PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1911, 2 July 1889, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

CUNNING DEVICE. The Premier has not yet lost his cunning. Last year he had not prepared his measures for Parliament until long after it had assembled, expecting that a debate would have taken place on the Address in Reply. The consequence was that for the first fortnight he had nothing for the House to do. This year he wanted breathing time to feel the pulse of members, and so he has introduced the estimates, over which members are wrangling. A great deal of time is wasted, and it is a fact which ought not to be forgotten that salaries have been increased by over £46,000. THE mOPEETY TAX. The Government have promised to reduce the property tax, but they will not take one farthing off the Customs duties. The property tax promises to prove the great question of the present session. It is supposed that a majority is against it, and if defeated on that question it is said that Government will dissolve Parliament, and go to the country on it, It is said that it is to avert such a catastrophe Mr Barron has given notice of gradually decreasing it. It is supposed that he is only a tool in Sir Harry Atkinson’s hands, and that the motion is merely a makeshift to tide over the difficulty. This is the trickery resorted to in Parliament. At any rate it is cruel to talk of reducing the property tax, while not one farthing is to be taken off the necessaries of life. Taxation is being taken off those able to pay it and put on the starving poor. ECONOMY. The sum of £l5O had been set down on the estimates as a subsidy for Law reports. These reports are printed for the sole and exclusive use of lawyers, and several members thought that that profession ought to pay for their own literature. It was really a most extraordinary thing to put this vote on the estimates when the whole country is screaming out for economy. Another anomaly is that the SolicitorGeneral gets £IOOO a year, while the Attorney-General gets only £BOO. An attempt was made to reduce the salary of the Solicitor-General to £BOO, but it proved unsuccessful. THE EAILWAY COMMISSIONEES. It is very possible that there is still some trouble in store for the Government over the appointment of Railway Commissioners. It will be remembered that they said they could not get an expert from Home, and now when they are asked to produce the papers and letters connected with the transactions they refuse to do so. We never believed them when they said they could not get a man from Home, and this looks like proof of it. The Commissioners have submitted their annual reports. The gross earnings were £967,615 3s 9d, the working expenses £647,045 Is 7d, leaving a net profit of £350,570 2s 2d. The total gross earnings was £2772 more than last year, and the expenditure was £40,283 less. This speaks well for Mr Maxwell. A reduction of £40,283 has been made in the working of the railways, but this could not have been done only for the gross negligence of the previous management.