BUSINESS OF SESSION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18460, 25 July 1923, Page 10

BUSINESS OF SESSION.

25 WORKING DAYS LEFT. IMPORTANT BILLS PENDING., REVALUING. . SOLDIERS' LAND. [BIT. TBLEGBAPH.r-SPEOIAIi v , REPORTER.] ; .WELLINGTON. Tuesday. A review; of ;. the ; Government measures to be dealt ; with this session was 'given; by the Prime Minister at'the conclusion ! of- his etatament < regarding : the Imperial l '.Conference'.-'to-day. • S There - were,;' Mr; Massey said, two- Land and Income Tax Bills. , One was the annual Bill, which must be dealt with before the taxes could, be collected, and the ■ other was a consoli-. dating measure, which « was '■< '■'. "ready 'for introduction. ' .' A Liberal Member:. la the Electoral Reform' Bill ready I. ; ■/, > . ?>< ' Mr. Massey: No, it •is not. ; The most important Bill is that .. dealing; with soldiers' land, and no one on tno other side has mentioned it. , - '■ A Member What about th« Dairy j Con-. trol Bill? , - , .. ; ,. - Mr. Massey: I • don't know what is going to happen about that Bill, but it is before; the committee at present. Another Member: And : the Gaming Bill? . * , . . Mr. L. M. laitt (Christchurch North): We- can let that go. ... . Mi*. Massey said he had j> had moro deputations in regard to racing than any other subject. H'e - could not promise that the Bill would bo ■- dealt with. There were, the Prime Minister added. 23 working days left. Ho. had seen .;very mnch more business put . through th« House- toward tho end.-of a session than was now waiting. There would have to be the Finance Bills, and a Loan Bill, because _he had to take an authority for the raising of a loan if it was necessary Ho might have to ; rniso >' £3,000,000 of £4,000,000 for next year, and; there was also the provision of money for the Advances • Office. • As far as this Electoral Bin was concerned, at was being attended to in the law-drafting office. Mr. D. G. Sullivan (Avon): , What is the main principle ? ; Mr. Jfassey: Well, I think I had better wait. : Mr. W. E. Parry (Auckland Central) Not preferential voting, surely? Mr. WilforH: The Electoral Bill should ! be dealt with before the session comes ; to an end. Mr. Massey: The hon. gentleman ought : to know I keep my word, and as soon ' as it is ready I will bring it down. Mr. Wilford: Let us see it. 'l Mi e Sneaker: Order. I ?"-. Massey said he wa 9 not so much in love with the. idea of go.inr to England that he would put up with obstruc- , toon. If there was that sort of . thing th« responsibility would rest with tho ! members concerned. 1 Mr. Wilford: That's a threat! '

DEATH DUTIES BILL. PROVIDING EXEMPTIONS. MARRIAGE OF DAUGHTER. [hi TELSaBAPH.—SPECIAL / REPORTER,] ~ WELLINGTON. Tuesday. . The Death Duties Amendment Bill came up for its second reading in the House of Representatives this evening. It was, Mr. Massey said,, purely a machinery Bill providing a string of exemptions which the Commissoner of Taxes had approved. Ho would ask that the Bill be sent to the Statutes Revision Committee. The Leader of the Opposition, Mr Wilford, objected to the clause exempting from gift duty a settlement in respect of the marriage of a daughter. He said a very wealthy man • mights give •" his aaughter £50,000 on her- marriage and so escape the payment of duty in the form of 'gift duty and : death duty in respect of that amount. _Mr. . Holland, Leader of the Labour Party, said the question of heavier deathduties on the large estates should bo considered. // The . death duty was really a capital levy. It was a tax on capital.' "Some day,", he added, "we will go out to get the.tax before the man's eyes and not wait till he dies." Mr. Massey said that that would discourage energy, thrift, and enterprise. He did not think they should do anything that would .have that effect. In regard to Mr. : Wilford's objection, he asked where were the people who were in h position to give away £60,000 to their daughters or anyone else. He had not met them. He mentioned the cases of two Auckland citizens, both of whom he knew very well. /One mado a gift of £5000 the other "day to ' the Plunkct Society and the other * gave a very handsome property to the . society. If one of these gentlemen made; a gift to a daughter on her marriage he should, according to Mr. Wilford, pay 'duty on it, whereas , his "gift/ to the Plunket Society, was not liable to duty. That was not an equitable position. The Bill was read a second time and referred to the Statutes Revision Committee.

LOCAL LEGISLATION. THE "WASHING-UP" BILL, PROPOSED ALTERATIONS. • [BY' TELEGRAPH.— REPORTER,] WELLINGTON. Tuesday. , ' The measure introduced by. the Gov* ernment to supersede in. a large measure the " Washing-up" Bill as' a means of enacting local legislation was I discussed in the House of Representatives this evening, and read a second time. The Bill provides, machinery by which matters brought forward, by local bodies may bo incorporated in an annual local legislation Bill, ' after approval by the Minister for Internal Affairs, and full opportunity for consideration by mem'' bars, Government departments, and Parliamentary committees. ;'';, It is provided) that notices of all proposal shall brt gazetted, ■ and that no proposal may bo submitted; more ■'■ than two months after the beginning of the session. Several members expressed ,the view that a Gazette notice would not be sufficient publicity, and. suggested that provision should be made for advertising proposals in the : newspapers. Other? upheld a sufgestion that proposals involving an expenditure of more than a given sunv should be embodied •,• in local Bills only.: .-.■.).•■• • ' ' ;.-.■'..... :,' :■;. the - Minister for Customs, the Hon W. Downie Stewart, who was in charge of the Bill, said that notification in newspapers could be provided for by regulalion. It was quite unnecessary in some cases. The cost would have to .be paid by the local ; authority concerned. The Bill was read a second time, and referred to the Standing Orders Committee, on the understanding that the Local Bills Committee might also be consulted;

THE FISHERIES ACT. PROTECTING OYSTER BEDS. AMENDMENTS THE LAW. [BY .' TELEGRAPH.--SPECIAL ' REPORTER.] ;•> . WELLINGTON. Tuesday. A Bill to amend the Fisheries Act, mainly with reference to-oyster;beds, was read a first time in the House of Repre-, sentatives to-day. It provides 'that,/ it' shall be an offence to drop , upoiany oyster bed any store, ballast, 1 or other material likely to injure the "oysters; The Minister for Marine :is . empowered to' gazette boundaries of. newly ■ planted oyster beds and special Beds under the control of local committees may be set apart V for the use of Maoris. The . powers of. officers under the principal i Act are; enlarged in some particulars and certain powers . formerly vested in. collectors, are now trans-; ferred to superintendent of the 'I Marina Department. ,