal conditioitii, and flour, should not he more than'£9 per ton. Mr. G. Witty said that in 1911 there was nearly £1,000,000 surplus, while this year they had to. 'he content with £72,000. If railway men's and other obligations were met there would be nothing left. He claimed that it was the duty of the Ministers to see, that all extravagance wa-j' chcokpl.. He' qtiutel figures to show iihat the Wheat statistics were unreliable. lie wf« glad to see that exeinpUon under income tax was not to be lowered. land tax should be claimed upon town aa wc!l a-i c"un- ' try lands. Extraordinary profits, *9 11 result r,f the war, i-houM he fitly taxed. He asserlel that the herr tax would operate in favor < f X. rthcra brewers, who manufacture I liaels, and against those in' the south wheie heavier beers were in demand, Heath duties should be increased. He object ft to tile proposed dut.v on i.iland why tax only the totalisator? Why not tax picture shows nnd amusements pitnerally? He would also tax c'gnra, champagne, and cigarette), and he fayo'e i a tax on bachelor*. Mr, C. A. Wilkinson said tl'ev Would have to face n deficiency of (hree-nuar-tera of a niill : i..t on the ciirrct, "etr, He- fully expected that dime bo'd of retrenchment would have been i>nn. posed. It was a lUlilg<.t of Irivui'lt'"!, and did not show a matter mind W* nffivined that cHi'tallinevl of eKpend'tife was necessary# Ministers' Jil<»rle» should he lowered. He afflnned that one million pounds per vear could be caved without much trouble. All salaries rf civil servants over £3OO in value flioi'M be reduced ten per aries should be reduced, and tjie Governor's establishment should be eurlnhd. He objected to farmers being asked to pay income tax. The beer tax fhou'd he doubled, and the dutv on luiner.ll oils dropped. A tax 011 tea and sugar should be imposed, and the winning* of racehorse owners should be taxed.

Mr. Anstey deprecated the xuwc-tinti for reduction in wastes of civil BPVvai)t9. What was wanted was expansion of production. He said tlmt whett producer? had been given 3s <M per Wn-liel, while bread had been sold at tennence per loaf. The position of the w!>»»t market to day was one Qf. comnlete chaos. If there was surplus wheat, there was no justification for the hisli prices. He favored an increase of Hie land ard mortgage tax. The farmer was as read? as anyone to pay his riiarc of w*r taxation. Mr. Anstey advectted an increase lu, charges for press telegrams, and julao a tax on motor tyres, but not on can Hp condemned (he tax on kerosene : and ju t.rol, and did not agree with tlie proposal to raise railw.i v rates. He thoueht death duties might be increased, and also favored increased taxation on toU".lisator dividends, picture show?, find entertainments. l)r. Th acker eulogised the services of Sir Joseph Ward, as Minister of finance, and thbught that suggestions for altera.tions in taxation made during the debate might be helpful, if additional monies were required. He contended that the Trentham Com mission V report was wrong in submit ting that the outbreak of meningitis was liol developed ai camp.