POLITICAL GOSSIP.

Lake County Press, Issue 976, 22 August 1901, Page 7

POLITICAL GOSSIP.

WELLINGTON, August 14. RATING ON UNIMPROVED VALUES. The evening sitting of the House was taken up with the debate on the Rating on Unimproved Values Act Amendment Bill, which bad been largely threshed out before the late adjournment of Parliament owing to Sir J. M‘lvenzie’s demise. The discussion was largely of an academical character, and the interest in the fate of the motion was considerably discounted by the belief that if the Government succeeded in securing a second division the Bill would not be persevered with. Mr Arnold led off by opposing the measure, holding that the present permissive Act was quite sufficient, and he was strongly of opinion that the matter should he left in the hands of the people. Mr Fowlds declared that the result of his recent visit to Auckland (despite the adverse poll on the matter there) was that he had come back more fully convinced than ever that the only just and equitable means of raising local taxation was on the unimproved value of land. He favored a. clause being put in the Bill enabling local bodies to vole themselves out of its provisions, and a provision that in places where a. poll bad been recently taken the Act should not come into force until three years from the date of the poll. Mr J. Hutcheson said he believed in levying taxation on unimproved value of land, but he also believed in freedom and in trusting the people. The present optional system should not lie interfered with. Messrs Guinness and Kidd supported the Bill, while Messrs Witheford, Collins, M’Guire, and J. W. Thomson declared their intention of opposing the second reading. The Premier, in replying, said lie believed that, notwithstanding the prolranted nature of the debate, good would result, from it. A large number of members had expressed concurrence in tho prineiple of rating on unimproved values, but bad objected to the provisions of tho Bill. II these members were sincere in their belief that, the system of rating on unimproved values was the correct and proper one, why should they

vote against a Bill which was designed to carry out that principle? To him the attitude of these members was altogether unintelligible. There was glaring inconsistency on the part of several members. They had voted for the passing of the principal Act in 1896, and now they objected to that Act being made national. He believed in equality of sacrifice and the placing of burdens on those best able to bear them, and be contended that this desirable state of affairs would be attained under a system of rating on unimproved values. Fear of the single tax had caused a lot of people to express opinions antagonistic to this measure. He could not understand this feeling, and he was not a Single Taxer. With regard to the recent vote in Auckland, he said that if a poll could be taken over again under a franchise which would allow all residents to vote he would have no fear as to the result. Mr Lawry : “ But you will have to change tho franchise.” The Premier : “ That is coming, and make no mistake about it. The time is coming when we shall have one common franchise for all elections. Tho poll in Auckland was only the sixth poll in which the principle had been rejected out of thirty-three polls that had been taken.” He could not understand why hon. members should be guided by the six polls at which this principle had been rejected, instead of by the thirty at which it had been carried. On a division the second reading was carried by 27 to 23. Ayes (27). —Messrs E. G. Allen, Carroll, Duncan, Ell, Field, Fisher, Flatman, Fowlds, Guinness, Hall-Jones, Hogg .Hornsby, Houston, Laurenson, Lawry, M'Gowan, M'Guire, Mills, O’Meara, Parata, Seddon, Stevens, Steward, Symes, Tanner, Ward, Willis. Noes (23). —Messrs Atkinson, Bennet, Bollard, Collins, Fraser, Graham, Hardy, Haselden, Herries, J. Hutcheson, Lang, .Lethbridge, Massey, M‘Nab, Millar, Monk, Pirani, Rhodes, W. R. Russell, G. J. Smith, J. W. Thomson, R. Thompson, J. W. Witheford. Mr M'Guire explained that he was paired with the member for New Plymouth, but, overlooking that fact, he had voted with the Government, as that hon. member would. The Premier intimated his intention of having a return placed on the table of the House, showing in detail every city, borough, and county, with a view to setting out what would be the result if each individual were rated on the improved value. SUNDAY TRAINS. Instructions have recently been given by circular to traffic managers throughout the colony to discontinue the running of trains on Sunday's whenever possible. The Minister of Railways, however, recognises that for the public convenience some trains must be run on Sundays. The running of a certain train (concerning which Mr J. W. Thomson asked) in South Otago on July 21 was unavoidable, but it was not run specially to truck sheep from Pukerau. ARTIFICIAL MANURE ON THE RAILWAYS. The Minister of Railways says he cannot accede to Mr Lang’s suggestion that bonedust and other artificial manures should be carried free on the Government Railways, but the matter of making reductions in the carriage was now under his consideration, and artificial manures would be placed on the lowest rate. He was averse to carrying anything free on the railway lines, if the hand of the Government was to be forced in this matter, lime (now on the free list) would have to be charged for. RESUMPTION OF LAND FOR SETTLEMENT. It is proposed to resume for land settlement purposes a strip of land eight chains wide and comprising slightly' over seventy acres, being part of a present forest reserve in block 9, Wakamarina survey district, Marlborough. A plan and description of the land was laid on the table of the Council yesterday. RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK. A return has been presented to the House by* the Minister of Railways showing the amount paid for rolling stock manufactured outside the colony between April 1, 1897, and July 26, 1901. The amounts paid totalled £245,976 on invoice value, and £8,140 for freight. The amount of liabilities current is £223,989, and the estimated freight is £13,000. Of British manufacture, the locomotives cost £27,430, and the iron high-side waggons £39,729; of American manufacture, the locomotives cost £76,899, and the carriages £101,918. The amount of liability' to British manufacturers is £33,000 for locomotives, and £118,431 for waggons; and to American manufacturers, £72,558 for locomotives. The value of rolling stock manufactured within the colony during the last four years is put down at £458,745. Since March 31, 1896, the amount paid to British manufacturers for rolling stock was £67,159, and to American manufacturers £178,817, making, with freight added, a total of £254,116. LAND FOR SETTLEMENTS. RETURNS. The following returns were ordered by the House, yesterday afternoon:—Showing tho names of the persons or firms who received the orders for the 5,000 tons of oats referred to by the Premier when replying to a deputation on the 7th inst., the dates on which the orders were received, a'nd the prices per bushel at which such orders were placed (Air Massey); showing The expenditure incurred in connection with the construction of the Makohine viaduct, and the date on which the viaduct will be open for traffic (Mr Massey) ; and one giving particulars as to the sittings of the conciliation boards (Mr Graham). JOTTINGS. The Minister of Agriculture hopes at no distant date that agricultural lime will be provided from the Government limekilns in Shag Valley at 12s 6d. The present price charged to farmers by private limekilns, Mr Duncan says, is 18s. The total area in the colony' of forest trees planted to the 31st March, 1900, is 18,337 acres, which cost £56,717. The area destroyed by fire or otherwise was 623 acres, of which 423 were in Canterbury and 180 in Southland. Their present estimated value is £66.262, and tho sum of £3,813 is proposed to be expended during the present year. The Postmaster-General yesterday laid before the House a notification of proposals to grant pensions to the following Civil servants;- —E. T. Morshead, Post and Telegraph Department, £lB5 a year, from January 1, 1902 ; T. Palmer, Post and Telegraph Department, £lO7 18s 4d, from April 3, 1902 ; R. A. Campbell, Post and Telegraph Department, £155, from July 31, 1901.