THE DAY IN PARLIAMENT

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 43, 19 August 1930, Page 8

THE DAY IN PARLIAMENT

Nine hours of debate, mostly of a critical nature, was the reception the Finance Bill received in the House of Eepresentatives at yesterday's sitting, when it came up for second reading. Tho Eeform Party was as good as the word of its Leader, who intimated early in tho discussion that the Bill would be keenly contested. The Labour members wore comparatively silent; indeed, there were only five speakers from that quarter. The biggest items of contention were the petrol tax, which had already been well threshed in previous debates, and the subsidy on local body rates. Several speakers from the Beform benches contended that the Government had repudiated a promise given to motorists when the petrol tax was first imposed. This was met by Government speakers with the reply that no guarantee of the kind had been given which could reasonably bind future Administrations that might find it necessary to alter the system. In replying to the discussion indignation was expressed by the Prime Minister at much of the Opposition criticism of taxation proposals which he contended were absolutely necessary in order to make the Budget balance.