WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 September 1920, Page 8

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

NEW TAXATION. CONFLICTING .VIEWS. (Special Correspondent.) Wellington Sept. 10. While the members of the Liberal and Labor parties are declaiming against Mr. Massey's failure in his Land and Income Tax Amendment Bill to place a fair share of the country's burdens upon big estates and big incomes, his political friends are complaining that the Prime Minister has conceded far too much to the persistent demand of the "socialistic element of the community. "It is," The Dominion says, "a measure very severe in its demands on persons of substantial income and large holders of land. It not only perpetuates,' but it aggravates the injustice done to shareholders of joint stock companies. It seems likely in some cases to prove little short of confiscation of the whole inconie. The outstanding feature of the Bill is its direct appeal to popularity." These isolated paragraphs do no injustice to the general tenor of the Reform organ's denunciation of the party leader's proposals.

A BUSINESS MAN'S VIEW. Mr. Harold Beauchamp, who, as chairman of the board of directors of the Bank of New Zealand, finds it desirable to keep his eye on the political drift of the country, as well as upon its financial and commercial affairs, speaks with even a greater sense of responsibility than does the average newspaper. He is restrained in his expressions of opinion, but he evidently does not like Mr. Massey's proposals. He confesses he was unpleasantly surprised by the manner in which the Minister of Finance proposed to obtain his additional revenue. The Minister did not appear to be entirely conversant with the effect his previous taxation was haying. The mercantile community was being laden with charges it could not pass on to the public, and no one could foresee how grave the result might be. Mr. Beauchainp still thinks the import and export tax he proposed at the beginning of the war would have brought about a much more equitable distribution of the country's burdens than has any scheme that has been adopted. THE LICENSING POLL. Last night the Licensing Amendment Bill sent down from the Legislative Council produced a long discussion on licensing matters in general. The Bill itself is intended merely to prevent an evasion of the spirit of the existing law by making it impossible to transfer a license beyond the limits prescribed by the Licensing Act of 190S, but the motion for the second reading opened .up the whole subject of liquor for debate. The most notable contribution to the discussion came from the Prime Minister, who, while supporting the Bill before the House, said it was unlikely there would be any important amendments to the Licensing Act prior ot the next licensing poll, which probably would take place at the time of the next general election. If the liquor trade survived tho next poll, however, it would be the duty of Parliament to deal with it as it had not been dealt with for the last twenty years. Mr. Massey's statement was received with opcroval by the Prohibition element in the House, and later on it may attempt to get the form of the ballot paper amended. TOWN AND COUNTRY. Taranaki and its small farmers are finding a very ready champion in the House of Representatives in Mr. Robert .'.Masters, the new member for Stratford. Al>. Masters, though a clear and logical spei'.ker, wastes no time in superfluous talk and is not parochial in his views. But when fie small fanner Is attacked from the Labor benches or from any other quarter, Mr. Masters is all attention, and, hits hack without delay. On Wednesday night, while stone-walling the scheme for apprenticing English lads to farmer*, the Liybor members had a, lot to say about "child slavery" in the milking districts, and. when he got his opportunity, Mr. Masters countered very effectively. He showed from (Tffieial reports that the children of Tarawa ki. instead of being stunted in body and intellect, as had been alleged, were among' the most robust and intelligent in the Dominion, and lie thought, an inquiry among any considerable community of ?mall farmers would reveal similar conditions. It was the big towns, he insisted, that required earnest attention in this respect.