GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2241, 15 August 1891, Page 2

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Wellington, August 12. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. The Council met at 2. 30. p.m. on Wednesday. THE LIBEL BILL. The Libel Biy. waß considered in committee. Mr Wilson took strong objection to clause 10, which makes it imparative upon a plaintiff to give security for a defendent's costs to an amount not exceeding £25. An amendment to the clause was , rejected by 23 to 2, and the clause as ■ printed was agreed to. The other amendments made in the ! Bill were of a trivial character. Progess was reported, and the Council rose at 4 p.m. , The Council met at 2.30. p.m. on Thrs- \ day. August 13. j THE LIBEL BILL. The Libel Bill was further considered > in Committee. The following new clause - was inserted : "This Act shall not I apply to the case of any candidate for , public office or position in the colouy , unless retraction of the charge is made , editorially in a conspicuous manner at , least three days before the election. " The Bill was reported as amended, the I third reading being fixed for next day. L HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The House met at 2.30. p.m. on Wed- * nesday. I THE OAMARU HARBOUR BOARD LOAN BILL. Mr Saunders brought up the report of the Public Accounts Committee on the Oamaru Harbour Board Loan Bill. The report was to the effect that the 5 position of the board appeared to be such as to render it advisable for Parliament 3 to abstain from encouraging further financial operations by the board outside 3 the means it already possessed. The committee therefore recommend that the Bill referred to be not further proceeded with. It was decided that the report be s referred to the Government, and that it be an instruction to the Pootmaster--3 General to take steps to recover from the i. Oamaru Harbour Board the moneys due i to the Post Office Trust fund. i During the debate which took place on the report of Mr Duncan and Mr > McKenzie said that the present position * of the board was principally due to the , action of the Railway Commissioners, who [ carried goods from Dunedin at much too cheap a rate, merely to cut off sea traffic 3 from Oamaru.

C ~ REPLIES TO QUESTIONS. Beplying to questions, Ministers stated i that a Select Committee of the House » would be set up to consider the /whole ■ question of the phylloxera pest;»that it • was advisable to remove the restrictions preventing the importation of grapes ; from Australia ;J that if it was found that legislation of a special character was necessary in order to make provision for L those members of the House who had [ acted on Boyal Commission during the L recess it.'would be brought down before the > session closed; that the Agent-General- , ship question hadiuot yet been considered ■' by the GovemmeolfWt that as soon as i Sir Dillon Bell's successor was determined ■ on, he should inform the House of the selection. ; THE LAND AND INCOME ASSESSMENT BILL. The Land and Income Assessment Bill ; was further considered in committee, s Schelude "A—clause^l —-mortgagees to be taxed on mortgages." The Premier moved to exempt banking ! companies, or building and investment > companies from the operation of this j clause. After discussion it was decided to 1 separate the amendment and the proposal , to exempt banks from taxation for mortgages being put first was carried by 43 to 16. The second part of the amendment providing for exemption for building and investment societies from taxation for mortgrges was, after some discussion, lost on the voices. The amendment by Mr Shera to exempt all registered savings banks was lost on the casting vote of the chairman. Clause 3 was amended so as to require a mortgagor to compel a mortgagee to register his mortgage. Schedule A as amended was then agreed to. Schedule B—Graduated tax on land. Sir John Hall said it was useless to attempt to make any alteration in this schedule considering the majority possessed by the Government. He wished to say, however that "the amount of taxation proposed to 'be levied on particnlar properties was excessive and unjust. It was not based on any fixed principles whatever. Since the Financial Statement was delivered the taxation on properities of £IOO,OOO in value had been doubled. He held tha.t the taxation proposed passed the line at which taxation ended and confiscation began. It was both unjust and impolitic, and he felt I sure it would prove very injurious to the ' country. ' The Premier said that Sir J. Hall was the first to protest against the graduated ' tax on improvements. Surely he, must i know that increased taxation depended on the quaditv. of-the, improvements made - and that the intention was to make the, tax bear most heavily on the land, while'improved -would.expansively escape. If it were found a#er- twelve f months thai anyone was dealt with unjustly, an opportunity would I>q given f to amend the. law-. It. would; have a most v beneficial; effect if; the targe estates were v allowed! to. remain as they were, there was e j,\q hope for the futiire of the colony. . ti

The Premier moved a proviso to the sclielude that the tax on absentees by increase by 20 per cent. Mr Duthie moved to amend the proviso Ito the effect that it shall only apply to persons who shall be, absent from the colony for three years after passing of the annual act imposing the tax. After a considerable amount of discus- jp sion Mr Duthie's amendment was lost \' and the Premier's proviso carried, both on the voices. The Premior moved to omit the secoud paragraph to schelude B and to insert " all the graduated tax as aforesaid shall be assessed and levied on the amount of the assessed value of land less all the improvements thereon, the improvements to include houses and buildings, fencing, planting, draining, of land, clearing from timber, scrub, or fern, laying down in grass or pastures, but the effect or benefit of such improvements shall be unexhausted at the time of valuation." Agreed to. Schedule C—lucome on companies. Mr Moore asked what was the intention of the Government in respect to this schedule. Mr Ward said that it dealt with companies only who would be charged an uniform tax of Is without any exemptions. In place of clause 3 a new clause was inserted taxing private bondholders of companies whether they are resident in New Zealand or not. The schedule as amended was agreed to. Schedule D, clause 2, income and business.. < The Premier moved the following addition " income derived from business shall include income derived from any pastoral lands of the Crown in New Zealand held by any person under lease or license issued by the Crown. Agreed to. Schedule E, passed unaltered. ■ Schedule F—Miscellaneous rules as to assessment of income. The Premier moved a new clause that when any person effects an iusurance 'on his own life, or for the benefit of his wife and children with any company, he shall be entitled to deduct from his income the amount of the premium paid in any year, but not more than £SO shall be deducted. Agreed to. The schedule was added to the Bill. The Bill was reported with amendments which was ordered to be on Friday. The House rose at 1.15. a.m. The House met at 2.30. p.m. on'Thursday. REPLIES TO QUESTIONS. In reply to Mr Fisher the Premier said that Sir Robert Stout was a director of the Colonial Mutual Life' Assurance Society of Victoria, and the firm of which he is a member, are solicitors to the Government Life Insurance Department, but the Premier said that the Government saw no incompatibility in Sir Robert Stout holding the two positions. STOCK QUARANTINE DEPARTMENT. On the motion of Mr McKenzie, the whole question of the quarantine regulations relating to live stock was referred to the Stock Committee. IMPRESS SUPPLY BILL. An Impreet Supply for £250,000 was passed through all its stages. ;> NAVAL AND SETTLERS AND VOLUNTEETS SAND CLAIMS' . / The Naval and Military Settlers "Volunteers Land Claims Committee presented a report recommending inter aKa:—(l)iThat a Royal Commission be set up to report upon all claims which have so far been rejected, and which ntiqf yet be sent in; (2) that members of the old Wellington Defence Force should be honourably and equitably dealt with ; (3) that the windows and;children of .old soldiers, whether in the Imperial or colonial forces, should be entitled toclaim. MARRIAGE A.CT AMENDMEMT BILL. The Marriage Act Amendment Bill, to> allow officers of the Salvation Army, and ministers of minor denominations iu the colony to perform the marriage ceremony was read the first time on the motion of the Premier. Sir John Hall said that he should move an amendment in Committee to the effect that every marriage certificate shall be signed by at least one clergyman of the Church of England.

DISTILLATION ACT AMENDMENT BILL,. r The Premier moved the second readiijaf I of the Distillation Act Amendment Bui* 3 to enable the owner of a vineyard' to keep and use a still of not less than 25 ( gallons nor more than 50 gallons capacity, [ for the purpose of distilling spirits form . the vine produced of his own vineyard. PUBLIC! BODIES POWERS ACT AMENDMENT: BILL Mr Beeves moved the second reading . of the Public Bodies Powers Act Amend--1 ment Bill, which had already been passed by the Council. The motion was agreed to. ; EMPLOYEES' LIABILITIES BILL. The amendments made by the Legislative Council in the Employer's Liability J Bill were agreed to. " . - FACTORIES BILi The House went into committee on the Factories Bill Clause 2 was amended to provide that the Act shall eome into force on the Ist January 1892. ~-■-,.;. A discussion lasting nearly three hours took place on the interpretation the stumbling block bfcing the definition of a " factory or workroom." Mr Beeves pointed out the object of the Bill was not to limit the hours of labour to male adults, or to affect the rate of wages,_ but it was to protect females and children, and prevent that abominable system of sweating which had existed so long in towns. r ~, . Eventually-the clause was altered'defining a factory or workroom as " any office, building or place in which one or more persons are engaged in a city, borough, or town district, and in which three ;or\. more, persons are engaged in a counteyf district, for purposes of manufacture." Clause altered compelling the occupier of the f aotory to send notice,' of «,» accident within twelve hours I instead of six hours, to inspector ot medical authority. ' Clause 35—Power to exempt certain factories from being lime-washed. Max mills, dairy and cheese factories were exempted from the provisions of the Bill, with regard to limewash. A motion that flour mills be ex=empted was lost by 42 to 21, as also wa* the motion to exempt breweries.

Mr Fisher moved that the age at which girls may work as type setters in printing offices be fixed at eighteen instead of sixteen years. The motion provoked considerable discussion, and Mr Fisher's amendment was lost by 16 to 24. The other amendments made were of a trival character. The Bill was reported as amended, read a third time, and passed. The House rose at 1.30 a m.