PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 April 1918, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, April 12. The House met at 11.30. The greater part of the business transacted was purely formal. REPLIES TO QUESTION.?. '

In reply to Mr. Parr, the Minister of Defence said he would lay the correspondence between himself and the Mayor of Auckland on the subject of the reception of sick and wounded soldiers on the table of the House." In this question he desired to make, it plain that the department has great difficulties to face, and these difficulties are likely to become much greater in the near future than in the past. They have never been' able to get any definite information regarding the arrival of shipß bringing wounded men, and now they have been advised that ships approaching the New Zealand coasts must not use wireless- The department therefore does not know the day a ship is arriving. They could not afford to disregard the instructions about the use of wireless, as the Matunga. was lost because she disobeyed her instructions and used wireless. The Wolf picked up the message, waited for her a few days, and ultimately captured her., In the near future they might have to stop notifying next of kin of the arrival of ships and, though he would not like to do it, it might be necessary in the interests of efficiency to <stop next of kin going to the port of arrival to meet wounded relatives.

In reply to Mr- Veitch, Mr. Massey said he was going into the.whole question of recommendations made by the Cost of Living Committees of last year before the session closed.

The Hon. D. H. Guthrie explained, in reply to Mr. Jennings, that the Government had taken steps to protect settlew in the district recently devastated by hush fires against exploitation in the niatter of the purchase of grass seed, and he understood the settlers were highly pleased with the arrangements made. Mr. MeCombs gave notico of his intention to introduce the Popular Initiative and Referendum Bill.

Mr. Wright gave notice of his intention to introduce the Maori War Medal Bill. At 12.20 the debate on the Finance Bill was resumed bv Mr. Anderson.

Mr. R. A. Wright asked if the Prime Minister's attention had been called to the steady increase in the prices of footwear in New Zealand. Was he aware that the local boot manufacturers were taking advantage of the practical elimination of outside competition, and had raUed their prices accordingly* Would the Government take steps to regulate the prices? Mr- Luke asked about the amount of tailoring done to private order by the German prisoners on Somes Island. There was a complaint of unfair competition in the tailoring and dressmaking industries.

Mr W. H. Field asked the Minister of Defence whether the transfer of military hospitals from the Public Health Department to the Defence Department was proving a mistake.

Mr. G. Witty asked whether there wag any truth in the current statement that a proportion of the deaths and sickness among the men in camp was greater than among tho general public. Sir James Allen: That is not so.

Dr. Thacker. asked whether anything would b* dont to restrieMlis iosotfef

tion of crude, immature alcohol spirMa .. from Australia. Sir Joseph Ward re«i ■,' plied that preparations were nearrjjflpmi) > ' |)lete to prevent that iradosiriiblecstjgjbj} •'■ of things. ;j FINANCIi BILL. . The House met again at 2.30. , lie. Anstey pointed out the ".' iu war taxation under which some small / farmers were unfairly oppressed, while others were paying less'than before the. ',) war- He considered that contribution* ") to patriotic funds should be placed on j! the same footing as contributions to the' "3 war loan. He urged that, beforo mora l ' ;* men were called up, a most stringent \g combing out of the fit should be put t, in hand. . . ■ ,'■ Mr- E. P. Lee said the proposal to '■'

.... ... c--x " '•) est in the hands of the Commission?*',, f Taxes power to tax people "according *„> o their means'' was a power far too ■ '- irastic and hostile to one of the ftnrfj '" »rinciplea of taxation. ; A i Sir Joseph Ward, interrupting .Mr.;*"' Jee, said if lie did as Mr. Lee proposed ' $ md made the amount of contribution, td '■• the loan fixed and definite it wouldineajj ■* ruination to many people from one eos / sf the Dominion to the other. Great '.' elasticity was absolutely necessary. Xtj '., was never intended to administer thq . clause harshly If necessary he wag '" prepared when in committee to mtduf provision for further appeal, but,l)H * was determined the financial shirkart';'; Aould be made to do, their doty,- k Mr. McCoombs saM that was at, need to raise these war loans wiieni, \ such vast sums were coming into -.th* •" Dominion as war profits. He strongly'- J protested against the proposal to»extenrf . the life of Parliament, and considered'. ;i the constitution should be so«altered't4H(' , t to make such a proceeding impossible. ■

Mr. C- A. Wilkinson (EgHian±>(«Bri! i plained that the Goy«rmnent .'' tremely apathetic in pursuing proftteeat ■• ing. There were many articles in„pcjitt< ,-; mon use that were being unduly- pushed ':, up in price. * ■ i Mr. J. C. Thomson pleaded for greater; , -,, envelopment for those engaged in th«j ,'.J educational work of the country, ]3% : ; pointed out that it was impossible • tq" '- expect bright-minded youths to take! service in such a poorly paid when other more profitable channels of '; employment were open to them. "

Mr. G J. Anderson urged that titenj ", should be a distinct indication in Jaw, ■ ■„, of the amount which a person - pected to invest under the coraputeorjj , loan provisions. He asked if ■■ sufficient arms in the country to «rnt the whole of the population in need, He also urged that more stoouM ■,' be done in the way of preparation. £Ol jvork after the war. There should" *toinstruction farms for returned soldkia, in every part of the Dominion. The*cail< ''• for more men from Kew Zealand r<3M dered imperative an early of industry, as they could production without it • > The Souse resumed at 7.30. 1 ' Mr, Fletcher complained that nothing ,{. had been done to give effect -to the '■;, port of" the Cost of living OcanmitteeJ ,; -i He was particularly • disappointed tlUftj -. no effort had been made \o *b!bHWiJ .* State trawlers,.so as ! toigivettti*isaqpfca ">', cheap fish. \ v Mr. Wright said that ',■'- j men had been rejected! in * j active service. It would appear Uratjj ~ the British standard was hagter "thaini -; ours, and if so, it was neosßsnytd ■' know the facts. J Dr. Thacker said the nextJtcrafastanfflf , ); be taken entirely from the shirkers and the rest of thewsohfflHnii&ji ',< left completely alone. ' ]■ '"*■•■ Mr. Payne, defended (Mr.- T55eHvJS£Eg ; ' for Grey, against the aspersOTSftrtS^B^. ,-i a shirker and slacker. ( ,"' After the supper adjourrmjen£*.theS3B<' J, bate was carried on. I ■.- Sir Joseph Ward at 12.45, during the course -of* defended the war bonds tej?&Js**JjH , ' income tax, contending . nada, Australia-and America -wcafldWroi \jj. have taken that course unlesß*titeßttTUfi 'j; a good reason for it. In Newy2feail«Bd • the .reason was that we, not ,£ country accustomed to borrow irJOnftSttH. n-r! ternal sources, it was necessary-"t»-a«( •'1,,.'! courage the people to lend. At*the*sanwd ■■' i time he contended that thiswygtemfym ~ Jj the cheapest in the end, because if, w* .;( paid the fli per cent, on the ■■ £Bu,OOOJOOQI '$ which our war loans would shortfe 'S amount to, it would cost £48,000;<»t ,-jJ more in thirty years than we have tp | pay at 4J per cent. This was a much; ;> larger sum than we were losing in tav.J come tax. Freedom from income tax ha 4'"' -J ensured the raising'of the money. denied there was any intention to use ia the compulsory powers harshly, and in :,j committee he was prepared to make 0 '3j Supreme Court judge the final court di y appeal, and also fix a maximum for those liable to the compulsorya "' clauses. That maximum was six tinjora-.-,. the amount of the land and income taxj./j they would have to pay, but he not allow the financial shirker tp - Up to April 8 the outgoings for war;,' .■> expenditure totalled £41,000,000. The second reading of the Bill ,. ried on the voices, and the House went; ■ into committee. The first clause wa.S| passed and the House rose at 1.27 till, . 11 a.m.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. The Council met at 2.30.' - V Leave of absence was gTanted Hon. Qtf * Carson on account of illness f > Hon. C A. G. Hardy moved the A 4*. .: dress-in-Reply. He considered that had been done by the Minister of -De-.' .' sfence that deserved the thanks of theu k country. 3'.' ; Hon. W Earnshaw considered tha,tl ; ;a Samoa should not be brought under thai 'v| jurisdiction of New Zealand because os:'!J the distance between the two territorial'. :f but that jurisdiction should be estaWish*'' "* ed within the Islands. ' ' 4 The. Address was agreed to, and tb#. ',5 Council rose at 3.15 v '■ ~-i The Council resumed at 8 p.m. an 4 ; .^f adjourned till 10 o'clock next morning., -Jj . ." 's