PARLIAMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17546, 11 August 1920, Page 8

PARLIAMENT.

[THE TAXATION QUESTION. INTRODUCTION of bill: LONG DISCUSSION ENSUES. %HMO LAWS CONTINUANCE. [BY TELEGBAPH. —SPECIAL REPORTER.] - .'- * : WELLINGTON, Tuesday. The question of taxation occupied chief place in the deliberations of the House of Representatives to-day, when the annual Land and Income Tax - Bill was introduced and read a first time. A long discussion ensued during the. afternoon, and in the evening the Prime Minister made a statement in reply to criticisms from members,'; and a further discussion lasted until after eleven o'clock. The -Souse also read the Hospitals and Charitable Institutions Bill a first time, and* the- measure was erred to the Public Health Committee. The second reading of the Statutes Repeal and Expiring lifiwa Amendment and Continuance Billl was moved by Mr. Massey. • Discussion lasted until 1.30 a.m.» when the second reading was carried, and the House rose.,. '" ■': : ' ".'" '"'" EXTREME LABOUR. ATTACK BY MR. JONES. 'AFRAID OF THE BACK BLOCKS. NOVEL PROPOSITION MADE. [SX TSLEGBAPH.—-SPBCLUi SBPOBTBE.J WELLINGTON. Tuesday. An attack on the extreme Labour Party ■was made in the House to-night by -Mr. D. Jones (Kaiapoi). He dealt with the arguments of the extremists in regard to the unimproved value of the land, which, he said, was the result of what the farmers had put into it. He twitted the Labour Party with staying in the towns and not going out into the back blocks, where they could enjoy all the privileges they 60 envied the farmer. He. offered to finance them if they would go out. and deal with the bush lands in the'back* blocks- 1 _ • The .Labour members began to sit up Bind take notice. *' At what interest?" interjectei one of them. . *■' Oh, ,yeasonabie interest," replied Mr. Jones. :'-.■ *' What percentage?" they demanded ' " Six per cent.," said Mr. Jones. " Bight you are." they replied. '*' I'll do it to the whole eight of you," (aid Mr. Jonas, and the House laughed. He gave several instances in which farmers had expended many pounds per acre in draining and otherwise improving virgin 'lands, expenditure that was not considered . when the unimproved value was estimated, for purposes of taxation.- Ha went :on good'humouredly amid : a " regular fusillade ; "of - interjections from the Labour; benches, and finally challenged them with a desire to" benefit not at the moment the .workers, but simply with a desire, at all. costs to destroy capital and then to build something on the ruins . they * would have created. .They were fighting for increased wages because it was going to hit capital, for decreased production because that was going to hit capital. "You. talk of Russia," he said, "and there (pointing to the Labour benches) you have the New Zealand Lenin." (Laughter.) They talked of the Bolsheviks, but what had happened under' Bolshevism ? It had resulted in an iron law that forced men to work eight and ten hours a day. They wanted to get rid of ; the present system, and then they would have as dictatorship such as they had in Russia, but which never would be tolerated in this country. In Russia to-day the working man was driven at the point of the sword. Mr. Holland: What's your authority? "In Russia," retorted Mr. Jones, "day labour has practically ceased. * They had to drop -it and force . the contract system." If they took a vote of the people of New Zealand to-day they would find it in favour of good working conditions and fair wages, and these both sides, of the House were prepared to give. But that was the last thing the Labour Party in New Zealand wanted. - <;, • .'■ Another excellent fighting speech was that made by Mr. J. R. Hamilton 'Awarua). , The extreme Labour members, be said, could not point to a single man who was worthy to go on the land, and willing to -work, yet who could not get on the land to-day. Men who had come to New Zealand without money a few years ago were on farms, of their own to-day, because they had been prepared to work. Yet there ware two men to do one man's work on the -wharves, and tHe discontented workers were being taught by their leaders that the way to get plenty was to produce little. - " Labour extremists, he continued, would like to make it a criminal offence to practice thrift, economy, and industry. They stood on the soap boxes to tell the people that the man who worked hard and saved money was an exploiting capitalist, whose money ought to be confiscated. There was not : a man on the Reform side of the House who had not had more blisters on his hands than all the eight Labour members. The followers of extreme Labour flocked to the pictures in the towns while the farmers were still at work. Mr. Fraser (Wellington Central) replied to Mr. Hamilton, stating that the Labour members did not propose to destroy capital, that was the product of the industry of the workers, or to massacre capitalists which would be useless and unnecessary They proposed merely to adjust the distribution of capital and products Ton a fair basis. PROGRESS OF THE SESSION. TWENTY-NINE BILLS DOWN. [by telegraph.— special REPORTER.] WELLINGTON, Tuesday. When the annual Land and Income Tax Bill was introduced this afternoon there was considerable discussion in Committee over the question of a readjustment of the incidence of taxation, and the Prime Minister said that the promised measure to deal with the matter was not readv The law draftsman had not been able to* have the matter ready. There was a little discussion following this as to whether the Law Drafting Office was or was not capable of keeping the House supplied with Bills to keep it working. A little later, the .Prime Minister made a statement in defence of the Drafting Office. Among other things he said that since the session began 29 Bills had been submitted, of which 13 had been finally passed into law and the remainder were now being considered. & An interjector suggested that Parliament had been working very well tW ♦u"' M-. x MMBe areed) stating that he thought it must be a record. THE HOSPITAL BILL. (BY TELEGRAPH.— ASSOCIATION. J WELLINGTON. Tuesday. The Hospital and Charitable Institutions Act Amendment Bill was introduced in the House this afternoon. The Prime Minister said the Bill was not a consolidated measure, but included a large number of amendments found necessary irom time to time. J Replying to a question the Hon. (J J. Parr said it would not be possible to the 6 ystem of hospiuls except £500 « additional expenditure of £500000 and » he was not disposed to so do it Tvi net and ask for tflat sun, *o schedule™„| U \ anialry ', and a D ™ to the first time, lon - The ' Bill -was read a