PARLIAMENT

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 29 August 1929, Page 5

PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. NEW BILLS INTRODUCED. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Aug. 28. ' Replying to Mr J. G. Coates in the House of Representatives to-day, Sir Joseph Ward ■said an Imprest Supply Bill would be brought down on Crid iy. Mr W. E. Barnard gave notice of his intention :to introduce the Hawke’s Bay Rivers Amendment Bill, 1929. Air H. G. R. Alas on gave notice of his intention to introduce an Imprisonment for Debt Abolition Amendment Bill and a Licensing Amendment Bill. Replying to Air H. S. S. Kyle, Sir Joseph Ward stated the only alteration in the original, plans for the steamship service from the South Island to Australia was that the call at Hobart had been excluded. The call at Lyttelton had no* been excluded.

The following Bills were introduced and rind a first time: Wellington City and Suburban Water Supply Amendment Bill (Air P. Fraser) and the Wellington City' and Suburban Highways Construction and Hutt Road Amendment Bill (Air Al’cKeen). The Shops and Offices Amendment Bill No. 2 (Hon. W..A. Veitch) and the Apprentices Amendment Bill (Hen. W. A: Veitch) were read a second time pro forma and referred to the Labour Bills Committee.

Far Joseph Ward, replying to Mr W. A. Barnard, said he hud seen Press reports that the Imperial Government proposed to allow any Dominion to abolish the present right of appeal to the Privy Council. The New Zealand Government ‘had no intention of al .oring the present position. He had received no official communication on the subject. ! Rev. C. Carr asked the Prime Alinister whether he would review the findings of the Royal Commission on land and income tax for 1924 with a view to putting its findings into operation as regards the substitution .of individual taxation for company taxation, and further in the direction of taxing dividends and profits from investment generally. The Prime Alinister replied that the Government had considered the report to which Air Carr referred, but was of opinion that for financial reasons alone the present was an inopportune time for putting the recommendations made into operation. The proposed changes in the incidence of taxation were so widesweeping in their effects, and involved such a large loss of revenue that it. was not feasible seriously to consider them at the present moment. Air Carr stated he had made particular reference to the substitution of individual taxation for company taxation, and in this respect he considered the country would gain rather than lose revenue.

Mr F. Langstone asked the Prime Alinister wha.t steps he proposed to take to safeguard the interests of the Grown, the natives and the public of the Dominion in connection with the large timber block in the King Country known as the Tongariro Timber Area. Air Langstone stated the prospectus of a company which it was proposed to float in connection with the exploitation of this area provided for the introduction of a cash capital system of £400,000, and it was stated the estimated profits from royalties and transport charges in connection with this area totalled over £2,250,000. Sir Joseph Ward stated the matter had been under the consideration of the Government and a statement on t'he subject would be maid'© shortly. Air H. S. S. Kyle asked the Prime Minister whether ‘his attention had been drawn to a deficit of over £2,000,000 as shown in the Australian Federal Budget, and to .the proposal of that Government to reduce the deficit by imposing a super tax of 10 per cent, increase on taxable individual incomes exceeding £2OOO.

Sir Joseph Ward replied: “If the question is Intended to hold' up these proposals as an example to the Government I have to point out that the Reform Government in 1927 increased the income tax payable on incomes from £450 to over £BOOO. The present Government’s taxation proposals are set out in the Budget and these are deemed to be sufficient to meet the country’s present requirements. ’ ’ The Hon. G. W. Forbes, replying to Sir W. H. Field, stated that valuations of country lands were being revised by a staff of experienced valuers, assisted by capable local valuers who bad had practical farming experience. During the past three years the department had revalued 47 counties, 20 boroughs, and 12 town districts, involving no fewer than 154,037 assessments.

NOXIOUS WEEDS CONTRO'L. In reply to another question submitted by Mr Field, Mr Forbes stated very serious consideration was being given to the question of how to' deal most effectively with noxious weeds control. Departmental officers were active in their endeavours to get noxious weeds properly , dealt with on lauds newly infested or on lands where the clearing of weeds was within the financial capability of settlers. Other badly infested lands were being dealt with in the best way possible in the circumstances. The question of whether a satisfactory form of local control could' be established was being explored, but it was doubtful whether further legislation regarding noxious weeds could be brought down during the present session. After several speakers had referred to this question, Mr Forbes stated l the Government could not he expected to undertake the whole task of coping with the noxious weeds problem on its own. The co-operation of owners of property would be necessary. So far as the department was concerned, it was doing its utmost to see that the law relating to noxious weeds was carried out.

Sir George Hunter said he hoped the Minister would reconsider the position and bring forward during the present session some scheme to assist in facing this admittedly serious problem. The Hon. T. M. Wilford, m the course of a lengthy reply to the Rev. C. Carr, stated that, the methods adopted in New Zealand' for dealing with offenders were considered to be sound and practical, and compared favourably with the methods adopted for the suppression of crime elsewhere. Of the total number of convictions during 1928 in the Magistrate’s Court, in 89 per cent of the cases alternative methods to imprisonment had been adopted. The records showed that during the past 16 years 79 per cent of the total persons having undergone sentences of reformative detention had not been convicted subsequent to release. Dr. Burt, the

well-known London expert, had quoted 62 per cent of successes where sociological and psychological examination of delinquents had been made. In this respect it should be noted that the successes under the New Zealand Borstal system were approximately 90 per cent. Replying to Mr E. J. Howard, the Hon. W. B. Taverner (Commissioner of State Forests) said; one of the matters under consideration at the time the present Government assumed office, was an application by the Westland Wood Pulp and Paper Syndicate, Ltd., for timber eon cess ions in Westland, including the reservation of an area of virgin bush. The syndicate, which was primarily an investigating company, proposed to dispose of its rights, if granted, to any other company which it might promote for the purpose of directly benefiting the syndicate. After very careful consideration of all aspects of the application, including the proposals for the-utilisation of timber applied for, Cabinet had decided that it would not be in the public interest, to grant the desired concessions.

Although the Government had not thought it desirable to grant the application of this syndicate it realised the potential value to the Dominion of the wood pulping industry and would encourage its establishment on a sound basis. In this connection, valuable technical data and other information had been lately collected by the State Forest Servioe in practical investigations of the subject carried on in conjunction with the foremost authorities in the world. This information provided a valuable guide to those interested in the industry and was available for that purpose.