N.S.W. POLITICS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 687, 11 December 1909, Page 5

N.S.W. POLITICS.

DEADLOCK ON CLOSER SETTLEMENT BILL; (By Telegraph.—Prc«a Assoclatlon.-Oopyrlehu Sydney, December 10. The Council passed the Defamation Amendment Bill without material amendment. .. . A .deadlock has arisen over the,,. Closer, Settlement Bill. The. Houses: will confer. . RESUMPTION OR GRADUATED'TAX? On November 24, the. New South Wales Legislative Council struck out the vital clauses of tho Closer Settlement.Bill (providing" for oompulsory. purchase of estates), and left for the most part only'certain : machinery amendments to the existing law. Next, day, tho "Sydney Morning. Herald'' commented:—"ln view of the vicious attack oh the Closer Settlement Amendment Bill in' the Council yesterday, the Government will probably begin to consider whether it is worth .while to go on. with the measure, or whether it had not better be dropped at-the present stage. So far as its. main and original. business js concerned, the ■ action of tho Council may ibe said to have destroyed the usefulness of the measure. By so doing,.they have merely laid tho great landowners open to tho. incidence of a. more com-' prehensive and far-reaching piece of legislation.' •It is certainly not impossible to devise means to unlock land wanted for settlement, and equally: certain that the will to devise them will not'be lacking. Some honourable members, in the course of debate, declared thby would prefer, a graduated land .tax to tho Bill. They need not be surprised if, in the near future,: | .they; get what, as an alternative, they j,so :ardently longed for. The Bill'that has now ben robbed of its significance affected only a small percentage of the land-owning interests. A graduated land: tax will affect them all." ,