PARLIAMENT’S BUSY DAY

Greymouth Evening Star, 29 October 1931, Page 3

PARLIAMENT’S BUSY DAY

SEVERAL BILLS DISCUSSED TICKET-TAX EVASIONS [pub press association.] WELLINGTON, October 28. The House of Representatives met at 2.30 p.m. ... Mr. Forbes gave notice to move tnar the Standing Orders be amended so as to permit the House to sit daily f lo ™ 2.30 p.m. till midnight, from Monday till Saturday, each week, for the remainder of the session. . Mr. Hamilton gave notice of his intntion to introduce the Counties Amendment Bill. During the discussion on the Cook Islands vote on Friday, Sib A. T. Ngata Undertook to make a statement to the House on the subject of proceedings against Laery and Co., fruit auctioneers of Wellington. In making the statement to-day, he said tnat legal proceedings had been taken in October last by the Government against this firm, which was charged under the Secret Commissions Act, with improperly withholding portion of the proceeds of sale of Government produce placed in the company s hands for sale by public auction. A jury, in the Supreme Court, had failed to agree on the question of criminal intent, and, oh the advice of the Crown Prosecutbr, the proceedings bad then boen transferred, and a civil fiction wfis taken to recover the amount estimated as having been improperly withheld. The Government had succeeded in its claim, and an amount of £l4O Is 4d had been paid into the public account by the company. These proceedings Had been instituted, mainly for the purpose of testing the legality of tho practice adopted by some auctioneering firms of “buying in” produce placed with them for sale by auction. The producer, by this means, did not. in such instances receive the full net profit derived from the sale, as the auctioneer, in addition to charging his usual commission, was able to make an additional profit by trading in the goods placed in his hands for auction. The Minister said the question of an amendment to the Secret Commissions Act and Auctioneers Act was receiving consideration by the Government. . , . , Tho Land Transfer (Hawke’s Bay) Bill, in which tho authorities are making a new land transfer register for Hawke’s Bay, to replace the one destroyed by fire following the earthquake, was put through the remaining stages and passed. Moving the second reading of the Stamp Duties Amendment Bill, Mr. Stewart said it gave effect to the tfix on lottery tickets and on overseas’ passenger tickets. He did not think its provisions would have to be elaborated to any extent, if the Minister of internal Affairs added a condition to tho granting of a permit that the promoters should put. down a bond to cover the estimated amount of duty payable. Mr. McCombs, mentioning several methods in which he thought payment of tho tax on overseas passenger tickets c’OUld be evaded, said it would be possible for a person about to visit England to book only as far as Australia, and thus avoid a substantial portion of th© tax. Mr. Stewart pointed out that the tax had been proposed in the Budget of his predecessor. He did not suggest that the tfix on passengers’ tickets was scientific, but it was in operation in various countries. He agreed that there were methods of evading the tax.

A voice: What about the passenger who flies to Australia?

Mr. Stewart: He ought to get a subsidy, not a tax.

Tho Bill was put through all stages and passed. The House agreed to the amendments macle by the Legislative Council to the Rural Intermediate Credit Amendment Bill. . •

Moving the second reading of the Hawke’s Bay Earthquake Relief Funds Bill, Mr. Forbes said its purpose was to give statutory authority to the Committee that had been set up. It would facilitate the working of the Committee, because it would enable it to deal with matters it had not had authority to handle previously. The Leader of the Opposition asked what was the position regarding the meeting of the Committee. was a member, and had not been called to a meeting since the beginning of the present session. Mr. Barnard supported the Bill, but said it should have been brought into fo'reo some months ago. Mr. Jull expressed gratification at the introduction of the bill.

Replying to Mr. Holland, Mr. Forbes said a meeting of the committee would be called shortly.

The Bil was read a second time. Mr. Cobbe moved the second reading of the Air Navigation Bill. The Minister said the measure was an adaptation of the Imperial Air Navigation Act. It enabled the GovernorGeneral in Council, to make regulations for carrying out the convention relating to aerial navigation, which had been signed at Paris in 1919, and to which the New Zealand Government was a party. Tho Bill was read a second time.

In the evening session, the Hawke’s Bay earthquake relief funds bill was put through the remaining stages with minor amendments, and passed. When the Air Navigation Bill was under consideration in committee, Mr. Barnard drew attention to the clause exempting aircraft belonging to the Crown from the provisions of the bill. He asked whether tlie rights 'of private citizens would be safeguarded in cases where accidents might arise as the result of negligence on the part of a pilot of a machine belonging to Hie Crown. The Minister gave this assurance. The bill was put through the remaining stages without amendment, and passed. ASSISTING THE MAORI The House agreed to discuss the Native Land Bill, and Native Purposes Bill simultaneously. Sir A. T. Ngata explained the former was a consolidating measure, while the latter was a Washing-up Bill. He said that the time had come when it was not sufficient for the Maori to be picturesque, and to be nothing but a man of quaint poetry customs and ceremonials. Unless it were possible to fence him off, and establish a big fund for his .maintenance, the stage had arrived when the country expected the Maori, after a hundred years of experience of European civilisation, to maintain himself, and no one had yet found a better way than to enable him to farm his own

land. Outlining the latest steps in the direction of native land development, the Minister said it had formerly been the case that where native land was Under this process, such blocks of Crown land, as were interspersed, were simultaneously developed. An arrangement had now been made under which the Lands Department had undertaken to develop the blocks of native land encountered. One of the most important provisions of the bill gave legislative effect to this arrangement. Funds in the land settlement account would be used for the purpose, and an adjustment would later be made through the Native Land Settlement Account. Outlining the progress of Native land development, the Minister said that at August 31 last, there were 41 schemes in operation, or authorised. These extended literally from the North Cape to the Bluff. The total area brought under these schemes was 591,524 acres. He did not want to convey the 'impression that the whole of that territory would be, or could be, developed. However, in order to comply with the conditions of the Native Land Act, although there might be only 500 acres that could be developed out of a block of ab'out 5000 acres, the whole block had to be gazetted. The Department estimated that the total acreage that could be developed was 248,000. Even that might be wide of the mark. Four schemes comprised the whole of North Auckland district and totalled 437,000 acres, but of the total he personally estimated, not more than 150,000 acres could be developed. It rested with the Treasury to say whether the whole area was to be brought in but it was not thought necessary to develop the lot. The main purpose of the schemes was to inspire the Native tribes to doncentrate upon the job of breaking in their own lands, largely with thenown labour, and with what help the Government could give. In the main, the policy was one of self-help with judiciously applied assistance. Up to August 31, the amount spent on the various schemes was £135,325, and a very large amount of work had been done with that money. Sir A. T. Ngata said the depression was the Maori’s opportunity, and a blessing in disguise to him. It had destroyed the illusion of the pakeha that he could always maintain his present high and extravagant standard of living. It had shown him that many of those things which ho classed among essentials for the maintenance of a proper standard of living- among the Western race were really unnecessary. One of the greatest advantages the Maori had at the moment, in regard to the development of land, was that his needs were simpler or put the other way, his standard of living was lower. The Native Land Bill, and the Native Purposes Bill were read a second time, and were then put through committee virtually without discussion. The process was by no means brief, however, as there were G 65 clauses in the two measures. The former bill alone consists of 567 clauses, and will be the largest single measure in the New Zealand Statute Book. The bills were reported to the House, with min-, or amendments, read a third time and, passed. • ; The House rose at midnight. COUNCIL’S TWO MINUTES. WELLINGTON, October 28. The Legislative Council met at 2.30 p.m. The Trading Coupons Bill was read a second time pro forma, and referred to the Statutes Revision Committee. The Council rose at 2.32 p.m. until tomorrow.