IN PARLIAMENT

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 260, 1 October 1936, Page 2

IN PARLIAMENT

JOTTINGS FROM THE HOUSE. SHOP AND OFFICE RENTALS. An announcement that the Government did not propose to introduce legislation this session dealing with shop and office rontals was made by the Prime Minister (Mr Savage) in reply to a question by Mr H. Atmore, in the House of Representatives yesterday. Mr Savage added that full investigations were being made with a view to ensuring just charges for all rented properties. TAXING A TAX. In the debate on the taxing BillsHon. A. Hamilton raised the point of the abolition of the exemption in respect to unemployment tax payments. In effect, he said, the Government was jiroposing to tax unemployment tax, which in itself was raised for a very distinct purpose. The abolition of tho exemption was just an effort to turn the screw a little harder. Information as to the deductions to be permitted on account of premiums for machinery was also sought by Mr Hamilton. The Opposition, he said, had pressed for deductions which the Government would not allow, and it was interested to know the reasons for deductions which were made. “GLUMMEST MINISTER.” “Tho Minister of Finance —this Minister of Taxation —is the glummest occupant of the office that the country has seen for many years,” said Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates in a general criticism of the Government’s taxation proposals. A Government member: He is all smiles. Mr Coates: It is forced, and he is a nervous man. He knows he will get it when he has to face the troojis. Mr Coates added that the Minister of Finance had failed to take into account the representations made to him by earnest and sincere peopleleaving out members of Parliament altogether—who were going to be injured by the reimposition of the graduated laud tax and the increase in the income tax. RACING ON LABOUR DAY. A request that steps be taken to ensure that racings clubs which in recent years have not been disposed on Labour Day to conduct meetings on their own courses, but elsewhere, shall not be permitted in future to do this where such meetings conflict with long-established functions organised by workers to celebrate the was made by Mr E. L. Cullen to the Minister of Internal Affairs, Hon. W. Parry, in the form of a question in the House. Air Cullen said the celebration of Labour Day in Hawke’s Bay with a picnic and sports meeting at Clive for the past 25 years was a case in point. Replying, Mr Parry said that in the case referred to an agreement had been entered into between the two racing clubs, and this agreement, which covered a perio dof three years, had been approved and exercised to the extent that a race meeting had been held away from home last year. While approval was given to the change of venuo for another meeting on Labour Day this year, it was definitely laid down that the matter would have subsequently to be reviewed. PUBLICITY FOR MEETINGS. The opinion that full publicity should he given to the business of education boards as well as that of all other public bodies, was expressed by the Prime Minister (Air Savage) in reply to a question by Air R. A. Wright. Mr Wright had asked the Prime Minister whether his attention had been drawn to a statement by tho chairman of the Wellington Education Board to the effect that board meetings were not legally open to the Press and the public, who were only admitted by courtesy.