POLITICAL GOSSIP

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10651, 26 July 1920, Page 4

POLITICAL GOSSIP

HOUSE AND LOBBY TALK JOTTINGS FROM THE PRESS GALLERY. CLEARANCE OF ORDER PAPER,. WAY OPEN FOR FINANCIAL STATEMENT. As if to leave the way open for the Financial Statement- (to be brought down to-morrow evening) and the debate on the same, a great clearance of the Order Paper was affected last week. Private members' bills introduced and read a first .time were: —The "War Pensions Act Amendment Bjll (Mr A. Harris, Waitemata), the Excise Tariff Bill (Mr R. MoCallum, Wairau, which evoked a very interesting discussion on the tarilf burdens borne by the people, the Bay of Islands Harbour Bill (Mr Vernon H. Reed), and the Mount HuH County Bill (Sir R. H. Rhodes). Tho following private members' bills passed the second reading stage:—The Dominion State Bank Bill (Mr W. A. Veitch, Wanganui), the Workers' Compensation Amendment Bill (Mr E. j; Howard, Christchureh South), the Mining iActi Amendment Bill (Mr W. E. Parry, Auckland West) the Hotel and Restaurant, etc., Employees Six Days a Week Bill ('Mr I*. Krasor, Wellington Central), the Masters' and Apprentices' Act> Amendment Bill (Mr F. N. Bartram, Grey Lynn), and the Factories' Act Amendment Bill (Mr D. G. Sullivan, Avon). The Government measures read a second time and passed were.—The Registration of Aliens Bill, the Gaming Act Amendment Bill, the Judicature Act Amendment Bill, the Arms Bill, and the Magistrate's. Court Bill (raising magistrates salaries). The ground was further cleared by the discussion of and division on Mr E. Holland's motion disputing the Speaker's decision in ruling out of order his notice of motion in favour of self-determina-tion for Ireland and urging the immediate withdrawal of British troops from ' Ireland. The House upheld Mr Speaker'6 ruling by 41 votes to 4. BILLS AND REPORTS, DISCUSSION TO COME. Of Government measures on Friday's Order Paper there remain to be dealt with bv the House only the Civil List Bill, the Civil List No. 2 Bill, the New Zealand Standard Time Bill, and the Agricultural and Pastoral Societies Amendment Bill, ail of which are set down for second reading. There I are also down for discussion, the official reports on the visit of the Parliamentary party to the Pacific Islands, and on the trade between ! New Zealand and Fiji, Tonga, AVestern* Samoa, and Cook Islands, the debates on which were adjourned last week so as to give hon. members an opportunity of pei using ihem. Mr Veitch put down tho second reading of his State Bank Bill for Wednesday nest, and Mr McGallum the second reading of his Legislature Act Amendment Bill for Thursday. DEATH DUTIES INCREASE? SPECULATION IN THE HOUSE: Speculation has been-rife in the lobbios as to whether —and, if so, to what extent —the death duties are to be increased this session. An interjection by tho Finance Minister (the Right Hon. W. F. Massoy) in the course of a speech by Mr J. (Vigor Brown, M.P. for Napier, is taken as pointing to an increase of the death duties. Mr Vigor Brown was protesting that the duties in question are not high enough and ought to bo increased,, when Mr Massey interpolated that the hon. member wu'ild have an opportunity of doing something in connection with the death duties this year. Mr Vigor Brown laughingly asked if the Finance Minister intended to suggest that he was going to "drop out"; but later he congratulated the Minister upon his intimation that greath wealth is to be more heavily taxed. As intimated in a reply by the Prime Minister to Mr T. M. Wilford's exposure of the insufficiency of the death duties, the Financial Statement will, at rfll events, contain a good deal of " information! statistical and otherwise, with regard to the incidence of our death duties and succession duties.