N.S. WALES POLITICS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18540, 28 April 1922, Page 5

N.S. WALES POLITICS

state finances. LiBODE’S LEGACY. Pi*» A*>oci*ticm—By Telegraph—Copyright SYDNEY, April 27. Parliament sat throughout the night. A Bill to reduce the salaries of Ministers and members was withdrawn in consequence of interjections from both sides of the House. The Bill will be brought back with amendments later. In the Assembly the Treasurer (Mr Cocks), speaking of the State’s finances, said that the previous Government had left as a legacy a deficit ranging from £5,000,000 to £6,000,000. (Received April 27, at 7.30 p.m.) In the Assembly Mr (Jocks, in moving the reimposition of the super tax, said that the deficit of between £5,000,000 and £6,000,000 with which the Government was faced included £1,600,000 on wheat pools, with a further contingency of £500,000. This loss was the result of the promise of a payment of Vs 6d per bushel, and also over-payment. Replying to the contention that the tax cast undue burden upon the primarv nroducers he declared that if the House refused to endorse the measure the £1,000,000 involved would so hamper the Government that it would be impossible to carry on. Mr Cocks announced that of loan money would fall due in London by October.' The Dooley Government had been negotiating for floating a conversion loan of £5,000,000. The Government had been advised that money would be secured at 96, but decided that the terms were not sufficiently favourable, further negotiations were proceeding to secure the same terms as those recently secured by New Zealand. Sir George Fuller declared that the tax was essential, but he hoped that this would be the last year it would be necessary. A futile attempt was made to reduce the tax from sixpence to threepence.. After a protracted debate in which the gag was applied several times the Bill passed all / its stages. Trouble over the Members' Salaries Reduction Bill arose on a proposal to make it retrospective from March 25. After much caustic criticism of the measure generally Sir George Fuller undertook to make it operative from May 1 and to take it through all its stages at one sitting. COUNTRY DEVELOPMENT WORKS. SIR GEORGE FULLER’S SCHEME. SYDNEY, April 27. Cabinet approved of proposals by Sir George Fuller for the extension of country development work, in' which he is seeking the co-operation of the Federal Government. They include the preparing of lands for settlement, training farms, and irrigation schemes, which will provide work for the unemployed and for immigrants. Special attention is being directed to the Murray Valley lands in New South Wales and the Crown lands between the Great Northern Railway and the North Coast Railway, also hydro-electric schemes at Burrinjuck and the Clarence River. Sir George Fuller ’s seeking to secure an agreement with the Federal Government and, if necessary, the British Government to finance the scheme. ELECTION OF SPEAKER. A BITTER DEBATE. SYDNEY, April 27. The election of Mr Levy to the Speakership was responsible for a bitter debate. Mr Wilson, in moving his election, said he wanted to deny the statement that the position was being given to Mr Levy as a reward for his action in stepping down from the chair and bringing about a dissolution of Parliament. ' Mr Gann (who was Minister of Labour in the Dooley Government) said he considered that Mr Levy had not proved himself to be an impartial Speaker. He had lowered the dignity of Parliament, and now was being given the position as part of a bargain. - It was highly undignified that a man who occupied the position of Speaker should be carrying on business as a solicitor, which carried him into the Police Court, where doubtless he would be engaged in_ defending drunks and others charged with disorderly conduct. Mr J. J. M'Girr declared that Mr Levy had obtained nomination because he held documents which, if made public, would bring Sir George Fulldr and the members of his Ministry down on their knees to plead for forgiveness. ’There were reasons why the other side did not dare to nominate any other man. He congratulated Mr Levy on being able to work any Government in power. A majority of the speakers, including the leader of the Progressives and Opposition members, spoke favourably of Mr Levy’s qualifications. Sir George Fuller, in congratulating Mr Levy, said that the Government supported him for one reason only, and that was that they were picking out one man above all the others, from what they knew of his actions in the chair, as being the most capable of filling the position.