PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2273, 15 July 1881, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

|_By Telegraph.] [from the own correspondent of the “ PRESS. 11 ] WELLINGTON, July 14. Papers wore laid on the table by Hon. J. Hall, showing the amount of the Customs revenue raised at each port of entry in New Zealand, and the cost of collecting the same for the financial period ended 31st March, 1881. The respective amounts of the revenue were long since published, and need not be repeated, but the following is the respective cost of collecting, estimated at the rate per cent, of the revenue collected :—Auckland, £2 11s Id ; Thames, £4 6s lOd ; Russell, £lO 4s lOd; Mongonui, £ll 3« 2d ; Hokianga, £l2 3s Id ; Kaipara, £7 Os 6d ; Whangarei, 15s ; New Plymouth, £4 lls 4d ; Wanganui, £3 3s 3d; Foxton, £l4 6s 9d ; Wellington, £2 lls 5d } Napier, £3 7« 2d ; Poverty Bay, £5 16s lid; Tauranga, £ll 10s Id; Wairau, £4 13s 7d ; Pioton, £l2 18s 4d ; Havelock, £7 6s 2d ; Nelson, £3 15s ; Westport, £4 12s 5d ; Greymoutb, £2 Is 8d ; Hokitika, £3 12s 7d ; Riverton, £7 4s 4d; Invercargill and Bluff, £4 7s 5d ; Dunedin and Port Chalmers, £2 Is 6d ; Camara, £3 10s Id ; Timaru, £4 3s 2d ; Akaroa, £9 18s lOd ; Lyttelton and Christchurch, £2 12s lOd; Kaikoura, £l4 14s. The ports of Whangarei, Tauranga, Havelock, Akaroa and Kaikoura were closed on October 31st last. The cost of collection for the whole colony for the’ above-named period was £2 15s lid per cent.; for the financial year 1879-80 it was £3 4s 3d. In the United Kingdom the rate per cent, of collection (average of ten years, ending March 31st, 1879), was £3 8s 2d. The Bill for preventing land being locked up for many years by entail or otherwise, as promised by the Premier in his Leeston speech, and introduced by the AttorneyGeneral in the Legislative Council, was circulated this evening. The full text of this short but important measure, is as follows : —“ A Bill entitled an Act to facilitate the alienation of land : —Whereas the power of placing restrictions on the alienability of land is prejudicial to the interests of the colony, and it is therefore desirable that such restrictions should be prohibited. Be it therefore enacted, &e, —(l) Short title, the Alienation of Land Act, 1881. (2) It ahall not be lawful for any person by deed or will to restrain the alienation of land, and the holder of a legal estate for the time being under and by virtue of any deed or will shall for the purpose of sale and exchange be deemed to be absolute owner thereof without any restriction. The word “land" includes any estate or interest in real property. (3) Committees of estates of lunatics and guardians of infants shall for thepurpose of the Act bo deemed holders of the legal estate. (4) Money accruing from any such sale or exchange shall mutatis mutandis bo subject to like trusts, rights, liability, claims, and demands (if any) as exist in respect of the land. (5) The receipt in writing of any person to whom any money shall become payable by virtue of this Act, shall effectually discharge the person paying the same from seeing to the application, or being answerable for the misapplication, or nonapplication thereof, and from inquiry into the necessity or propriety of any transaction in consequence whereof such money may have become payable.” Mr Pyke has introduced a Bill to amend the Education Act. The preamble sets forth that it is desirable to extend the benefits of the Education Act to elementary schools maintained by private bodies or individuals, and it provides as follows :—“ Every school which is conducted in accordance with the provisions of The Education Act, 1677, and the regulations framed thereunder in respect of the qualification of teachers, course of instruction, attendance at school, and inspection by an Inspector of the Board of Education, shall be deemed a public school within the meaning of the said Act. No grant shall be made under this Act to any school in respect of any instruction in religious subjects, nor shall it be required that the school shall be in connection with a religious denomination, or that religious instruction shall be given in the sohool. Every such school shall be entitled to receive the same capitation allowance as is granted to public schools established under the said Act, provided that no such school shall bo entitled to a share in such funds unless the average number of pupils attending the same be twenty-five or more.” Mr Pyke’s Miners’ Rights Fees Reduction Bill provides that from and after the Ist day of January, 1882, the sum which shall bo paid for a miner’s right shall be ten shillings instead of £l, as at present. Mr Pitt has tabled the following notice of motion for Tuesday : —“ That this House is of opinion that under the Property Assessment Act, 1879, a building society should be liable to be assessed for property tax upon the surplus only of the capital thereof over and above the amounts to the credit of the shareholders in the society.” To-day Mr Andrews gave notice of amotion to the effect that only total abstainers should be allowed to insure in the Government Insurance Department. Many enquiries are being made as to the precise meaning and effect of the Treasurer’s announcement in the financial statement that although hitherto it has been deemed advisable to exempt " foreign capital” from the property tax, it is now proposed to include it. It amounts to £11,000,000, and will yield £45,000 extra tax. The fact is the words “ foreign capital” did not strictly convey the precise intention. What the Government i really propose is to introduce a Bill to amend the Property Assessment Act in various ways, i so that absolutely no property actually i within the colony shall be able to escape i contributing its due share of the tax. For instance, hitherto persons or com- . panics who borrow money outside the colony for lending again in the colony, or I who have money entrusted to them for this purpose, deduct these sums as liabilities, and > therefore are exempt from taxation, while the

person who borrows from themdoes the same, and thus large sums really invested in the colony wholly escape taxation. Similarly merchants order good* and then when they receive the invoices they charge them as a liability entitled to exemption. Similarly with consigned goods. Amn there are cases such as that of the Hon. W. G. Tollemache, where mortgagors in the colony remit the interest direct to the mortgagee outside the colony. The amended Act will provide for all these cases, and ensure every description of property paying its fair share of taxation. Competent opinions have been obtained that this will not interfere in the slightest degree with the influx of capital into the colony, and last year's experience shows that investment since the property tax was in force has been larger than ever before.

There will probably be five Bills in all for dealing with the local government question. These are—l. Crown and Native Lands Rating Bill, the second reading of which Major Atkinson moved on Tuesday ; 2. Roads Construction Bill, providing for local public works, Boards, &s., as sketched in the Financial Statement; 3. Counties Act Amendment Bill ; 4. A Road Board Amendment ; 5. A Powers Delegation Bill, the last being a precautionary measure. Ministers believe that these Bills will meet all the requirements of the case.

The Premier, replying to the Otago Central Railway deputation to-day, said that Government had no funds available for the construction of that or any railway in the colony, but a Bill was in course of preparation by which great advantages would bo offered to capitalists or companies willing to undertake the construction of railways. This would afford largo facilities to persons sufficiently interested in the work to carry it on. Ho instanced tho case of Wellington, where £50,000 had been subscribed towards such an enterprise, on the strength of the promised Pill. In reply to a question by Mr Pyke, the Premier said it was proposed to give land to the value of 25 or 30 per cent, of the construction of cost, the land to be along tho lino of route, and in alternate blocks, the intermediate ones to be retained by the Government for the public benefit. It would also be proposed to hand over to such persons or company, under suitable guarantees, all work already done. Power would be reserved to the Government to resume possession at any time on payment of adequate compensation.