PARLIAMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16279, 12 July 1916, Page 9

PARLIAMENT.

! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. WORK 0!s PUBLIC BUILDINGS. [BT TELEGRAPH. — PRESS ASSOCIATION'.] WELLINGTON, Tuesday. The House met at 2.30 p.m. Sir Joseph Ward laid on the table the annual statement concerning public buildings, which raised a discussion lasting the whole afternoon, members availing themselves of the opportunity to ventilate grievances and requirements. I Mr. G. J. Anderson (Mataura) put in a vigorous protest against the delay taking place in connection with the completion I of the new Parliament buildings, characterising the lack of expedition as a public scandal and a menace to the health of members, both the Premier and the Minister for Defence being at present confined to their homes as a result of the unwholesome atmosphere of the chamber. This view was strongly supported by Dr. A. K. Newman (Wellington East), Dr. H. T. J. Thacker (Christchurch East) Messrs. G. W. Forbes (.Hurunui), L. M. Isitt (Christchurch North), G. Witty (Riccarton), and R. A. Wright (Wellington Suburbs), each of whom declared that the chamber in the new building could be i finished before next session and members j allowed to occupy it. The practice of the j Government paying rent for offices when it should have its own buildings was also deprecated by the speakers. Expenditure Must be Limited. Mr. E. Newman (Rangitikei) and the Hon. A. T. Xgata (Eastern Maori) contended that the work on Parliament buildings should be stopped or. at least, delayed I and more money expended on roads in I back blocks where people were suffering I great inconvenience. I The Hon. W. Eraser, in reply, said the ■ whole delay in the erection of Parliament I buildings was due to the difficulty in geti ting marble. Delay bad also occurred in ! getting steel for the construction of the | roof, but this had now arrived from Engj land and was now being put together. j Sir Joseph Ward, referring to_the ap- ! plications for expenditure cut post offices, I said it was recognised that during the war | expenditure on buildings must be limited. ! ■ here was no intention on the part of the ! ; Government to go in for a building pro- ! gramme at the present time. Later on, i , when the war expenditure had terminated, ! it was hoped that normal expenditure on I j buildings would be resumed. I The statement was ordered to be printed j and the House rose at 5.30 p.m. ; Discussion on Finance Bill. i On the House resuming at 7.30 p.m., ' ' Mr. Witty continued the debate on the ' Finance Bill. He congratulated the Gov- . : ernment on the sound financial position i of the Dominion to-day. He criticised the i j method proposed to be adopted to levy | the income tax on companies, and thought i there should be a distinction between co- j ; operative and other companies. j Dr. Newman thought the Bill was, in i many respects, faulty. Young companies • should have more generous treatment ' meted out to them. He considered the in- i : crease in the income tax was unduly severe, ' as the man who formerly paid 6d in the ; £ had to pay a 150 per cent, increase, ! while the man with an income of £5000 ! per year only paid an increase of 6/£ per ' cent. The fault of the Bill was that the ; whole of the taxation proposed to be ; raised was on thrift and not on luxuries. The debate was continued by Messrs. T. K. Sidey (Dunedin South) and W. Nosworthy (Ashburton). The latter said he could not agree with Mr. Sidey's proposal to commandeer primary products. This policy has been carried out already so far as meat and cheese were concerned, and farmers suffered considerably thereby, not : that they regretted it. because they were willing that their hist shilling should be ' taken so that we could win the war. The 1 weak feature of the Rill was that it did ; not hit the men with very big incomes j ! sufficiently. I j Mr. J. Payne (Grey Lynn) maintained [that there need l>e no uncertainty in cur finance if there were £20.000.000 of depositors' money lying in the banks, on which no interest, was being paid, and which was being utilised by the State bank. There was no need to taper off in ' our public works policy and the development of the country. He adversely criticised the unequal graduations of the income tax. which favoured the rich man as against the man with a smaller income. Earned and Unearned Incomes. , Mr. A. Harris (Waitcmata) contended ! for a differentiation between earned and ; unearned income, as he said it was unfair > that a man who earned his income by the sweat of his bmw should pay income tax j whi'.e a man who sat down and collected his interest from mortgages paid nothing. The Bill depart"'! from the principle of taxing war profits as laid down in the Budget, in f.iv ur of taxing excess of profits. Tin-, he thought, was likely to result in :> meat injustice, as many busi--11*"• -■ - >s would h:i\e to pay 45 per cent, on what was '-atural expansion, and which was in no '.\?y due to the war. "Let war ; rotits he taxed 100 per cent., if needs be.'' said Mr. Harris, " but not profits due to the business acumen of members of a firm." He condemned giving a war bonus to the higher-paid Civil servants, and said it was a gross waste of public money. He welcomed the. J assistance given to friendlv societies under , the Bill. " j Time for Payment. j Mr. 1.. M. Isitt said lie was comforted ! be the fact th.t* no matter how much we i hoi to par under the Bill we would not j have to pay one penny more than we i should pay to help win the war. He regretted the absence of a tax on amuse- ! p.euts, which would tend to encourage I thrift and economy. Sir Joseph Ward indicated that there was power to spread the payment of the excess profits tax over a period of time. Mr. A. F. Clover Auckland Central) favoured an export duty on primary products and a tax on picture films as a i means of raising revenue j Mr. C. J- Talbot (Temukal said he j hoped that nothing would be done to interfere with rising companies which were ' acting as bankers for farmers, as seemed j possible under the banking clauses of the I Bill. . I Mr. J. A. Young (Waikato) moved the ; adjournment of the debate, and the House j rose at 11.20 p in. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. I CONSIDERATION OF LOCAL BILLS. [by TEi.Eoiurn.— riIESS ASSOCIATION".] WELLINGTON. Tuesday. The Council met at 2.30 p.m. The Council agreed to have a conference with the managers of the House of Representatives on the Military Service Bill. lb,- Hons. Sir Francis " Bell, O. I Samuel, and W. Morgan were appointed j manage*- op behalf of the Council. The following local Bills were received i from the House of Representatives and j read a first time: —Auckland Harbour Board Empowering Bill, Wanganui Bor- i ough Council Street Access Empowering Amendment Bill. City of Nelson Loans! Conversion and Empowering Amendment ' Bill. | A motion of condolence with the j Speaker, the Hon. C. J. Johnston, and ; his family in the death of his youngest j sou at the war. was passed. j The Council then adjourned as a mark j of respect at 2.45 p.m. j