PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 August 1917, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. "* Li l f By-'Tele^Taph.—Press v Wellington, Last Night. The Council resumed at Si.SQs, \ Imprest Bill Ho. 3 waa reseivfS i Jroii the Houaa and passed tJinwgh *lt stages without discussion. ' The cojuncii adjourned at 236, ' . ■ . Si- - - ■' .»■- s HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES twmtrnmlk —~*~ The House met at 230. 'A POSER FOE THE TOKMTTrR Mr. MeComibs asked the Premier ■fcw ' a 'Bill providing for the conscription ifi youths aged nineteen was printed if, us he declared a few days ago, he tawms 1 nothing of ■the proposal. The (Premier aaid he would like .ta ■ know where ,ihe honorable member i : - that Bill. Such a Bill could not by honorable means. Mr. MeCombs: Perfectly honorabJenMj far as I am concerned. , » The Premier: There is only ona-vwy Buch a Bill could be obtained, and' ts&t is not an honorable way. I would to know where tho member got iiP •. i' Mr. MaCombs: I will tell you tnorrow. , Continuing, the Premier said heM#d>' V; hered to the statement lie made & Sgeflj ■ : days ago. Cabinet "had not then oon-- ■ sidered the Bill and -ho did nab koow) ' what the position was. Cabinet hod not yet considered it, and it would not ho.' dealt with till the House settled V** question of shortening -the hours for sale of liquor. '' s FINANCE BILL AMENDMENT, An amendment to the Finance HQ was introduced by Governors message. Sir .Joseph Ward explained that the ■! amendment gave power to companies- - and public bodies to invest in the iTOr loan without liability of -prosecution, Hon. W. 11. Herries laid on the table i; the annual report of the Railways Dei partment, also the report of the suipeTi aniiuution fund. '"■* . , FINANCE BOX. i? Sir Joseph Ward formally moved ttw second reading of the Finance Bill. 1 Mr, Wilford said it was impossible for any member to fully discuss, in the time' : allotted him, all the points in this te- is ,: markable measure, which amounted to »n epic in legal draftsmanship. The speaker entered upon a highly technical analysis of the various clauses of the Bill, approving the relief given to small shareholders in companies. He described the clauses enforcing contributions to '• loans as amongst the most ingenious he had ever read, dnd for which the Na- vt tional Cabinet deserved credit. He alto- 5 gether commended tho wide powers of >- discretion given to the Commissioner. * lie did not understand why the Government did not adopt his suggestion to - collect the duty on cigarettes, a& all y that was necessary was to compel the" merchants to attach a penny stamp on each bos, then the country wouldf, get the benefit of the full amount extracted from the people, part of which was now going to the merchant, and he would ib«[ -•!' making a profit on the war .tax. Thiß change lie estimated would be worth' -i the Dominion £IOO,OOO pel* annum, -• •Mr. jßuddo thought- it a matter for i:;.; congratulation to the Dominion that the Minister for Financo had not found it ' necessary to reduce tho exemption from '' income tax, as was done in Australia. - He was surprised that the' income tax " had not been made higher, but in thia > time of war he was confident there woaM be no objection on the part of the people / to pay almost any amount of taxation* - and so help to save the Empire, Sir John Findlay pointed out cagQ* of hardship likely to arise as the regoit of the operation of the compulsory' clauses. The court of appeal under tiro "■* oxceplional legislation was not satUfam" tory. He asked that it be not the 0om« missioncr of Taxes alone, but two other officers associated with him. The methocll of taxation applied to the Government Life Office and. other mutual assurance companies was not quite equitable to. the mutual companies. The Australian Mutual paid £43081, and the Govern-, ment Life Office £1:1,040. Had the ta®a« v; tion applied to both offices been the fame ■ the Government office would have psii : v £30,900. The proposal made in the Bill ' to tax the mutual life assurance com- ' panics on the whole of their investments'l was calculated to make them and a* they were not profit-making in« , stitutions they were deserving of | better fate. He hoped this section ot<j Jj; the Bill would bo reconsidered. - - ;' 1 The House resumed at 7.50. ; / Mr. R. MeCallum generally approv&i .' of the proposals of the Finance Bill, hot"' \ urged an increase in the beer duty to., .■! ' sixpence a gallon. -.*! Mr. Anstey did not agree y;ith soma oi the proposals, but, on tho whole, re- ; garded the Bill as the first real attempt *! to make wealth meet its Just reaponsii ' bilities. ' Mr. Lee suggested that banks should be compelled to Jend money to private , investors in the war loan, not for two years as proposed, but for four years. He hoped the beer tax would tie m&da sixpence per gallon. ! Dr. Newman thought that as littte o*. i possible should be wrung from the , ' people. Considering that the Treasurer had ten millions stocked vp in LoodcTn,. ' he thought that should be instead ■' of raising thia enormous loin. If v> Bill passed, the Treasurer would ooctzmtK i <> late a surplus of eight millions in t*Q years, whicli would not be justified. He <-r advised tho Minister to enhance the "'i Treasury by economy, iirliich was some- : thing this Government had never tried, '■ The debate was continued <by Meeftrs .feitt, Brown, Paratu. Field (Otaki),; Poole, and Anderson. The House adjourned at ll.lfc