PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 August 1917, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The Council resumed to-day! The second reading of the New Zealand Inscribed Stock Bill was moved by'fiir Francis Bell, who said : lie, injciiied? to; ask the Council the Statutes 'Revision Cinirnittet: u ' ii,; ' !; i Hon. 0. Samuel, inarpletirigi/the measure, said he had. inWvicwed' J tlie head of one of the ban)is, r \y,ho,„,seated that the securities of ihe propiWecplSiii were such that banks be reluctant fo accept some of them. The Bill was referred to the Committee as proposed, and the Council adjourned. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES] The Hon so met at 2.30. Seplying to Mr. Poland, the Minister, "or Defence said that instructions were issued two years ago tluit the worthless effects of dead soldiers were not to be sent back to parents, but that watches and trinkets 'were to be returned, useless clothes being burned. He regretted if in any case this instruction had aot been observed. ' / Hon. G. W. Russell laid'on! tho table the fifth annual report of the Public Service Commissioner. WAR BONiUS. Replying to Mr. Veitoh,' Sir Joseph Ward said it was clearly defined that only members of the public. service iu receipt of not more than £313 were to receive a wa» bonus. It was not practicable to take into consideration the overtime worked in the allocation of the money. It was not possible to treat all cases with a perfect equality, as there must, in tho nature of things, be some incongruities. A bonus paid for special servico was not taken out oi*the £400,000 voted by .Parliament. Sir J. Findlay suggctsed there ought to be some greater differentiation between married men with families and those with no families. These- were days in which we were asking the people to keep tho cradles full, and he thought the Government should set the example and show some consideration to men with families.

Mr. Wright endorsed this view. Mr. Wilford put in a plea for a bonus for casuals, and he strongly 1 protested against tho men -with big salaries being paid a bonus for special service. fl c also wanted to know how long the term of appointment of the Public Service Commis>sioni.-rs had yet to -run. .Mr. Anderson contended that no one receiving mora than £2OO should participate in the war bonus.

Mr. Masaey defended the vote for special service. H instanced- the eaae of Mr. friggs, whoso salary was £IOOO a year, and who received £2OO for special work in connection with the Imperial Meat Supply Department. Mr. Reakes and Dr. Valintine were in much the'same position, both doing a great deal of special work owing to the war, and the bonus in these cases was well deserved. Messrs McCallum and Payne denounced bonuses being paid to men in receipt of high salaries. Sir J. Allen quoted Hansard to ahow that these members had not opposed the vote for special service 'yrhtin before the House, their speeches to-day being deathbed repentances.

j Mr. Forbes quoted from tho report to show' that the Commissioners complained of the Government not giving effect to their recommendations, and asserted that if they had regarded these recommendations, defalcations to the extent of £ M,GOO would not have taken place. Hon. G. W. Russell, in reply, agreed that £3OO was too high a basis'on which a bonus should be paid. He admitted there was a good deal to be said in favor of the bonus being paid to married men on a ratio of family, but it was most difficult to work out a perfectly equitable scheme. He was, however, prepared to receivo suggestions. The Phblie Servieo Commisioners were appointed for seven year 3. As a result of his administration of the Act for two years he was now of opinion that the country could not go back to the old position of Ministerial control, unless a Minister of Public Service responsible to the Home was appointed. He pointed out that 3316 men had gone to the front up to March 31st, and tho work was necessarily being done under great difficulty, 60 that it mas surprising, .rather than otherwise, that the defalcations were so small.

The Premier moved that the names of the Hon. W. D. S. Mac Donald and R. A. Wright bo added to tho Cost of Living Committee. Several members asked that Labor should have a more direct representation on the Committee. Mr. Massey said there were already five representatives of Labor on the" Committee. The motion was passed and the House rose at 5.30.

At 7.30 the debate on the Budget was resumed by Mr. Statham, who said that ono of his chief complaints against the 1 Government, was that they were too slow to grasp opportunities, while, on the other hand, they sometimes showed firmness 'which amounted to stubbornness. He was afraid a great deal of our new taxation would have the effect of driving away capital. In his opinion the only hope for the country was to intensely develop its productiveness, but upon this question the number of men sent to the front had an important bearing. He was • disappointed that a stiff duty was not put on spirits and beer. The Government was only playing •with, the question, and in the end they would Call between two stools. Ho thought single men should pay more income-tax than men with families. He complained that the Minister for Defence acted as an autocrat, and that New Zealand was sending moTC reinforcements than the population warranted. ©r. Newman said the greatest weakness of the National Cabinet was its timidity and vacillation. What was wanted was a policy. There was no consistency in tho Government. So far the Government had never raised its voice in favor of economy. Tho butter-tax was unjustifiable and an unconstitutional interference with ihe rights of Parliament.. The House rose at 10.33.