EXPOSED.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 230, 28 September 1929, Page 12

EXPOSED.

MINORITY'S OPPOSITION. LAND TAX LEGISLATION. SIR JOSEPH WARD'S REPLY. AN INCIDENT IN SOUTHLAND. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. At the end of the third day's debate on the Taxation Amendment Bill the I Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward, took half an hour in the House to review the opposition, both inside and outside Parliament. Ho would not be doing his friends opposite any injustice. Sir Joseph said, when he told them he was quite familiar with what had been going on. outside and inside Parliament since the legislation came down. Mr. Coates: That's the old story. Sir Joseph: As a matter of fact, an effort has been made through the Farmers' Union to create an impression that this bill contains proposals hostile to the farmers. There are SO 000 of them, 55,000 of whom pay taxes, and of that total the number of farmers we touch with this bill is 2400. and I am asked to believe that this 2400 have the influence of the' 80,000. As a matter of fact, in my own district the other day there was a meeting of the Farmers' Union, which passed a resolution asking that the bill should be withdrawn. They wired that to me, and the answer went back asking them to, put me in tout , ]] with two people in their district affected by it. 'Mr. A. Hamilton (Wallace): Don't look tit me . I did not do it. Sir Joseph: You look guilty. (Laughter.) So far they have not sent me one example. , Mr. Hamilton: He is here now. Sir Joseph: He was not sent by telegra.ni. I .asked them to present the names of two people affected, and they could not send one. Reform and Income Tax. The Prime Minister reminded the House that it was the present Leader of the Opposition who two years ago increased the income tax by 38 per cent on incomes of £000 and varying between that, and 2-1 per cent on incomes up to £2000, yet his party was stigmatising the land tax as clnss legislation, though they imposed a higher income tax on the small contributor. During that time of excessive increase in income tax the land tax increased by only 20 per cent, yet those people had the political audacity to stand up and waste the time of the House with protests when they were responsible for the imposition of excessive taxation, on small income earners. In responding tb-.the roar of a minority outside' Parliament,- said: Sir Joseph, Mr. Coates and his friends.had been carried away by a minority. There had been no agitation amongst the farmers. Eeform members: You are wrong. Sir Joseph: W T e have heard of these statements about thousands of farmers being, interfered with, but it is absolutely contrary to fact. Mr. W. p. 'Lysnax (Gisborne): They are all indirectly affected. Sir Joseph: That's the usual bogus bunkum. (Loud laughter.) The large landowners have preached that nonsense, but. they are simply asking the small farmers' to sacrifice themselves for the large landowners. Turning to some of the detailed criticism, Sir Joseph Ward described the member for Mid-Canterbury as "the most furious speaker" he had listened to. He misrepresented in every halfdozen sentences and did not seem to know it. He talked of 260 farmers being affected in one county. There were not 200 farmers in any electorate who would be affected by higher taxation. Mr. Speaker Calms the Atmosphere. The Prime Minister's remarks had been constantly interrupted from the Eeform benches, and Mr. Speaker had to intervene. "Members are interrupting at the end of every sentence," he said. "I know there is considerable feeling, and although I do not want to be hard on members if this continues I will have to stop all interruptions, as some of the interjections are not reasonable." ' Sir Joseph Ward concluded his remarks by reminding the House of the repeal of income tax on landowners by tho former Government, declaring he would never have agreed to it while in the National Government, for this legislation relieved- a section of the community from the payment of their share of the cost of the war, and it had been maintained till the present day. The Reform Opposition need not run away with the idea that tho present taxation legislation was introduced just for. fun.