LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 20, 18 October 1907, Page 8

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

PROCRESS OF BILLS. ; 1 ■ . ■ In the Council this afternoon,' tlie ' Supji'j remo\ Court Practico and Procedure. ' Acts (1 JAmendmcnt Bill was referred back to the Statutes Revision' Comnritteo with a ilfiview to a further amendment being made. f; 1 Tho , Bills of 1 Exchange'' Act Amendment p iUill (Hpn./-jPr. Findlay) was. read .a" third [ 'tune and passed. / '.; 1 : ii ;. | On tho /motion ,of 'tho Attoriicy-GeneralJ ; (■ frthe Eiro -'''Brigades Bill' was'.read a. second j'fctimo. .pro forma and. referred -to the Joint ;■ ltevision Committee. "■ . ;." ' [ ''(VAND AND INCOME. ASSESSMENT BILL. CONSIDERED IN COMMITTEE. . ' 1 T The .Council thon went .into,'committee on' < 'the Land and lricomo Assessment -Bill. When Clause 16 was reached, > , The Hon.W. H. ; Tucker (Hawkq's Bay) ! .Urged that the Attorney-General should eny deavour to effect'some amendment to Clause ; 3.6 (which gives, tho Commissioner of ; Taxes f -sower to decide in certaiii'circumstances as to "the hona fides of a salo of laud): If no h. other course were acceptable,' lie suggested f> "that an : appeal, to the Minister' for ,Lands Ijor.'-tho Colonial Treasurer might be'allowed,, /in order to ■ create in the minds' of those :affected ' a confidence' that they would bo ; v justly treated.. . / ■ !' : j; I '.'The Attorney-General said too much had !'• gbcen mado of this matter. Tho proviso r&' Sferred to' had beea introduced at the. request •'. .of somo/of , those .directly,.interested. .They ! iiiad confidence'in tho proofs if bona fides ' ithat they would bo able; to submit, and they "Uiil not "suggest that "they should be'allowed '< any appeal from the decision of the Comj Vmissioner of Taxes. ' It' seemed. to him that i :ilicre was really no need for the concession V that, had boon 1 made in ; giving tho Commisj .sioner this discretionary, power. If i;--fifteen per ' cent. . of "V the . purchaso ! ; 'money;.-, of. the land had not been, j.'. jpaid, yit.' must ,-loolc as, though V thero objected to,.would bo to strike it out !•; Bale. • Kiftceu per cent, was'a less | propo'r- ;] jtipn- of the price than was usually ! paid at i; /.the- time of tho purchase."' In' any case, a •f person who was liable.to taxation- under this /clause could get rid of such liability by gritt iting the deposit'of the purchase money made :np to .fifteen per cont.- In thoj case of any genuine:.sale tho, vendor would have'nothing ; yto fear'from the decision of any honest man -—and t the Commissioner of Taxos was an honest man. ' ' • The Hon. C. Louisson (Canterbury), said ~'?t appeared to him that an appeal to the Supremo Court would ■bo allowable. If it was i' i'ot it ought to be. The.Hon. J. B. Callan ■ (Otago) considered •' Jl that the only'alternative, if the proviso'to ."•! "the clanso giving power to; the'.Commissioner'. :; objected to,. would. be to' strike it' out altogether. ...I ', . ' " ' : Tho Hon.-o.'. Samuel (Taranaki)'said that f th6 that the facts would bo re,£orded would prevent the Commissioner from 'acting unfairly. Ho thought there was ho : .need to try to'effect any amendment to the -Clause.. ■ . ' " Tho Hon. J. R. Sinclair (Otago), said that unless it were assumed that tho Government ,of the day would support, the' Commissioner -in'an unjust decision, thero was ho occasion jto fear such decision. -Tho Hon. H. Tucker said that tho At-torney-General's explanation had reconciled i .Jiitn to tho clause.. • Tho Bill passed through Committee witli- ' : but amendment, and was reported at 4.30 p.m. . .. Tho Council then adjourned.