PARLIAMENT. '

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 183, 2 August 1923, Page 8

PARLIAMENT. '

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. DISCUSSION ON ESTIMATES. ( (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON". Wednesday. Discussion on the Estimates was re- ' turned in the House in Committee to- ' I day, a vote of £32,858 for the Treasury 1 Department being debated for a. con- I 1 siderable time. The Premier mentioned < that arrangements were being made for < of the Public Service, i which would come into force on April 1. i the scale increases would j continue this year, and would total . ' £250.000. " M Mr. T. M. Wilford. Leader of the Op- j i position, moved: "That the vote bere-'i dnced by £5, in order to indicate that i effect should be given to the hardships | clause of the Public Expenditure Ad- j i justment Act." j t On a division the amendment was de- | i feated by 31 votes to 29. 1 1 Mr. Wilford next moved a reduction ! j cf £5 on the Land and Income Tax vote I of £53,717, as an indication that that sec- j ( tion of the Finance Act which allows f local body debentures to carry a 2/6 rate ; ] of income tax should be repealed. I , Mr. H. E. Holland (Buller): Does the j i mover of the amendment desire the half- . crown tax be repealed! Mr. Wilford: Yes. j Hγ. J. H. Young (Chairman of Com-! ] jnittee): 1 must rule that question out 1 pf order. ' j a Mr. Holland: I have got my i \ Bnewer. I , A vote was taken without discussion, , end the amendment was defeated by 41 to 17. J j As an indication that the maternity ' ( bonus should be universal, Mr. F. X. JSartram (Grey Lynn) moved: "That the National Provident Fund vote of . £21,493 should be reduced by £1." This was defeated by 36 votes to 21. ' At 12.30 a.m. Mr. Wilford suggested ! that good progress had been made, but '. Wγ. iiassey did not agree, remarking : that they would require to make a great j deal more progress if business was to be ! finished within the mark. He wae get- ' ting very anxious about the finance bills that had to be put through, and afterwards there would be the Electoral ■ .Reform Bill. |; An amusing incident arose during die- ' • cussion on domains. Sir. W. J. Jordan ■ (Manukau) drew attention to the fact '■ that no reference was made to the lan- 1 mure Domain. Mr. Young ruled him : out of order, as Panmure was not men- ' tioned in the Estimates. Mr. Jordan ' thereupon said he would speak to the ■ item "domains not specified," adding ' that he wished to express his apprecia- 1 tion of the fact that a sum of money i hud been allotted there for the Panmure i Domain. (Laughter.) He wished to '. emphasise the great need for that , ( domain. i The vote of £173,000 for public buildings, domains' maintenance, and improvement of roads and maintenance of irrigation works was approved. Progress was then reported, and the House adjourned at 12.52 a.ni. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. PROVIDED SOCIETIES. (Bj T»le^raph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. : The Industrial and Provident Societies Amendment Bill was taken in Committee in the Legislative Council i to-day, and, with minor amendments, ' was passed. Most of the amendments < iwere of a technical nature. ' Sir Francis Bell said that one amend- 1 ment was to adopt the wording of the! \ English Act, where a society was defined j j as for the carrying on of any "industry, ' business, or trade." The wording in the ' , New Zealand law was any "labour, I trade, or handicraft." The alteration ' had been aaked for hy certain guilds . which had been formed and did not consider themselvca labour, trade or ! | Jiandicraft. . f