PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 September 1917, Page 4

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. By' Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night, In the Legislative Council this .after-, noon, Hon. O. Samuel gave notice to askthe leader various questions relating to statements published regarding.,the;a;-', ministration of justice. ■':'-•■ '.' '*.'"' The River Boards Amendment Dill was I referred to the Statutes Revision Committee, and the second reading of the Revocation of Naturalisation Bill was set down for the following day. At 2.40 p.nL the' Council adjourned. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES The House met at 2.30. Replying to Mr. Brown, Mr. Massey said that so far as the Government knew there were no unnaturalised aliens employed on the water fronts of the Dominion. 'Mr. Witty produced a tin of butter put up by a dairy association in Auckland, which, he complained, weighed only 15 ounces, tin included. He asked that the matter be inquired into, with a view of ascertaining whether the butter was of the best quality and the tin of full weight. He a.sked because the butter was apparently put up for tho use of soldiers, and he thought soldiers should not be Tobbed. Mr. Massey replied that, knowing the dairy associations as he did, he could not imagine they were trying to get the better of the public. However, the consumer must be protected, and he asked Hie hon. member to send the tin to his office and lie have the whoie matter looked into. Later. Mr. Massey stated lie had received information which might furnish a satisfactory explanation, but he agreed that tiie weight of butter should 'be plainly stmped on the tin. Replying to Mr. Brown, Sir James Allen said he absolutely denied tho truth of the rumor that he (Sir Jas. Allen 1 was going Home as High Commissioner. Replying to Mr. 11. Okey, Sir James Allen said the departmental report showed that the cost of rationing men in the camps, exclusive of the cost, of cooking and transport, ranged from Is fid to Is Sd per mnn per day from January to May. the average being Is 7d. COST OF SOLDIERS' PENSIONS. Sir James Allen stated that soldiers' pensions had now reached the annual cost of £205,218. LETTERS PROM GENERAL GODLEY. Sir James Allen read a letter from General Godley, in answer to a criticism regarding staff appointments, in which the general said he had done all he possibly could to get staff appointments for all staff corps officers, 'except in cases where it was absolutely necessary to first have ft little regimental experience. Sir Jas. Allen also read a statement from General Godley in which be said: "You need have no anxiety about the new brigade. Immediately there is any difficulty about reinforcements it will, if necessary, be broken up; but, I am glad to say, our casualties at the battle of Messines were so comparatively light that, for the present, at anyrate, there will not be the slightest 1 difficulty in keeping up the 4th Brigade. FINANCE BILL. The House went into Committee on the Finance Bill. At clause 30 Sir Joseph Ward stated that if members so desired he was willing, in connection with the tea duty, to put in the schedule an ad valorem duty of 25 per cent., so Jhat the higher priced teas would pay a higher duty than the cheaper teas. The clause was agreed to. On clause Mi, the Minister moved to increase the duties on cigarettes manufactured by machinery from 3s (5d to as, and on cigarettes 'made by hand from 2s to -Is per pound. This nvos agreed to. On clause 52—amusement tax—Mr. Veitch objected to this tax on the ground that it was unsound in its incidence, and tended to increase the cost of living to the working man. If imposed at all, it should only be on the higherpriced tickets. A lengthy debate topk place, many country members objecting to the tax on the ground of there being no sixpenny tickets in the country, so that their districts would not participate in the exemption. The clause was agreed to on the voices. Replying to Mr. Statham, Sir Joseph Ward said that entertainments not given for private gain would bo exempt under Clause 58. On clause 74, Sir Joseph Ward said it was impossible to increase the amount of income earnable by old age pensioners from £34 to £52, as there was"* a proposal this year to increase the pensions, and ifc was not possible to still further increase it, as would be done if the proposals were agreed to. A3 the result of further discussion, tho 'Minister promised to review the general position ojf pensioners, and, if possible, to grant further concessions, as he would •be glad to do, and he would have them inserted in the Bill at a later stage. The elauso was agreed to. A new clause (27a), extending special exemption under the income-tax in respect of dependent children of a taxpayer, was added to the Bill. / A new'clause (33a), providing that the State Fire Insurance Office shall pay income tax, was agreed to. A new clause (33b) making special provisions with respect' to the income of foreign insurance companies, and a new clause (47b) respecting the payment of gold duty to local bodies before the gold was actually exported, were also added. A new clause (05c) relating to protection for banks in respect' of advances to clients for investment in the war purposes loan, was agreed to without discussion. Further new clauses were added, atithorising companies and local authorities to invest in the war loan. The House then passed to the consideration of the schedules. The second schedule was struck out. On the third schedule Mr. MeCoombs objected to the tax ou tea as tending to increase the cost of living, The discussion was interrupted by tke dinner adjournment. On resuming at 7.30, Mr. McCombs moved to reduce the proposed** duty 014 packet tea from 5d to 2d, and to strike out the duty of 3d on tea in bulk. Sir Joseph Ward said statistics showed that the consumption of tea in the Dominion was 71bs per head per annum, therefore, the tax amounted to Is 9d per head per year. In view of the fact that we kept taxation at the minimum of £3OO, which no other country had succeeded in doing, he thought no one could object to contribute this small sub ti war taxation, particularly when the I money; raised by the tea tax is to be'

used for tlio humana purpoc* *of ing old-age pension*. Messrs Hornby, Anderson,. Webb and Statham declared against tits tax, on the ground that aa part of iift policy tiio National Cabinet promised ta reduce the cost of living, while so fu from reducing the cost, there was an actual increase amounting to £99,000 a year. Dr. Pomare, Messrs "Wilkinson and Pcarce' supported the proposal that the tux should be abandoned, and the revenua made up by an extra duty on spirits. Sir Joseph VVard combated the idea that the revenue could be got from'spir* its, as the revenue from that source was steadily falling. After th,e discussion had been continued along l similar lines till 11.15, Mr. JVlcCombs intimated that he would not .pres4.fpr,ja,.decisi<jn Qn the question of the which was agreed ■to, a decision on the question qf retaining teh duty of 3d per lb on tea in bulk. Ou a division the duty, was retained by 37 to 21. The remaining schedules were passeoV A new schedule was substituted'for'tho\ second schedule, previously struck out, and a number of Machinery amendments introduced by the Minister were adopted without discussion. Tie Bill was then reported from committee with* ranendi. incut. • . j The House rose at 11.50.