PARLIAMENT.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 2960, 4 July 1891, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. {ItV TKLIiUHAI'II,—I'KKSS ASSOCIATION). FRIDAY. The Council met at 2.30 p.m. Tlie Council went into Committee on tlio following Kills which wero reporter! with slight amendment and ordered to bo read a Hftcond time next Tuesday, Promoters and Directors Liability Bill, Partnership Bill, Repeals Bill and Indecent Advertisement Bill. The Companies Memorandum of of Association Bill was committeod, re« ported without amendment read a third time and passed. The Council rose at 3.20. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. FRIDAY. Tlio House met 2.30 p.m. Mr Rees wished to call the Speaker's attention to ati article that appeared in the Wellington Evening Press the previous night referring to Mr Jackson Palmer, a member of the House. Ho moved that the article was a breach of tlio privileges of the House and said that he considered a more gross attack had not been made on a membur of the If :iuso for years past. Mr Smith (New Plymouth) seconded the motion. He was one of those who believed in the liberty ot the Press aud the liberty of speech but ho considered a newspaper which published an article like the one referred to should be " suppressed." Mr J'allance, in reply to a question of an hon. mnmber, said he thought the Housu should certainly proceed furlhor if the motion were carried, as the attack made on Mr Palmer was one of tho grossest he had ever heard of, Sir J. Hall, whilst admitting the article was an improper one, po tlted out that of all the casei in which the House had come in contact with the press, he never knew an I instance in which tho House had come out of the fray with dignity. j Mr Scobie MclConzie did not defend tho article, but he asked whether anything contained in it was nearly so bad as the statement made by Mr Ballanco that Judge Edward* was " an impostor masquerading in the Courts of tho colony '!" Mr Bryce expressed his opinion that the article referred to was most unfair and uncalled for; but ho could sou no good in lighting tho mattor further thau passing the resolution. Mr Heddon contended that tho House should unito in putting down attacks of this kind, and should protect a young member, who it was admitted on all sides had douo nothing whatever to deserve the attack mado on him. A large number of members spoke on the question, after which the motion was put and carried on the voices. Air Koes then moved that John Ij. Kirkbride. publisher of the Wellington livening Press, he summoned to the bar of the House on Tuesday next, at 7.30 p.m., to give an explanation of tho article. Discussion ensued, but it was interrupted by the o 30 adjournment. The House resumed at 7.30. Mr Palmer said ho wished the motion to bo withdrawn if the House permitted, and also to give him the right to proceed civilly if he thought it desirable, lie thanked the House oil both sides for its expression of sympathy. The motion was then withdrawn, Mr Rees expressing his concurrence with that step. Mr llutchia*n (Dunedin) then moved that the House desires to express its regrot that such a libellous and untruthful article with reference to the member for Waite* mata should have been published in tho livening Press. Mr Bryco suggested that in view of the civil proceedings threatened by Mr Palmer, tho word '■ libellous" be omitted from the motion. Mr Palmer said ho had not threatened to bring a civil action. He had only said he might do so if ho thought it desirable. Tho motion was agreed to, and the matter dropped. Mr Mills (Port Chalmers) said that the Premier's intention to replace tho property tax with h land and income tax had his sympathy; but tho Treasurer's proposals wore too speculative. He was not one of those who thought that substituting a land and inoomo tax for the property tax would drive capital out of the country ; but uncertainty as to flnauco from year to year would certainly drive away capital. He could not support Mr Fish's amendment, but if the Government proposals were ramodellei he might probably bo able to support them. Mr Hutohlson (Waitotara) said| he Iliad been at considerable pains to discover the operation of a graduated land tax, and he had found that the proposed taxation entirely failed to touch a large class of pooplo who were specially able to pay. Under tho proposals the property tax was not abolished but was perpetuated with additional evils. Ho could not look with favour upon an iucomo tax. There was oue blot iu tho Go vernmont proposals, and that was that no relief was offered to the great mass of the people who wero now suffering under indirect taxation, and he appealed to the <!o : vernment, in tho interests of their party— and,, greater still, iu the interests of the country, to make another effort to reduce the taxation of the country.

The motion for Romi; into CJommittue of Supply was lost by 03 to 20. Mr U'Conor «aid lio was a supporter of. the present Government, because ho thought they had shown an inclination to adjust taxation and to settle the land. He did not think a land tax would fall at all fairly,, nnd as for an income tax it ought to bo progreiiive. Mr Make said it behoved tho C.overn--1)13111 to be cautious in changing the incidence of taxation, as tho effect of their land tax would be that they would be turned out of oflice. Hon. W. Rolleston, referring to .lud?e Edward's case, said the Uuvernmenti were bound by all constitutional precedent to confirm the appointment, and he hoped lie should nover again hear a speech so utterly inconsistent with the dignity of a Minister an that uttered a night or two ago by tho Minister-far Lauds. Ho severely criticised at length the administration of tho Land Department, and said ho was not going to nit still because of any threats made by the Minister for Lands as to what would happen if his policy were opposed, (Left sitting.