WELLINGTON. Friday.

Waikato Times, Volume VII, Issue 340, 18 July 1874, Page 2

WELLINGTON. Friday.

In the House of Representatives the principal businesaf this*' Afterirobn- was the discussion of ■ the proposed alteration in the Excise by the Commissioner., of Cuatomsj viz., .that afte.r the Ist July, 1875, 7s be charged on colonial distilled spirits; after July, JB7*; 8s: -after July; 1879, 9s. The Commiasiqngr. qupted statistics showing the .quantity 'iJE.bjj^y Jjrqgrii and- tiie .number of gallons'of liquor made Rmcxj #L«!J5f<H ,pasfeetl in 1 8G.8. The result was that the revenue had l&st £80,606, and that for . every 'bushel" 6f -barley grown in the colony the deflb^tial.dutyjpst to it was nearly 2s per bushel. That ihBtead«pf«aistiliing promoting agriculture, it (Jid 4 tli^v^'teyerse,' nor did the business employ labonr to-an'x^feltt extent,— the permanent hands employed in being only live, and in Dunedin 23; •-' Mr • Byke opposed going into committee on the kill. Mr Sheehan wanted to see tho matter placed in the hands of a Select Committee before going into' Committee of "Ways and Means. He defended the interests of the Auckland brewers. Dillon supported the Government view. If the proposed change interfered with any interest it was the duty of a Select Committee to deal- with" that subsequently. Mr Luckie supported tlie proposal, and several* members suggested that distilleries should be done away Avith altogether singe ,the revenues of the Colony suffered so much. Mr Glashan opposed that as absurd. Eeid thought that as' the coWtry had lost so much by a mistaken attempt to foster distillation, they should devise some merns to recoup themselves from the industry •they luul m,.,,1 it on. Reader Wood said this was their in.-* inVi.^t at Protection, and it was as great a.faiht'i,' ,- nil future ones would be. Murray thought tJ m ihey ought rather to exclude imported spirits than interfere so as to check Colonial distillation. At the request of Tolmie, petitions from the Dunedin distillers were read to the House. Fourteen days leave have been granted to Webster. The House then rose.