ORCHARD TAX.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 70, 23 March 1935, Page 11

ORCHARD TAX.

FUNDS FOR RESEARCH. HOUSE PASSES BILL. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Friday. After a short debate, carried on chiefly by members in whose electorates there are commercial orchards, the House of Representatives last night passed the Orchard Tax Amendment Bill, which, with the object of providing money for research purposes, increases the orchard tax from 1/ to 2/ per acre.

The second reading was moved by the Minister of Agriculture. Mr. Macmillan, who said that up to March 31 of this year a subsidy was paid to the Kew Zealand Fruitgrowers' Federation by the Empire Marketing Board for research. From that date the subsidy was to be discontinued, and as fruitgrowers were anxious that research should not be dropped, they had asked that the tax should be doubled. It was anticipated that the total amount collected in taxes from the 2873 orchards in tlie Dominion would be about ' ,€2400. The minimum tax was 5/ an orchard, and the largest commercial orchard in New Zealand would pay £10 10/.

The Leader of the Opposition, Mr. M. J. Savage, referred to the Minister's statement that there were no objections to the bill, but said the probability was no one knew it was happening. He suggested that instead of taxing orchardists for that purpose, the research work should bo carried out by the Department of Scientific and industrial Research.

Mr. H. Atmorc (Independent, Xelson), suggested that it would be a more generous action on the part of the Government if it made a charge on the public revenue to put the fruitgrowing industry in a profitable condition.

Growers' Opposition. Mr. J. A. Nash (Government, Palmerston), denied that there was no official opposition to the bill. He declared that orchardists in Wellington, Canterbury, Otcigo, Manawatu and Wanganui were against it. Mr. W. A. Bodkin (Government, Central Otago) said that Otago fruitgrowers had strongly opposed the suggestion that the tax should be doubled, because in the past the whole of the money had been used for research concerning only such fruit as was exported, apples and pears, and they wore against the imposition of any further charges, unless stone fruit was to be given equal consideration. The group of growers had withdrawn their opposition on the understanding that the whole of the money should be used for research, in which stone fruit would be inducted. Mr. Macmillan said that wheat and dairy farmers were finding money for research and that The fruitgrowing industry, as a. whole, desired to havp a tax collected for the same purpose. The Government assisted by providing considerable funds for research through Iho Department of Agriculture and the Department of Scientific and lmlustri.il Research. He assured Mr. Bodkin that some money would be spent on stone fruit research and Mr. A. J. Stallworthy (Independent, Eden) that Auckland Delicious apple growers would benefit from the bill. He hoped to see the Auckland growers out of their difficulties this yen r. The bill was passed.