NO RELIEF TO POOR

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22405, 29 April 1936, Page 15

NO RELIEF TO POOR

BATE OF TAXATION MR. BODKIN'S CRITICISM EFFORTS MADE IN PAST [BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER] WELLINGTON, Tuesday Criticism of the Government for failing to make provision for a reduction in the unemployment tax was expressed by Mr. W. A. Bodkin (OppositionCentral Otago) during the third reading debate on the Employment Promotion Bill in the House of Representatives to-night. Mr. Bodkin said the Government had had five months in which to prepare its taxation proposals and the Minister of Employment, Hon. H. T. Armstrong, would have, as he had explained, three funds to work on—the unemployment tax, the Consolidated Fund and loan money which he had claimed the Minister of Finance was prepared to provide. Yet the Minister refused to take away tax from the poor.

Mr Armstrong: Who told you it was loan money? "We were told that the resources of the Government were behind the measure," Mr. Bodkin said. "The last Government tried to take the tax from the shoulders of the poor, but we were not supported. We introduced our unemployment legislation at a time when the army of unemployed was increasing and we imposed the tax because funds were essential. We had to have that money, but as soon as conditions improved we began to give some relief. We reduced the emergency charge from 30c to £1 a year and we reduced the levy from Is in the pound to 8d in the pound." The assertion that Mr. Bodkin had been unfair in expecting the Government to have its financial policy in full working order after only five months of office was made by the Minister of Education, Hon.. P. Eraser. "The member for Central Otago knows well enough," said Mr. Iraser, "that the financial arrangements were made up until March 31 and that until Parliament gave the Government power to alter those arrangements it had to carry on under the old system." Mr. Bodkin: Your credit is all right. Mr. Eraser: It is all very well to talk about credit, but we had to finance on the basis set out. Continuing, Mr. Fraser said that if in two or three years Mr. Bodkin could say with truth that, having had the power to make its own arrangements in various ways, the Government had failed to raise the living standard of the people or had not diminished oxabolished unemployment, then he himself would be the first to admit that the Labour Government had failed.

MEMBER'S DUAL ROLE SPEAKER AND CHAIRMAN MR. HOWARD'S RESOURCE [BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER] WELLINGTON, Tuesday An unusual and somewhat humorous situation, as the result of which the Chairman of Committees, Mr. E. J. Howard, had to assume a dual role, arose in the House of Representatives this afternoon. The business of the House was temporarily suspended through the absence of the Speaker, Hon. W. E. Barnard, 3nd in order to expedite the introduction of an important bill Mr. Howard had to fulfil the functions hoth of Chairman of Committees and deputy-Speaker. He was loudly applauded for his resourcefulness. The first order of the day was the resumption of the committee discussion on the Employment Promotion Bill, but after this had been proceeding for a short time it was interrupted to permit the introduction by GovernorGeneral's Message of the Primary Products Marketing Bill. The Speaker was not in the chamber, however, and several minutes passed before the ser-geant-at-arms, Lieutenant-Colonel S. G. Sandle, who had left to apprise the Speaker of the necessity for his presence in the House, returned apparently with the infomation that he could not be found. Mr. Howard, who hai been presiding over the committee discussion, had been standing by the Speaker's chair waiting to report progress. After a whispered consultation with the sergeant-at-arms he evidently decided to act both as Chairman of Committees and in his capacity as deputy-Speaker. Turning to the vacant chair of the Speaker he began, "Mr. Speaker, I have to report progress on the bill and ask for leave to sit again." Then, gravely mounting the steps, he seated himself in the Speaker's chair and said. "The Chairman of Committees reports that the committee has made certain progress, etc.", The humorous aspect of the situation was not lost on members, who thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle of the Chairman of .Committees addressing himself. After dealing with the report from the committee, Mr. Howard, still in his capacity as deputy-Speaker, read the message from the Governor-Gen-eral introducing the Primary Products Marketing Bill. In accordance with practice he then referred the bill to a committee of the whole House, at which stage ho left the Speaker's chair and resumed his seat as Chairman of Committees. The Speaker returned in time to preside over a short discussion on the bill and to declare the .House in committee once more on the Employment Promotion Bill. It is believed that only once before in tho past 16 years at least has a similar position arisen.