PARLIAMENT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8502, 3 August 1907, Page 6

PARLIAMENT.

By Telegraph—Parliamentary Correspondent. WELLINGTON, August 2. LAND AND INCOME TAX BILL. In the House this afternoon the Premier made a statement regarding the Land and Income Tax Bill. He said he had come to the conclusion that it was desirable that the measure should be referred to the Public Accounts Committee. When therefore the order of the day for the Bill came on he would move the second reading pro forma in order that it might go direct to the Committee. A number of momiitrs were of opinion that portions of the Bill were of'a technical character, and desired that the members of the public Accounts Committee should have an opportunity of consulting the officers of the Crown and investigating the general proposals contained in the Bill. He moved accordingly. Mr W. F. Massey said that the proposal was another concession to the Opposition. He hoped the Committee would make some alterations, as there were some drastic provisions in it, which should certainly not be agreed upon by Parliament unless considerably modified. Mr T. M. WiJford (Hutt) hoped the Committee would get full explanation from the law draughtsman in reference to the retrospective and retroactive aspects of the Bill. Ex- ! isting contracts should not be affected by legislation. Messrs J. Allen (Bruce) and W. Herries (Bay of Plenty) urged that the Leader of the Opposition should be placed on the Public Accounts Committee. Mr T. "Mackenzie (Waikouaiti) thought that the Committee should be allowed some initiative. For instance consideration ought to be paid to those following the farming industry. They ought to be put on the same basis so far as exemptions were concerned as those following other ! occupations. The Premier ought, | also, to differentiate in the Bill be I tween fixed incomes ana earned incomes, between precarious incomes and those derived from investments. The Premier said that if Mr W. Fraser or Mr J. Allen would retire he would ask the House to put the Leader of the Opposition on the Committee. His object in sending the Bill to the Public Ace aits Committee was to facilitate t. j passage of the Bill through Parliam ?nt. The policy contained in the Bill was a i matter for the Government and the I Committee would not be asked to j interfere with that. j Mr Massey said that the Oppo- ' sition had two members on the Com- ! mittee, and this was not a fair quota. | He refused to accept the appointment ' if either Messrs Fraser or Allen had to retire. I The debate was interrupted by the 5.30 o'clock adjournment. EVENING SITTING. In the evening the House went into committee on the Estimates and a general discussion ensued on the first item (£26,842 Legislative Departments). Replying to Mr Massey's complaints at the absence of certain Departmental reports and 81, the Premier said that no class of the j Estimates would be gone on with un-' til each Departmental report had been ! presented. Bl would be circulated I next Wednesday,- and all info«nation j regarding the Exhibition would be | fumishd. A statement of the r°- ! ceipts and expenditure would be in the hands of members before the Estimates were finally passed.