PARLIAMENTARY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1445, 1 August 1883, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

UNITED PEESS ASSOCIATION. . V ; -IJGjSLOT£:COTJNCIL. In the Legislative Council yesterday the Criminals Execution : -Bill iwas passed. - ; -... .';-. Tho Premier, announced that the Government intended to prohibit the importation of all live stock. .... ..., house of representatives; In the House yesterday replying to : questions Ministers'stated that colonial made blankets and flahiiels were largely used in gaols and asylums, and that all imported dogs would be quarantined for six months' as a guard against hydrophobia. ,'*.'■ ' In committee of supply a resolution allowing imprest payments for another month was agreed to. Major Atkinson then ina few words moved the second reading of the Property Tax Bill.

Mr Montgomery opposed tho Bill. If further direct taxation was necessary it was so as to meet the interest on thedebt caused by public works, and that being so it ought to be imposed on those lands which had been so greyly benefited, by those works, The present tax was unfair and unjust, as it taxed industries and' improvements, and fell on consumers, Taxation should be imposed on land to coiiipel owners to occupy and improve ;it.. ■■ If tho ordinary revenue required-further aid ho would impose an income'tax." He considered the colony was now standing on the brink of financial disaster owing to the immense drain of money to meet imprest on pubjic. and private loans. Depression everywhere existed, and the revenue was insufficient to meet the- expenditure. We should soou have'again 1 to:'borrow money to pay interest and ruin -would ensue unless our whole financial system was remodelled.

Mr Dargavule opposed' the Bill, aiid accused Major Atkinson and the ' Premier of governing the country, not in the interests of the people but in those of the Bank of New Zealand, .' , Major Atkinson was merely, Ihe accountpf; for the Bank,• hot the '• Treasurer for tfro Colony, ant} lje autj Mr Whitaker had persistently worked for the Bank since tlic Consolidation of Loans Act in 1867, and so enriched tho . . Bank that it gave the present Premier and his partner, T. Kussell, £IO,OOO ' for their services in getting the Act passed. It was the Bank not .., the country which required the loan ' last year. lie quoted two clauses' ' from 1 the Land Tax Act to' show how the Government unduly iavored the great Loan Companies, and • said it 'was a shame and scandal that; even within the last few days the Premier's name appeared as a Director in the prospectus of a new Loan Company. He strongly supported a land lax, instead of a property tax. The present Government held oilice by • political corruption, financial terrorism, and class legislation, and for the commissiqn qf pjjbjip wrflpg'fqr purposes, of selfish aggrandisement, ' ..':' \

Mr Turnbijix urged that the expend!, lure should bo reduced rather than any' additional taxation be imposed. No one else wishing to speak, M:.jor • Atkinson repliod, He taunted the Opposition with letting tho;threatened financial discussion- lapse,! ; aMjaid ;; Mi' >" Montgomery's action in-the matter shewed him;to .be-..unfit -to be even a sectional leader. Mr Dargaville's ■ speech was one to be ashamed of. He pointed out' that in 1867 lie had not supported, but had steadily opposed the Loan Consolidation Act, and the present Premier was not then in either House, ]|ad notbjng to do with it, ant). ■received nothing from tlip b'ajjfe gfi challenged Mr Dargaville to move jfop a committee to enquire in the matter, If Mr Dargaville did not, he : would.

He defended the present banking arrangements as the best which could be made, and pointed ouo that it was absolutely necessary to raise the loajTifr--last year, in order to keep things goiwßjk As to the alleged favoritism /.toLoairy*? Companies, the two clauses Mr Dargaville had quoted and based his arguments on were passed, after a full discussion, for a special purpose, but being fguni iinnecpdaaVy repeated the following session, He defended the fairness of the pro-

party tax as compared with : a-, land and'' income tax, and' abso« ! lutely denied the colony bad ever paid interest out of borrowed money, He denied that the bulk of the people felt any of the depression that existed amongst large traders from over importation and the people benefited rather than ; suffered for it, There .was no cry of unemployed this winter from any part of the colony as was in. previous winters. He held Mr Montgomery's figures about interest to, b# greatly exaggerated, and.denied that--' either industry and improvements were taxed under the existing law. The BilJ was then read a second time by division of 49 to 33, Ayes: Allwright, Atkinson, Bpyce. Beetham,";. W. Buchanan, Connolly, ~ Dick, Sc'ddon, D.river, IfergW Fitzgerald, JFttUwd, M. W, Grbn, ■Hamiin, Hobbs, Hurst*,'. .Hursthoiise,. C.? John l ston, Wi Johnston, Kelly, Lee, Levastarn,, F.r W, McKenzie, Mason, J,'; McDonald,' 'Mcllwraith. McMillan, Mitchelsou, Morris, Munro/PeacocE., Pearson,. Petrie, Postlethwaitej Rolles- ~ lon, Shaw,. Shepherd, .Stevem Sutljep, Sutton, l Swarison,' TawM, H. 'Thqtiji

son, Tomoana, Trimble, Whitakor, Whyte, J. G. Wilson, find Wright. Noes :• Barron, Bathgate, Bracken, J. C.' Daniel, 1 ville, De Lantern-, Duncan, Feldwick, Fish, George, Grey, Harris, Holmes, Autchison, .Ivoss, Joyce, Mncandrow, A. MoDonakl, J. McKcr.zie', Montgomoiy, Moss, Pilliett, Sediloh, She'elinn, Shrimski, Smith, Te Wheoro, J -W. Thompson;- Tole;--T«ynMl and White;. ■•.. ' On a motion for tixing committal Mr DiRGAyiUB' said --lie. would: n'tfopt Major Atkinson's challenge, and move for a committee to enquire into'Hlm preceedings af 1867. ." Sir G. Grey blamed tho Government for Lurking the discussion by not keeping the discussion going on their sido of the House. ' ' ■ '•' After some slight discussion, in which Messrs Fish, M. W. Green, Levastan, Fergus, Seddon, J. McDonald, Hursthouse, and Capt. McKenzie took part, , Map ATKiKsos.pointed out that the contained no new principle, the Property Tax was already the law of the land, and it was not, therefore, for Mm oV his sido to defend it as a new proposal, ■; The till was ordered to be'eommitted on Thursday. ••".The House., went into committee again on the Bankruptcy Bill, and by a of 39 to .27: clause -61 was restored Jo its original, shape, and clftuso 130 wnaaltevedso as to roako assignee's costs a first-, charge on the estate.", and in several .other respects the Bill was reported us amended, After the nsual adjournments the Bills'" of Exchange Bill was .considered in committee, and reported with amendments., . The Marriod Women's Property Bill was also.consideral in pomnittge, and progress reported. .... ' The House rose at 12.5.