EVENING SITTING.

Press, Volume XXX, Issue 4096, 12 September 1878, Page 3

EVENING SITTING.

q*_. HooseTeeumed at 7 SO. LA-ID TAX BILL. ir_ Hr*TBB congratulated the Government ~n what they had done in rimpli tying the mode _f k__D_i_ public acocanU. hoping at the InTtaXer +°-™ go «H1 further In that greciion. H. -l*° expressed gratification at tb* increased grant in aid of education. He l___-_ high tribute to thela'e Native Minister, __Thoped the present Native Minister would io&> W H. the footsteps of his processor, in L__r „ complete the great wo* tfw late carried so far. A. to the IDand Tax __l_e would Tote for it, though he LgJ free to admit he was one of that chss who was open te the charge of having acquired a conwdtrable arc* of WL though every acre of it had been pur3_Kdfrom he Crown. As to the alteraS__i_ tariff, be quoted figures from his own book* to show that whereas before these proIta paid on sngar, woolpacks, &c, £135 !_7jjST«w- he would now save over £79, ___ia Wrd to W tax he would pay £62. §Ksi -fan. left a clear gainer of £16 16s. Tito the be« t 3 **. *• "O-iA oppose it, beLJsm be thought the Government should not lasny longer mixed up with those liquor _lt_4ass. He was not a beer drinker

___#£, but was opposed on pnnjLje to the tax, because he thought __T_sstter oat. As a free trader he suprStoJ taking the duty off grain, and w.uld _» Eke to see it off timber. Though the tax on companies was insignificant in itself, it m a wrong direction.. It ws_.pracsuing for a share of the profits of &B»fomp*nies, and. was likely to have a deeffect upon all other industries. There ~_& gt_u*-teo that other growing indus_jL sight not a_o be asked for a share of _»_• profits. He denied that there was any fytaaMxni for : the ; grave charges brought fawTin the House against the importing «!_» in regard to ad v-lerem d uties. Coming t. whs* h»d been said regarding the tax naOTonerty, he pointed out that it would not be fsirbfor the General Government, as well aa the mnffiripdities, to impose a tax on imnrovanenrs., He referred to the remarks of the Attorney-General regarding the Kiting of loans by Sir J. Vogel, to show that the had, unintentionally no douW, conveyed a wrong impression regardin_ Sir J. Vogel's action. He regretted there Qs a tendency now to say that the history of the colony was now beginning ; tfaa* they had tamed over a new page. But the history of New Zealand was a continuous page, and, looking back, they would find they had a ereat many able administrators, and amongst them ought to be mentioned the name of Mr Gibbon Wakefield, the real founder of the colony, and one who in his sphere had done more for the poor man than perhaps any other man. Jfc SSEXO-B thought the JBul not satisfaeßiytathe House or country. He referred to Sir George Grey's amendment* lest session, by whisk he proposed to save £350,000, and jsake it op by=an income and property tax. It wss n_t-un_ty to be supposed that the _Q_y_j tins session would have tried to • Wi__~b&J direction. But the promise _& only been kepi to the letter, not in the jpjjft. The unearned increment he thought jfcm_re — » thing- difficult to arrive at, sod fikriy to l?sd to considerable litigation. SlCs___tw»Md upon the departure in the pubKe woiksjofißy from the original system of forming sum' trunk lines and compelling cprtfaperth-uot the colony to pay a land tax toesrfs toe construction of fines-in-other parts. He must oppose the Land Tax Bill, and wooH point out that no hon. member need vote far the Bill under the idea that they nro_ do that or support the amendment of Oa member tor Geraldine. __f Moktoohkbt compared the policy jaoponnded by the Premier last-year with tfes proposals now brought down. His policy Ifim was to tax all property and reduce the jsxhPS-'"the 3 necessaries of life by'£3oo,ooo, tod that was the sort of policy he expected _mmS&.iJ3t» quoted from Stuart Mill, to ihow that it wonld be impossible to levy a _x on the " unearned increment. 1 ' Who but __ owner of land itself was capable of 'aJaingth* cost of improvements. Then he tied them to consider- the power which mold be placed in' the hands or the valuer. Ban the tax. would not fall fairly. „No doubt i_ Government thought it would benefit the imers, but- it would not The improvements f a farmer would consist of his house, stable ed fencing, probably a thousand pounds worth, ihereas a man with five acres of land in town .old have to spend about flye thousand pen it in erection of houses. Before making ash sweeping charges against merchants in egard to ad valorem duties, it should be re- i umbered that tbe cost of drapery goods, rem, and other articles had greatly fallen in - nice, and that the colony had lately been! asnufactariftg targely. He opposed the beer ax, because itmnst fall on the wages class. Thejoint stock companies tax meant a tax upon; the savings of enterprising men of small' oceans, while the large companies , es-' isog&sCSftiile., affording ge£!er_l support • to - the *he v -must & express! his opinions, and say he expected different - measures altogether. Had a property tax been brought of the House would have voted for it. If the Land Tax Bill did 3se_mel»f,.herbeljeTed it would be repealed _d_ ces__af" : _r'favor of the property tax. Bt_l recQgßi«\_gthafcall the aspirations of the QoreH__e__wW .iteral; he would "vote for ausecß-i reading.-He did not want to see "n_|sdra this Bill, and'all —t business oi the soaptry stopped. Mr Jotcb eozab&tted several objections; proposals,'but wm opposed to taking the duty?off grain.; Without jjfsttrtion, the colony would now have been occupied mostly by cattle and sheep, and no more people than just sufficient to; carry on die necessary business of the runs. He t_wong_ly approved of the principles of! protection, which, carried out to its legitimate • area, was for. the benefit,of the poor man. He believed the Hm» was net far distant when febt House and country wonld be divided between free trader, and protectionists. They ipproved the principle of the land and beer Sand, on the ground that the Governproposali generally contained _o. much __£ was-good, as compared with what Was: *i 3, he would vote for the second reading.