HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue LXXIV, 27 October 1917, Page 5

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

H™ w eT?o US-& '^y^g *> Mr Lee, Hon. W. D. S. Mac Donald said a conference was to be called in Christchirrch at o? Aft' to oonsi3? r the Question of 1917-I^l9 wheat. He had drafted a circular for submission to Cabinet, and when he w.ent to Christchurch to the conference, he hoped to have *?ith him a full statement of the Government's policy on the matter. Compulsion in growInfwW* had DOt b6en 6atisf^ry

Mr Anstey asked the Minister if the Government was prepared to compel people having small areas of land to grow vegetables, as onions were now at a prohibitive price Mr Mac Donald said the Government had never considered the question of compulsion m any form, but had suggested to people having small areas of land avadable, the advisibility of growing vegetables. 6 Replying to Mr Nosworthy, Hon. W. U. b Mac Donald said he had agreed to pay farmers 5s lOd f.o.b for next seal son s wheat. H a would carry out his part oi the bargain. Replying to Mr Wilkinson, Sir Jas. Allen said there was no prospect of reriev;:ng the men in Egypt on furlough. I hat question had been already decided Sir Joseph Ward said that during the debate on the Meat Trust report, it was stated by one member that certain meat companies trading in New Zealand were not paying taxation proportionate to the capital invested. He submitted the matter to the Commissioner ot laxes, and he reported that some of these companies had been only recently termed, and it was premature to saY they were not paying proper taxation. Ihey were being taxed on the basis uniformly applied to all such companies that was, on the income earned in the Domimon. The question of capital finvested or the dividends earned did not come into the question at all The only thing affected by the capital invested was the license fee. and the Commissioner had ample power to deal with any attempt on the part of companies to evade that taxation. The Premier said it was impossible tor him to review the whole 126 clauses m the Reserves and Other Lands Disposal and Public Bodies Empowering (Washnig-up) Bill. H 6 would, ther<£ tore, adopt the usual course by formally moving the second reading, and in committee he would afford all the information necessary. He then moved the second reading. Mr Anderson protested against the manner in which the clauses were inserted in this Bill, all sorts of subjects being dealt with concerning which the member for the district had never been lniorniPd.

Mr Hornsby also spoke in a similar strain.

The Premier said he was quite prepared to drop the Bill if members did not like it.

t **? Edward Newman (chairman or Lands Committee) said the committee had carefully considered the clauses, a- n i i K B*^ s l everal of those oritil cised by Mr Hornsby. If there was anything improper in the Bill, the blame must rest v*th members Messrs WUty and Bu'ddo, and Dr. 1 hacker also spoke. Mr Massey, in reply, declared there Wmi. non^ ng questionable in the Bill. 1 he Bill was then put through the remaining stages and passed, as was also the .Native washing-up Bill. On the motion of the Hon. G W -Kussell, the amendment made in the So^ cial Hygiene Bill by the Legislative STtlL^^ *°' and the House