PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 August 1917, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

By Telegraph,—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night, The House met at 2.30 p.m. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS:

In answer to Mr. iPboiej -the Premier said that early in the year,, the Government statistician advised tfcat there was not sufficient wheat in New Zealand to last until next harvest, therefore, Australian wheat was purchased. Recently, however, it had been found thnt a quantity of Australian fiour imported threatened to put some of the southern mills out of action. The matter would come before Cabinet to-morrow, but he could not say what action would be taken.

In answer to Dr. Newman, Mr. Massey■• said that the maximum price of .butter stood as before. The Board of Trade reported that it %yas being sold at between Is Od OwtMM *t teittw- ware uadar the lm-i pwwriaw tfert they #*«ld sst gat iJWr vappif awfty, and the price went dowii ■to 1« Si, but later it was found that' the supply might be got away early in' the season, and the price went up again. NEW BILLS. Sir Joseph Ward gave notice of inten■tien to introduce the New Zealand Inscribed Stock BUI. He proposed to circulate tho Bill to-night with a view to asking member* to pass it at an early date. There was nothing exceptional in the Bill, but it was neceusary that it should he jawed bsfere the loan was floated. Hftß.'G. w. Ruisell gavesuotice to introduce the Bivsrs Boards Bill. m. WEBB'S BILL. . Mr. Webb, in asking leave to introduce the War Regulations Amendment Bill, said some of the finest men in the Dominion were at present behind iron bars because of the rigid nature of the War Begulatons. There was not a drop of German blood in these men, and they were in no sense German agitators, anil j though they strove to. avoid industrial

trouble they were in gaol. He considered it was to the advantage of the Dominion that Air. Mnssey and Sir Joseph Ward were out of the country when th« conscription strike took place on the West Coast, because the mc-u left behind showed a more statesmanlike' view of the position than those .two Ministers ever took. They used conciliatory measures, and were assisted by some* of the leaders of the men. Yet, within a week of the strike being settled,.the men who ordered the Blackball men back to work wore put in prison. If those men chose to rata their littlo finger they could plunge the, country into industrial trouble to-morrow. He detailed the proin connection with the r?cent strike, and claimed that his persona! efforts were all in the direction of peace. He had worked day and night with Ministers to avert trouble, and the worst n» and the others who were put in gaol barf done was to criticise the Government. He challenged any Minister to onestion his action in connection with the strike.

Mr. MeCombs, in supporting the motion, declared that one accused person had been convicted for no greater offence than quoting the New Testament. If ono man was put in gaol for quoting the Bible, ether men, including Mr. Jsitt, should be convicted for selling thorn. On a division leave to introduce the Bill was refused by 34 to 10. The Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act Amendment Bill (Mr. Walker) was introduced and read a first time. . Tito Minister of Defence tabled the report of the Director General of Medical Services in camps. MINISTERIAL REPLIES. Ministers gave the following answers to questions: That so long as naturalised British subjects give no indications of disloyalty, conditions of naturalisation' must be observed n New Zealand as in other parts of the Empire. That motor vehicles have become essential for tho carrying on of some of the industries of the Dominion. The duty collected on motor-cars last year was £148,000. That the Railway Department, through {he High Commissioner, is doing its beat to obtain the material which is urgently rerequired, That Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward gave no promise to Bishop Cleary in England that the Marist Brothers would not be conscripted, That the attention of banks has been drawn to the unclean bank notes in circulation, and further representations are being ;«sid«. That present instructions from tfe Imperial Gorernnient regarding the sMpment ot meat arc that preference of shipment must be given to beef and wether mutton. When, the companies 1 cannot fill the allotment space with such meat, ewe mutton and lamb may be shipped. Theso instructions are beingcarried out. The House resumed at 7.30 p.m. BUDGET DEBATE. Dr. Thaeker continued the debate on the Budget, urging that more than £IOO,OOO should be devoted to education. Technical education especially deserved, more support, for it was specialised Wustry that made Germany the natioa it mas, and to that form of education wo. have to look for commercial and industrial advancement of the Empire after the war. He contended that patriotic funds Bhould be nationalised "and administration reduced to something : Kko a common system. He asked that : less niggardliness should be shown to \Hd«W«4 mothers of soldiers. Conscientious objectow should be reasonably ■treated, and, when sent away, their friends should be given due notice of' their'departujre.

He denounced waste going on«*n the -administration of the Defence Depart•Ktent, and concluded by denouncing &v$ ■attempt to raiiitarfit tine democmey; <fS> tie country. Mr. Soswortby said tkera. was a-Agen-eral impression abroad .that the man on the land waa'the man who made money during the war. That opinion was erroneous. It' Was the speculators, transport agents, banking institutions and mercantile firms who made money, and ■ ho was afraid the Budget would not get |b* Wumuonle as they fyservod to be at. Be agreed with many of the teadjuctineata of taxation prooesed, but' »omc of the old Wots still remained, particularly the practice of charging a man on his debts, namely, mortgages on his land. Nest year, if another loan had. to be raised, more of it would have to go on the customs, and for that reason ha approved tlus tax on tea. This war was not heing fought for the benefit of ajay one olaas; it wag being waged for all classes, and all classes should bear, their fair share fo the cost. He could see taxation was going to fall:heavily on the man o» the lanA imdar. thai ask.

—■ 1 "' I B,< U.m. Ho complained that taxation W(|j ' levied on. a man's capital, and not oauA% '' income, or on his equity in had. .M»* cussing income tax. he thought' l^ tHjk. „ er the income tl- 'igher should total 1 1 , graduations of ' %x. On incottlt ci? ; \ '•£0400 and over -re should not be graduations, but :i surttuC'tts w«IL S£ •■ warmly supported heavier taxation vpt. ' motor cars and beer, for all luzoNMP.' should be taxed every time, and all Ht» '■>, tir-e, not only to carry on the *ar, fcflfc- ' to make provision for soldiers' depend* ' ants as 'well. Mr. Forbes said the. peoploofthe Dojk'" minion were ready for heroic mjuaftttefci' and that was why criticism of tfoe BttdS < get had been so mild, for notwithstandw,' ing the drastic taxation, there had beenj' practically no complaint, but the fast}'; remained that there -was -widespread diiS ; content with the National Government'*' administration, and for this he thought: the absence of an election was reapOn-i « eible, for when the Government had no* :, to face the people they were apt tO> become autocratic, and the tendency autocracy towards social legislation' yni to turn a deaf ear. One of the oftusea ■■ of discontent with the Government Wai ■■ the failure to grapple with the coat pi-' living and war profits, and tq him thiiwas one of the diaappoiatmaats (A Hm Budget. Tfce war yrofltg tax should vM ' ' have boen dropped. Sarely them v 3 • enough ingenuity to our tax gathjejSJ department to get at that fund Tttgf* seated by the value of products fcjmnf' the war and now. . Another cause of discontent wan <sm extravagant expenditure of the Deisasp ' Department, and, to a minor extent, fUty absence of a radical policy for the tttttM ■ ment of soldiers on the land. The 8m tional Government was allowing thing! f to drift and there was not a single jmm' posal in the Budget to meet the ptoblejnV ; He hoped that before the Budget vm ■ passed, the Government would be mad*! '' to feel that it was the wish of the Bou<* that the beer duty 'mußt be increased ■ Tlie House rose at 11 p.m.