THE HOUSE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1226, 7 September 1911, Page 6

THE HOUSE.

REPLIES TO QUESTIONS. A RATING MATTER. THE QRADER FOR WANGANUI. The House met at 2.30 p.m. yesterday. Tho Auckland Electric Power Station Site Bill (Mr. Myers), Awatero County Bill (Mr. J. Duncan), and Foxton Harbour Board Loan Bill (Mr. Newman) were read a first time. After a discussion on a matter connected with' the High Commissioner's Office (reported elsewhere), the adjournment was moved tor the discussion of Ministerial replies to Questions. Mr. NE\YMAN asked the Minister for Lands whether, in view of the increased liability imposed on lessees of small grazing-rnns by the amendment' of last year, altering- the basis on which the rateable value of such runs is assessed, he will, by legislation or otherwise, take such steps as will prevent anything like a breach of contract on the part of the Crown with such lessees. The reply was: "In common with every kind of tenure, holders of small grazingrims are subject to tho varying incidence of land-taxation, and selectors of Crown land are supposed to be aware of their liability. The terms of every Crown leaso are such that the lessee is responsible for all rates that may bo levied subsequent to tho date of his Mease. Nothing is stated or implied in tho Land Act or any other Act that the principle in vogue for ascertaining tlie rateable value of any land shall not be altered during tho currency of any lease, and every lessee, equally with everv freeholder, holds his land oil the understanding that tho Government has power at any time to alter the incidence of taxation as. may bo advisable in the public interests.' Mr. Newman said he regretted that the answer was not more satisfactory. The Eating Amendment Act, 1!)]0, had increased tho taxation eightfold on 1 some of the small grazing-runs. lie had before him eases where the valuation had been increased from .ES3S to .£4231-, ' and from .C 33-3 to JC1937. Much injn.c- i tice had been done to tho tenants, and \ ho hoped the law would be amended. The Hon. I). BUDDO said tho old sys- > tein of rating small grazing runs should 1 be based on a sum of money which in- I vested at G per cent, would produce the rent of the run. This system was out I of date, and was unfair to the local bodies 1 and to the other ratepayers. The differ- 1 cnce between the rating of small grazing runs and that of neighbouring farms had 1 been in some cases as much as 75 per cent, in favour of the former. That ' could not go on, and so the Government f had had to get an amendment of the i Act. s Mr. J. T. HOG AN OVnnganui) express- ' ed satisfaction with the decision of (ho 1 Government to send a dairy produce ' grader to Wanganui. 1 The Hon. T. MACKENZIE, Minister ? for Agriculture, said that no other port ) in New Zealand was charged for a grader, i and lie did not think it would be. fair,(o I ask for a guarantee, as the grader's 1 whole time was not to be faken up at ( Wanganui. lie had been accused of a having made the announcement on (his o subject for electioneering purposes. A leading Oppositionist in Wanganui had o written to him repudiating such views, lie (tho Minister) agreed with flie Rev. Gibson Smith, whom he heard preach last Sunday—("Oh! Oil!")—that this sort cof thine degraded public life and had n. 1

tendency to drive men out of politics, a Nothing could have been more honourable nor more straightforward than the negotiations in regard to a grader for Wanganui. MARRIAGE AMENDMENT BILL, ■. REJECTED BY A MAJORITY OF ONE. Sir W. .T. STEWARD (Waitaki) moved tho second reading of tho Marriage Act Amendment Bill, to permit a man to marry his deceased's wife's nicce, or a Woman to marry her deceased husband's nephew. 110 stated that in 190!) it parsed through Committee, and would now have been on the Statute Book but for the fact that no dav was availablo on which to 0 tako tho third reading. n« reviewed 1 past efforts that had been mads to secure ' tho passage of the Bill, and put on record tho reasons that had actuated him in f introducing it. Previous amendments to d the Marriage Act had been largely his e work, and ho asked the House to let him complefo that work. Mr. H. G. ELL (Christcliurch South) was proceeding to discuss the position of bank clerks in relation to marriage, when he was stopped bv the Speaker. 1 Tho I'IUME MINISTER suggested that :- somo people in banks might desire to I marry their deceased wife's nieco or doceased husband's nephew, but the Speaker 0 declined to alter his ruling. The Prime t Minister said he did not propose to offer 1 any opposition to this Bill, except to say 0 that this country should be very careful ►. about validating bv Statute marriages which involved so close an association of s relatives. Mr. J AS. ALLEN (Bruce) agreed that tho House should be careful about widening tho marriago law, as proposed in this Bill. It would encourage marriages of an undesirable kind, which were against the law of the Church. J Mr. F. M. B. FISHER. (Wellington Cens tral) contended that the law as it stood was illogical. It permitted marriage with x a deceased wife's sister,' and forbade marriago with a deceased wife's sister's daughter, who was a step further removed in _ relationship. _ Mr. L. M. ISITT (Christcliurch North) . hoped the Houso .yould pass the Bill. If j a Bill were introduced to prohibit marriage between first cousins ho would support it heartily. Mr. .T. STALL WORTHY (Kaipara) urged that the House should leave well alone. Sir W. J. STEWARD, in replying, said j that during the nine years which tho 1 Bill had been beforo tho House, not a single Church, cleric, or individual had ' forwarded any protest. This seemed to show that public opinion was with him. ! The second reading was negatived by 31 votc-s to 30. ELECTIVE EXECUTIVE BILL. i 1 DEFEATED BY 38 TO 26. ; Sir W. J. STEWARD (Waitaki) moved J the seco'nd reading of the Elective Executive Bill. Ho was well assured that though the Bill might not pass that. [ night, tho day was not distant when it would be placed on the Statute Book, at ' the demand of tho people of the Domin- ! ion. Ho had done his best to bring this ; matter beforo tho Houso during twenty 1 years. As a very old member of this ! House, who had been loyal to party for ' 40 years, ho still believed that the party system was wrong. Tho PRIME MINISTER said the fact that an agitation of twenty years had not attracted any great volume of popular i support to this measure was in itself significant. He did not believe that it would I be a good tiling for this country to havo an absence of party, as it was understood by some people. For many years this country was going to bo active politically. Mr. Fisher: It is getting more active every day. ; Tho Prime Minister said he was ' glad to hear it. The present system had merits as well as faults. Mr. F. 31. B. Fisher (Wellington Cen- ; tral) ventured to say that the resignation of 'the Minister for Education had been caused by tho fact that he had found ; the party system'intolerable; that ho had found that for five years his soul case had ■ been so tortured that ho was threatened with political destruction. Mr. Stallworthy: Why, ho is looking for a now party! Mr. Fisher said to-day tho Prime Minister ran the whole show. It would bo unreasonable to expect liim to condemn the system to which lie owed everything. If this House had been asked to express an opinion unon the late Minister as Minister for Education, they would certainly not have turned him out. As a Single Taxer ho would never have got into the Ministry. Mr. Fisher urged an extended application of the. referendum. Tho Hon. T. DUNCAN (Oamaru) said the referendum was the worst'thing pos--1 sible, for half a dozen practised speakers might at any time sway public opinion. Sir. J. ITAiYAN (Invercargill) said Parliament and not the Government, should control the introduction of legislation. Mr. J. STALLWORTHY (Ka'ipara) said he would oppose the Bill. Mr. K, A. WRIGHT (Wellington South) said tho Prime Minister under tho system obtaining was master of tho whole position. A privato member had no power at all. That was tho fault of tho present partv system. Mr. JAMES ALLEN (Bruce) could not imagine any more effective way of testing any matter that came beforo the Houso thau tho dissection that it got under the party system. It was perfectly true that the system was abused.- Tho adoption of the Elective Executive system would tend to induco canvassing and other evils. The passage of this Bill would mean that the Ministry would be elected by a caucus. Then it would be impossible to move them for three years. Sir W. J. Steward: Wo have not been able to shift them for twenty years. Mr. Allen: Well, you have moved one of'them already. Sir W. J. Steward: He moved himself. Sir W. J. STEWARD, in replying, suggested as a compromise that the • Bill might bo passed with a clause providing that it should not como into operation until it had been approved by the people in a referendum. Tho second reading was negatived by 38 votes to 26. SUNDAY LABOUR BILL. Mr. F. M. B. FISHER (Wellington' Central) moved the second reading of tho Sunday Labour Bill. It was intended to provide that any person required to work on Sunday should bo .allowed, during tho next six days, 24 consecutive hours' freedam from labour. lie would not object to exempting newspaper workers from the operations of the Act. Mr. Fisher was permitted to move that the second reading be carried pro forma, and that the Bill be 'referred to the Labour Bills Committee. Tho motion was carried. The House adjourned at 0.34 a.m.