PARLIAMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17597, 9 October 1920, Page 8

P ARLIAMENT.

- • a - i^~*.^ , -- ; - TEE RETURNED SOLDIER. - * SETTLEMENT ,;;,•-:...;<•:*>.-,■■.■■»v:.v>,-,.',':: ; : ; ■:,.■:'."':..:■■• '■:,■;■. 'VftiKv-iiV''. ' 'A : LENGTHY '• DISCUSSION, MEASURES BEFORE COUNCIL. [Bt fX\t&ME&.'l ■j .;•■■'■'; ' JffEiIJNGTOH, Friday. -~ The . Discharged Soldiers* "'. Settlement Loans Bill occupied the attention of' the I Ifoasa of Representatives ' to-day. . The "Prime; Minister moved the second leading 'So, the. afternoon, and the debate which followed was interrupted'by' the dinner adjournment. The discussion ' was continued in the evening. It concluded at a i late hour, and the Bill was read a second j time, put through Committee, and passed. The Houas rose at 12.54 a.m.,~vU . .* In the Legislative Council the Offenders Probation Bill and the Westppjrt; Harbour Bill were read a first time. The Auckland Harbour Board Empowering Bill and the Bay of Islands Harbour Bill Were read a second time. '

: MUNICIPAL ENTERPRISES, TAX EXEMPTION ? RESTORED. "PUBLIC TRUSTEE TO PAY TAXES. [ST ''WBfOKSSB.] '":.'. ..;':. , WaCiMNGTON. Friday. ' 'A point which .does not. appear to have been made clear concerning the amendments made to the Land and Income tax Bill while it was down for second reading was the proposed amendment to the clause dealing with taxing the income of publio • and local authorities. The BjllsNas introduced; proposed to abolish, sub-section B of clause 84 of the Land and Income Tax Assessment Act, 1916. „. This was:,a, provision exempting from taxation the .incomes of local or public authorities other than'income received 1 in trusts During the second reading debate the Prune Minister said the clause, abolfebjoog this exemption had been included by mistake, and was to be omitted. In its place there vis Mbe substituted "new subclause, which says: "'The income, other than income received in -trust r of-, a local authority or any public authority other athwiitte Public Trustee, : shall be exempt from income tax." ' ' r y:=-

BASIS OF VALUATION.

Q - MARKET BATE: STANDARD. [EX. T2HECBATE.—S?ECUI> BBTOBTEB.] .»b.*.C ■WEVVESGieOR. Friday. " "An* allegation that the Valuer-General had instructed his. valuers thai no country "valuation roust exceed;, the pre-war rate, on the ground' t&"#%&&i; rise in values during the war <Bacl 'Jbeen fictitious was jhroughfe, •under"jthe'^it«e^of. the.Prime ; Minister in the House' of jßepreseritatives * this. ~ afternoon-"by-. Mr. McCallum (Wairau). •', It" Was s stated further, said Mr.' McCallum, that the Prim© Minister a had assented to that course, which- was being'followed at present. Massey saidyhe had sent to the Valuer-General,, tasking him to "state the / position. He stated that during the early .isSvgel; of the war, from'" 1914 to 1916 injicltiswa; an instruction to. observe a" prewas' in force. Values at :sss> tjijse increased; '■■ The? general was .that " .jffiey wbald go 'd»3W»j^nd/scme ; of them did so. .During - from : 1916 - to" the termination ,olf'th© §a*rth& instruction became inoperathe, and Jhe valuers increased the "Values temporarily to the market values. Since the termination of the war market values, had been assigned to the land; r

; THEJ%OUS{NG. BILL*

; r fRjGED. **£««*; | WELLINGTON, Friday. j£. Prime Minister was asked this -afternoon by Mr. P. Fraser (Wellington -Central) when the Housing Bill was to' be ; *.wtrcduced. In; support of his plea for speedy action, he quoted the case of a man who had come to* Wellington to work, bis salary being JJ6 a week or thereabouts. He haS bees unable to find a boose, and was living with his wife and two childifen in lodgings, for which he had to pay.six guineas 3, week, .-He had had to let his; wsuranco go and fail' behind with other liabilities. At Hi©same time there,. were empty houses .Wellington, which* were being held c^tWoccupancy for: the-purposes of sale. ''"; V* ,' . Mr. Masaey said the Bittiwas~in course Njfl'; preparation now. The Minister in charge j?f the department, '.Sir" William Hemes, was very anxious to. have the measure' before the House as -soon as ."possible^ Another aspect of the housing question was raised by Mr. G. Witty (Riccarton), who..asked if the Government, when framing the Bill, would give consideration to the hardship suffered by people who owned houses, "but were unable to get possession whiHf * tenants were making profile by farming out portions of the homes. The -Prime Minister said he had not seen -the Bill, but he knew that something _ of the sort wa& contemplated.

MARRIAGE AMENDMENT.

DECISION OP COMMITTEE. [BT TZtEGBArff.--PBXSS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON, Friday. The committee to which the House of Representatives referred the Marriage Amendment Bill, passed by the Legislative Council, met this morning, and came to the following decision —" That in view of the. evidence already taken and the full public discussion that has taken place by means of pamphlets and otherwise, they do not consider it necessary to open up tlie whole question again, but if any persons specially interested have not yet been heard, or if any points bearing on the Bill have not yet been sufficiently elucidated, they are prepared to hear evidence briefly stated on Tuesday. October

The committee also decided that the proceedings would not be open to the press.