PARLIAMENT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 2 July 1891, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

« HOUSE OF EEPEESENTATIVES. . TUESDAY, JUNE 30. ; : The Hon the Speaker took the chair at 2.30 p.m. THE FINANCIAL DED TE was resumed by Mr W. Hutchison, He agreed with the income tax generally, but ; thought that it should have been on incomes from £250 instead of £800 ; and it should go all over the country without any exception. As to the land tax, it should be graduated up to £500, and after that it should be imposed according to acreage. He opposed the tax on the totalisator, but gave his consent to the postal reduction, although he thought a better thing would. ha\e been a tax of £d a lb on exported wool, or a remission of the duty on the necessaries of life. It was a great omission in the Statement that there was no remission of the tariff. Mr J. W. Thomson spoke against the Government pioposals and ridiculed the idea put forward by the last speaker that land should be taxed not on its value, but upon acreage, saying that one piece of land might be considerably better than another, and it would not therefore would not be fair. ? t the Evening Sitting Mr Fish resumed the debate, and said he was not content with the graduated land tax, it was not big enough for him ; but he had to be content with what he could get. He hoped it would fail, as had been prophesied, because then the large estates would have been broken up. He characterised the reduction of the postage as inde - fensible, which they could not afford, and which nobody had asked for, and which would chiefly benefit]! large mercantile houses, and . not the nm*aeai The pnvebww f>f pHvßkg

lands was only justifiable when the pressure of population demanded it, and should not be introduced by a liberal Government. In conclusion, he proposed .as an amendment— " That the financial proposals of the Government are in accordance with the general wishes of the people, providing as they do for the repeal of the property tax and substituting a graduated land and income tax j that the principles of the change in the incidence of taxation is satisfaotory to this House, and will promote the well being of aU classes > of thia Colony." ■■■'• ■''■■ Mr Carncross seconded the amend* nient. Mr G. F. Bichai-ttsbn. aiter ©on* dexnuing the action of- the Govern* mentinthe Edward's case, and in the manner of their retrenchments, said distinctly that the charges against Rangers Connell and Camp* bell should be at once inquired into. Analysing the Estimates, he said that there had been no reduction made in the expenditure in the public service of this Colony. There were eleven more dfficeirk' in'^he Jservice now than formerly. - Tbere'lhad been a saving of £2685 in the salaries ; which had. .been causecL.foy, stopping tie. payment of Mr Justice"' JSHiirards' salary and reducing 1 ttte^SSferies, .of Native Land Court Judges.' -Besides that, thirty officers': salaried over £300, had been increased by £2045. In the Stock Department -there* had been a decrease of three men, thirteen dispensed with, and ten newly-ap-pointed. , As far •; as , r he— j; could gather, the amalgamation of lands and survey offices cost the country £9200 more than before, despite all the talk of reduction. He took the Guide issued by the present Minister, which.sho}ived-they had 2,850,000 acres of land unoccupied ; tbere were reserve lands, many of them iru-'ftßc mai-keiiA^j^S 6ment ialtlfTOpt^ajCg^^^Ps. There Q tenure, twelve; c °* \acreSi.,the^^Rff'-^9'^|^ r #^ n^ Company^ ; ar&C 4,oM;^fffo|es, agdv,jh€ffe:,was» he sftid; wiifficient janS for as ma^y homesteads as'.thei'e . were at present in the cblony. '■[■' The Minister of Lands moved the adjournment of the debate; which was agreed to, and the House rose at 12.25. .; •