HOUSE AND LOBBY PARLIAMENT IN PARAGRAPHS

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12249, 22 September 1925, Page 7

HOUSE AND LOBBY PARLIAMENT IN PARAGRAPHS

Parliament held its first Monday sitting last night; but sat for only an hour, adjourning then as a mark of respect to the memory of the late Hon. C. H. Izard. ... . . DEATH DUTIES ACT The most interesting provision of an amending Death Duties Act, introduced last night, is that which will exempt from duty insurance moneys up to £IOOO. ! The right of appeal against tho decision of the Commissioner in ' respect to assessments is extended to cover questions of fact as well as of law, and when the matter is one of law it can bo moved from the Supreme Court to the Court of Appeal. No appeal on a question of fact can lie if the questions at issue have already been determined under the provisions of the principal Act, and this extended right of appeal is also limited by excluding cases where the death duty has been paid for more than three years prior to the passing of this Act unless notice of appeal has already been given. In other cases of pending appeals notice must be given within two months of the passing of this Act. . * - • • In a reference to the will of the late Hon. C. H. Izard, Sir James Parr, Minister for Education, mentioned last night that Victoria College was so poorly endowed that last year the revenue from endowments amounted to the paltry sum of £47. It might well he that the trustees would take into account the misfortune which had left a fine university so poorly provided for. Technical education, too, needed endowment. ..... STAMP DUTIES A short amendment to the ■ Stamp Duties Act was introduced last night. It aims at strengthening the law relating to attempts to defraud. Duty on mortgage is altered from 6s per £IOO to 5s if mortgage does not exceed £IOO, and 10s where it does exceed, that amount. Stamp duty on mortgage release is to be 5s if .the principal is under £SOO, and 10s in cases where the principal exceeds £SOO. Instruments of dedication of highways are to be wholly exempt from payment of stamp duty. * * . . DEFAULTING ELECTORS In response to representations that have recently been made in the House that there are a number of persons who have failed to register under the compulsory provisions of the Electoral Act passed last session, the Prime Min ister announced that if these persons made representation and satisfied tho registrar concerned that the neglect was not due to wilful default no prosecution would follow. To facilitate the registration of those who could not visit the Registrar or a Post Office, representatives of various organisations had been given authority to witness tho signatures of persons desiring regie tration. In addition police officers would be given full authority to witness signatures. This was expected to be of great assistance in the country districts.

In reply to a question by Mr J. Edie (Clutha), in respect to “roll stuffing,” the Prime Minister stated that every registration made by the accredited persons would be subject to the closest scrutiny by the department officers. Mr R. Masters (Stratford): They are entitled by reason of being electors. The Prime Minister: That is not so. These persons are authorised by the department and are allowed to canvass. An elector is not.

ORIGINATOR OF “DAYLIGHT SAVING” The general opinion is that the ori§inator in Parliament of proposals for aylight saving legislation is Mr T. K. Sidey. Mr Sidey stated last night that the credit for introducing the first daylight saving bill belongs to the late Mr Izard, who represented a Wellington seat in the House nearly twenty years ago. .... ’Mr A. L. Monteith (Wellington Bast): We cannot get forms. The Prime Minister: I can get you as many forms as you like. There are any amount of them. , Mr P. Fraser (Wellington Central) asked if the representatives of various party organisations would be empowered to register electors as previously. The Prime Minister: That is hardly the position. They will be able to canvass and record their applications. The registrations will be specially scrutinised by the registrar. .*. • * VOTES OF THE SICK Replying to a question by Mr T. K. Sidey the Prime Minister said there were objections raised by medical men to allowing returning officers to visit hospitals to take their votes for candidates at the general election. In fact, they raised very rigid objection to their patients being interfered with on such occasions except in the case of such as were able to go and vote themselves. It was not therefore, the intention of the Government to bring in legislation this session, dealing with the matter. .... DAIRY COMPANY FINANCE In the House Mr J. A. Young, Hamilton, asked a question in regard to stamp duties imposed on orders upon dairy companies for the payment of goods bought from storekeepers. He suggested, that not more than the ordinary stamp duty of twopence should be charged. The amounts were for comparatively small sums and as much as five shillings was charged. 4ho Hon. Mr Nosworthy said he would look into the matter and see if anything could be done.

Mr R. Masters (Stratford) said the matter of stamp duties of dairy company orders had given a good deal of trouble since the original Act was passed, and dissatisfaction had been expressed by the companies. He thought that it was not meant to tax the small dairy factory to the extent they had to pay, and asked that they be placed on the same basis as they had been prior to the passing of the 1923 Act.

Mr F. F. Hockly (Rotorua) asked for an adjustment of the gift duties in cases where mortgages were sold to relatives at a reduced rate. The Minister for Finance promised to consider this aspect of the matter! * * * * BASIC WAGE - The Prime Minister was asked by Mr H. E. Holland, Leader of the Labour Party, whether in view of the Arbitration Court pronouncement raising the wages by 4s per week, the Government intended to do anything to restore the cuts made by the Public Expenditure Adjustment Act? The Prime Minister replied that the Publio Service had received' a certain rise by way of re-classification, hut he was sorry to say that, generally speaking, no increase in the hasio wage had been considered by the Government up to date. The question of the effect of the award of tho court would, however, he taken into consideration at an early date. * • * * RAILWAY CLASSIFICATION The Railway Classification List (D-3) is veady for presentation to the House. It has been prepared for some time, hut the Prime Minister, according to a statement in reply to Mr H. E. Holland, has refrained from bringing it down on account of one or two matters of salaries which are under consideration. The salaries, lie stated, were not the highest on the list. In the course of a day or two he hoped to bring the statement down, or inform the House when it was to he presented. * 4 » * • A GREAT CITIZEN In the House of Representatives last night, the Prime Minister (the Hon. J. G. Coates) moved that the House should record its high sense of the faithful services rendered to New Zealand by the late Mr Izard, a member of the Legislative Council and formerly a member of the House of Representatives, and respectfully tenders to his widow itq assurance of sincere sympathy with her in her bereavement. Mr Coates traced the career of Mr Izard briefly, and said'that all who knew him knew what a great blow he suffered when his son was killed at the war—a blow he bore with wonderful fortitude. He was a man who rendered most valuable service to New Zealand, having given of his best on every occasion, using his shrewd judgment for the benefit of his country. He was prudent and commonsense, and had a keen sense of humour. Hiß public-spirited generosity was manifested in hie will, the bulk of his estate having been left on trust for charitable and educational purposes. Practically everything he had earned by bis own effort’ had been left to the people; that showed his gratitude. “A LOSS TO THE STATE”

Mr T. K. Sidey seconded the resolution. He said his acquaintance with Mr Izard dated hack to 1906, when Mr Izard first took his seat in the House. Mr Izard always played the game. He was known to be a keen business man, but also to be a man of integrity and of high sense of civic duty and publio spirit. His death meant a loss to the State.

Mr H. E. Holland, Leader of the Labour Party, supported the resolution. It had been his privilege since coming to the House, he’said, to know Mr Izard, and he had been impressed by his keen sense of humour and by his humanitarian outlook. . While a member of the Legislative Council he had not lost his radical outlook.

No member of the Wellington Bar was m°re respected than the Tate Mr Izard, said Sir James Parr, Minister for Justice. Mr Izard’ was a generous man, who did good by stealth. His benefactions were many, and some of them were of considerable extent. He expressed his deep appreciation of the fact that Mr Izard, in his last will, had left money to he applied to educational purposes • Sir John Luke joined with the previous speakers in paying a tribute to the memory of the deceased. There had been no more public-spirited man in the city at the time when Mr Izard was actively interested in municipal matters. He was a man who had given much of his labour in an honorary capacity to social bodies, and in various ways had done excellent work. His ebaritv vm wMI known. LOVER OF FLOWERS

Mr P. Fraser spoke of the extent of Mr Izard’s charity, whicn was known to only a few, because he insisted on his gifts • being left unpublished. A generous soul and great citizen had carried his democracy to the grave. Mr W. H. Field spoke of his late colleague as a fine citizen and a great gardener. He Was a fowl fancier of note and an expert bee farmer—in fact, he was a man of many parts. Sir Heaton Rhodes referred to Mr Izard’s great love of flowers, and mentioned that in his sick room ho was surrounded by the product of his 1 garden.

Tho resolution was agreed to, and the House adjourned as a mark of respect to the memory of the deceased.