OVER THE SPEAKERS CHAIR

Dominion, Volume 16, Issue 2, 27 September 1922, Page 7

OVER THE SPEAKERS CHAIR

A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW OF PARLIAMENT

.TAXES, HOUSES, AND BILLS

(By Randall.y

Parliamentary tradition requires that when a new Bill reaches the House of Representatives in the form of “a Message from His Excellency the Gov-ernor-General,the Leader of the Opposition shall ask for information about its provisions. Then the responsible Minister hurriedly consults a printed copy of the Bill, as if he had never seen the document before, and gives the House an incomplete and frequently jnaccurate summary of the clauses. The House does not really need the information in this form, since members wdl be able to read the Bill for themselves very soon after the formal introduction has been completed. When the Land and Income Tax Amendment Bill was presented to the House yesterday, Mr. Wilford asked the usual question, and Mr. Massey indicated the nature of some of the clauses. That should have permitted the House to receive the Bill and turn to the business of the day- But Labour members launched a discussion about taxation matters, with ihe special purpose of suggesting that the Prime Minister, in making concessions to the payers’ of land tax and income tax, was conferring favour on ti:e “big man” and neglecting the “small man.” The debate wandered along for a couple of hours without getting anywhere. Mr. Massey had the last word, and by explaining how he was financing the reductions he made it an interesting one. Then came the third reading stage of the State Advances Bill. When this Bill was being considered in committee the Prime Minister told the House that the Government during ihe last three years had built or assisted to build over 10,000 houses. Some membeii- with house-hungry districts indicated yesterday that they regu"i»3 the Satires with suspicion. Mr. Sidcy. for the Literals, declared that the Goiernnieiit was not entitled to taki credit fcr houses built with State Advances money, and insisted that the Housing Ant had failed. Mr. Massey had an-tj.-'pated this particular bit of criticism by saying as n vch himself, and he ’nsisted firmly on the 10.000 houses. The Bill, which brings all the State lending operations under one control, was passed. A Land Laws Amendment Pill made its ..npearance. The days vhen a Lend Bill was the signal for hot party warfare have passed, and the new measure. containing some small concessions to State tenants and some minor adjustments of existing law. made its way to the Order-Paper without arousing more than a flicker of interest.. Later in the evening the Firebhght Bill and n couple of other small Government Bills were passed. The Prime Minister had nothing new to say about the Near Eastern war cloud. But he hinted before the adjournment that he might have <?• statement to make when next the House met.