YESTERDAY'S PARLIAMENT

Evening Star, Issue 19025, 21 August 1925, Page 9

YESTERDAY'S PARLIAMENT

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL The Roman Catholic Bishop of Auckland Empowering Bill was read a third time and passed. The Massey Burial Ground Bill, the Rotorua Borough Amendment Bill, and the Samoa Shipping Bill were each read a second time, and the Council adjourned at 3.13 p.ra. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES On behalf of the Hon. G. J. Anderson. the, Hon. W. Nosworthy gave notice of his intention to introduce the Rent Restriction Continuance Bill. Speaking with reference to the report which was tabled by Sir R. Heaton Rhodes (Minister of Defence), Mr Veitch said bo believed that the ‘defence force of Now Zealand was in a condition of the greatest efficiency, but be doubted if we had ample supplies of explosives or efficient moans of manufacturing such supplies to make us independent of importation in the event of a serious crisis.—Mr M'Combs said it was deplorable that amongst the small nations like New Zealand there was so little to carry out the-spirit of the Washington Treaty. Our Naval Estimates were very high, and this year wo had to increase them by £IOO,OOO to cover commitments this year.—ln reply, .Sir Heaton Rhodes said it was a fact that we were not in a position to manufacture ammunition for our big guns, and the plant to make this ammunition would be very costly. Australia was just beginning to make her own ammunition, and no doubt Now Zealand would soon be obtaining her supplies from this source, as wo naturally wished to encourage the manufacture of big ammunition in the Pacific. The agreement before the House would ensure an adequate supply of small arms ammunition. The Land and Income Tax Amendment Hill was brought down hv Governor-General’s message.—The Minister of Finance explained, in reply to Air Forbes, that all the proposals in the Bill wore more or less of a machinery nature. It was not an actual taxing Bill, and did not involve any of the questions raised in the Budget. —The Hon. J. A. Hanan asked that the Bill be sent to the Public Accounts Committee for investigation. No other country, lie said, was so slovenly as, was New Zealand in matters of _ expenditure. The late Prime Minister had always sent such Bills to the Public Accounts Committee. —The Hon. Mr Nosworthy: No taxing Bill was ever sent to the Public Accounts Committee. 1 know.—Air Hanan: You don’t know, and wo want to help you_ with; useful criticism.—Air Veitch said it was o sin to go on as we were doing with our inequitable system ot taxation. There ought to be an investigation on thoroughly scientific lines, and this had not been done. —Air M'Combs argued that the request that the Bill be sent to the Public Accounts Committee did not imply suspicion. All they wished to guard against was mistakes being made”.—After further discussion the Bill was read a first time, the Prime Minister intimating that it could bo sent to the Public Accounts Committee at a later stage. Later debates are reported elsewhere.