GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2214, 25 June 1891, Page 2

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. The Council met at 2.80 p.m. on Tuesday.

COVHCIL BKFOEX. The Hon. P. A. Buckley moved the second readiag of the Legislative Council. Ha said the Bill contained a clause for the retirement of Councillors after seven years' service, with the privilege of being eligible for reelection after a period of one year. 1 he Bill also provided for ex-members being entitled to the use of the library for all time.

The Hon. Dr Pollen opposed the measure, but SSir G. Whit more and Messrs McLean and Stevens supported it, on condition of amendments being introduced.

The Council adjourned at 4.30 p.m

HOME OF EEPRESENTATIVES. The House met at 2.80 p.m, on Tuesday.

BANK OP NEW ZEALAND.

Captain Russell moved the second reading of the New Zealand Bank Bill (a private Bill), to amend the deed ot settlement as recently agreed to by the shareholders.

Agreed to. BIPLIES TO QUESTIONS,

Replying to questions, the Minister of Lands said it was not true, as stated m a latter from Mr Boyds, published in the Otago Daily Times, that the New Zealand Pine Company, the largest holders of saw-milling areas in the Middle Island, recently applied for an additional area of forest land, which the then Commissioner, Mr Spence, forwarded to the Government, and that by instruction of the Government the application was granted. Net a single acre had been granted to this company since he (Mr M'Kenzie) came into office. The Government was well aware of the fact that the Glenmark estate of 75.000 acres was now open for sale, but the Government had no authority to enter into negotiations for the purchase of that estate for settlement purposes. It hoped, however, that the House would gire that authority during the present session. A Bill was now being prepared which would deal with the question of affording relief to agricultural leaseholders on goldfields who were inadvertently left out of the Settlers' Revaluation Bill. CHAIBMAN OF COMMITTEES. The Hon. J. Ballance moyed, and Mr W. C, Smith seconded, that Mr Perceval be Chairman of Committees of the House. Motion agreed to. BILLS. The second reading of the Official and Colonial Defence Screts Bill, the , Imbecile Passengers Act (to amend the Act of 1382) passed second reading, COMPANY PROMOTERS. The House went into Committee on the Promoters' and Directors' Liability Bill, which passed with some verbal alterations.; THE VI2rjLXCIA.iI DEBASE. On the motion that the House go into Committee of Supply. Mr Bryce said he was anxious to congratulate the Government on the Statement, in that it was a catching and taking Statement. The cheers of the Government supporters on hearing the Financial Statement read a few nights age were really due to the late Government, and not to the present Ministry, He should be prepared, indeed, to forgive mistakes if only the Government could convince him that its retrenchment was not a sham. He should like here to pay the Minister for Lands a high compliment. He thought Mr McKenzie must be an expert in the artof mesmerism, as, judging from that hon. gentleman's speeches, he appeared to have extraordinary influence on certain newspapers. Why he appointed a gentleman at a salary of £goo a year, in distinct con tradiction to the will of the House, and in absolute violation of the law of the land. And yet he called this retrenchment. Then in his own district (Mr Bryce's) there were formerly two iaspeefcors, both of whom were dismissed and another one was appointed; He contended that it was absolutely impossible for that gentleman to perform the work of even ene section of the district. The inspectors who were dismissed were it was generally believed, sent away because they held certain political opinions; and he thought if I the reproach could be laid against the Government that it dismissed these men because of their opinions, it was a very unfortunate thing for the Colony and he did not consider it as retrenchment. Coming to the incidence of taxation he held, however that there should be no exemption, because property required protection. That did not apply to the Income tax, as there should certainly be exemptions under that Act. The main objection to the Property tax in Auckland was the bad valuation. As to the Property tax being a tax on industry, he asked, was)

it not better to put taxation on accumulated industry than upon current industry thut a man earned from day to day. With respect to an Income tax he thought that whereas that tax would be particularly easy to collect in England, it would be very difficult to collect here, and would lead to commercial immorality. At any rate the bulk of the taxation was to come upon the land, but his opinion was that if they put too much taxation on the land they would run. great risk of financial disaster. He knew it was the wish of Government and some of its supporters to do this, but it was a dangerous experiment, and he asserted that the threat that was being held oyer the country in this respect was calculated to produce nothing short of disaster. He sympathised with the proposal to tax absentees.. They ware told this was a non-borrowing Government. Was this a reality or a sham ? He (Mr Bryce) was not a non-borrower, but if a loan were proproposed it should be done in a public manner. He ventured to say that the Government was a borrowing Government of the worst character. The conversion operation recently taking place was nothing but borrowing. As regarded the land policy he gave it as his opinion that the desire that existed in every man's breast for possessing a piece of land of his own. Perpetual lease was found to be most popular with the people, simply because it was not perpetual lease at all. Eeferring to the acquisition of private estates by the Government, he thought the landowners themselves would be delighted at the proposal. As to the exodui of the population, it was no donbt dna partly to the stoppage of public works but seme people left the Coleny thinking they could better themselves in other ' Colonies were borrowing still prevailed. Another proposal in the Statement was to place a tax of £IO,OOO on the proceeds of the totalisator. He was shocked at such a proposal, owing to the gambling spirit that would be aroused by it, as he believed there was no greater national vice in any country than that of gambling. The policy of the Government was calculated to deter capital from coming into the conntry, and to diminish the employment of labor. It weuld also diminish the power of paying our debts, and he regretted he could not take a more favorable view of their policy. The Hon, W. P. Reeves said Mr Bryce had attacked the Government | all along the line at great length, bat he had not shattered their defence in . any single instance. Who got the revenue for the late Government? Was it the member for Mount Ida ! and his friends, or was it the present Government party, from whom Sir H. . Atkinson iitole his policy, and by that ' means created a surplus f Respecting ! retrenchment Mr Bryce had not proved it was a sham. Referring to the totalieator, the present Govern- ' ment was not responsible for the totalisator, and, if he (Mr Reeves) remembered lightly, it was Mr Bryce's own Government that introduced it. , [Mr Bryce: Allow me to say that I opposed it warmly and bitterly.] He should like to know whether a tax on the totalisator would encourage gambling. Why, according to the South Canterbury Jockey Club, it would ruin racing. A a to Mr Bryce's remarks about taxation, he should like to know how else they could tax a man except on the profits of industry, and that was the great feature of the income tax. The tax was the fairest in the world; it pressed heavily on those who made large profits. It was adopted thirty-five yearn ago by the first commercial nation in the world, and had never been repealed. The Government proposed to take £60,000 off the fmall landowners. The party to which he belonged did not want targe estates. Those estates were a pest; they were industrial obstacles and were also a bar to progress. They were not wanted, and they had already largely benefited by I he Public Works policy. When he reflected on the great wrongs that had been inflicted on the country by those people in every direction he stood aghast at the moderation exercised in dealing with them. The owners of large estates were a social nuance and obstacles to industry; but the large mortgaged estates were the greatest nuisance oic all. It was stated that the income tax pressed with undue heaviness, Did it press heavily on companies? The average rate of profits made by companies was not so heavy in New Zealand that a shilling would press heavily on them. A calculation had been made that those profits amounted to 7 per cent on the average, and certainly did not exceed 7£ per cent. Then there was the case of men making a living by trade and commerce. In cases of that kind under the Property tax a man with £IOOO in his business, with full benefit of exemption, had to pay £2 ls8d; under the Government proposals a maniad to maxe 15 per cent profit before he paid a farthing, and he had to make 20 per cent profit before he paid £2 Is Bd, the amount of the Property tax. .No Liberal party in this world ever achieved its ideal in six months, but he ventured to say that the Government policy would be ? accepted by the Liberals of the country* He did not think for a moment that an appeal to th* country will be required, but he almost wished that such would result, as he felt sure they would achieve a triumph in the country. The debate was continued by Mr McArthur acid the Hon. J. G. Ward,

in which Mr Ward accused Mr Bryce of having voted for the totalisator, Mr Bryce rose to say he bad never voted for the totalisator in his life. The Hon. E. J. Seddon said he recollected thecircumstanees distinctly, as he was teller on the occasion referred to. The Bill had been introduced by Mr Dick, then Colonial Secretary , # Mr Bryce asked whether the Bill contained other Government proposals. The Hon. B. J, Seddon replied in the affirmative.

Mr Bryce admitted that it was quite likely he voted for a Bill brought in by the Government of which he was a member, but he absolutely denied that he ever voted for legalising the totalisator pure and simple. The d(ln*fl was adjourned on the notion of Mr Scobie McKenzie at 141 a.m.