PARLIAMENT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18676, 4 October 1922, Page 8

PARLIAMENT.

YESTERDAY’S PROCEEDINGS (Abridged from Press Association telegrams) LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WELLINGTON, October 5. The Legislative Council met to-day at 2.30 p.m. The. State Advances Amendment Bill was put through its final stages and passed without : amendment. Replying to criticism of the Government’s railway policy. Sir WILLIAM FRASER stated that the railways had not been built for profit, but to assist the settlement of the country, and in this direction the Government’s policy had been justified by the results. The Council rose at 5 p.m. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES The House of Representatives mot at 2.30 p.m. PUBLIC DEBT EXTINCTION. In reply to the Hon. Mr J, A. TTanan. Mr. MASSEY said he was proceeding with the proposed Public Debt Extinction Fund scheme. The necessarv legislation was now being prepared, and, if it was ready before the. end of the month it would be introduced this session. He did not care to give any preliminary explanation _ of the scheme, which was somewhat complicated. REPLIES TO QUESTIONS. In reply to Mr Jennings, (lie Hon. J. G. COATES sttid he did not anticipate that there would bo tiny difficulty in notifying distant country places of urgent war news through the Post Office. Replying to Mr J. A. 11ANAN, Mr MASSEY' said there was no intention to rush the Dairy Control Bill through the House. Ample opportunity would be given to those who were interested to appear before the Special Committee which was to be. set up to consider the Bill. On . the motion of Mr POLAND, the Pacroa Water Supply Transfer Validation Bill, was introduced and read a first time, and referred to the Local Bills Committee. COOK ISLANDS ADMINISTRATION. The Hon. Sir MALT POMARE laid the Cook Islands report on the table. The report was spoken to by a number of members, who asked for information on various points. , ~ , Sir MATT POAIARE. in reply, said that, on the whole, the criticism of the Administration had been very mild and fair. It had been: suggested that there should he some form of higher education given to children in the islands, but the Government was not aiming at that. Teaching the girls embroidery would not helu to solve the domestic 'problem. • and teaching the hoys chip carving would not help to solve the labour problem. What they aimed at was to givo the children an eduenfiott that would bo of practical value to them in the work of their lives. They had a number of scholars in New Zealand who were receiving some form of higher education, with the view that they should go back to the islands and become teachers themselves, the department considering that this method was cheaper than sending. European teachers to the islands. The health of the islanders was excellent. They had iust completed another hospital, and they now had four doctors for 12,000 people, which lie considered was a fair proportion. As to the fruit problem, the whole question was die ■ of freight. The island steamers did, not pay the Union Steam Ship Company, and they could not bo expected to go on doing that to ta.it unlimited extent. After the fruit arrived in New Zealand the Government had arranged to carry it on the railways at the game rates ns for home-grown fruits, which was an important concession. Fruit was arriving in Now Zealand in a bad condition, as the result of the operations of a flv, which only developed after the fruit had been shippe'd. The remedy was to hold the fruit long enough to enable the larva to develop, and to that end the Government was erecting packing sheds wltore the fruit could be kept and selected bcfot« being shipped. The relations between the natives and the white traders bad improved, and he hoped they would go on improving, but it was too much to expect friction to disappear so long as trade rivalry existed. The island finance for the year showed tlpit the revenue was £25,659 and the ex. penditure £23,528, leaving a credit balance of : £2131, which, however, did not represent the whole of the assets. The returned solflicrs from the island had now all gone table, to their homes, and were engaged in their, native industries. lie had received a telggfam front Rarotonga from the young men.there offering to form a contingent for the. front if they were required, which was ample proof of their continued loyalty. EVENING SESSION. COAL MINE ROYALTIES. The House resumed at 7.30 p.m. The amendment to the Coal Mines Act was ’ introduced by Governor’s Message. The, Hon. G. ,1. ANDERSON explained that the amendment dealt with the question of enhanced royalties when the coal leases were sold. ’ STATE FIRE INSURANCE. The House went into Committee on the State Fire Insurance Amendment Bill, watch was reported without amendment. B. AND T. PROMOTIONS. ’ The Post and Telegraph Amendment Bill was'passed through the Committee stage with .the amendment moved by the Minister altering' the constitution of the Promotion Bottl'd by substituting the first and second' assistant secretaries for the chief inspector and superintendent of staff. The MINISTER explained that the Post and Telegraph Association had not been consulted with respect to the proposed change, but in response to an appeal by Air VEITCH-he promised to do so before the Bill became law. RIVAL POWER STATIONS. In Committee on the Electric Power Boards Amendment Bill, the MINISTER said-they had got into a very awkward position with regard to the supply of power inCanterbury. The Government had the Lake Coleridge supply in hand, but they now had a proposal to develop power from Lake Teka-po, and the Christchurch City Council was bringing an expert from America to report on a supply from the Waimakariri River. Until it was finally 'decided what was to bo done about these two schemes the Government could not go on expending money on the development of Lake Coleridge, otherwise they might get into a position where they were producing more power than they could get a demand for. He hoped the position would become more clear within the next few weeks, but in the meantime the Government must hold its hand with regard to Lake Coleridge. Jit Sub-sccliou 1, of clause 2, Air SAVAGE moved an amendment the effect, of which was to give the right to elect power hoards to the electors of constituent districts' instead of to the ratepayers of the district. In support of his amendment the mover urged that under the Bill the vote was being given to property, which was a, retrograde step. Mr LYrfNAR argued that, the boards had power to levy a rate, which the ratepayers would have to pay, and they, therefore, should have a vote. The Hon. J. G. COATES, Minister in charge of tho Bill, explained that the voting system was permissive; where a board was formed in a borough municipal voting would apply. In counties the county system wotild bo adopted. In the case of a borough and a county deciding to form a combined district, the' county system would bo the franchise, because m counties there was no roll 1 for the electors to vote on. Mr T. M. WILFORD said vhe system in the Bill made for uniformity. Mr M. J. SAVAGE retorted that if uniformity meant retrogression, then he did not favour uniformity. On a division the amendment was lost by 43 votes to 14. Clause 6, reducing the maximum number of members of the board, was, on the motion of the Minister, struck out. At clause 16 tho Minister moved to report progress, lb give him opportunity of moving further amendments. Agreed to. COAL MINES BILL. In committee on tiro Coal Mines Amendment Bill tho Minister moved a now clausa providing (hat on the assignment of a coal mining lease the Minister may require tho payment of a proportion of royalty Xiot exceeding Is per ton. Mr 11. E. HOLLAND objected to the clause because it did not prevent trafficing in royalty, it only provided that tho Minister should divide the spoil with other traffickers. Tho clause was agreed to without discussion BILLS PASSED, On the House resuming alt (he Bills which passed the committee stage were road a third time and passed. AMUSEMENT TAX BILL. Tho PRIME MINISTER moved the second reading of the Amusement Tax 'Bill which was, ho said, largely a consolidation of.the existing law, He was some-

what disappointed with the amount of revenue derived from the tax, which he knew was not a popular tax. They expected to realise £160,000, but they might get £120,000 to £135,000, and so far as lie. could sec it was increasing rather than decreasing. In any ease he expected to get more during (lie summer than (he winter months. He explained that he proposed to add poultry shows to the exemption provided the proceeds are. devoted to the objects of the society. lie did not like collecting money through the amusement tax, and as soon as he could repeal it he would do so. Discussing the ouestion of revenue generally he said jte had estimated that for the litmncud year they would collect £5,800,000. For the first six months they had collected hist half that: sum (£2,500.000), ami they had the best six mouths of the year to come, so that he would not be surprised if ho did •tot collect an additional £3,300,050 more than llte estimate. That indicated that things wore improving. Frankly, he disliked (he amusement tax, lint the Hill was a liberal one in several respects, as ho estimated he was giving away about £26,000. Mr HOLLAND objected to (ho whole principle of the amusement tax, and in committee he would give the House an opportunity of repealing it. Mr T. IV. RHODES (Thames) appealed for the exemption of the Returned Soldiers’ Association entertainments from the tax. Mr W. V. HOTTER asked the Prime Minister to exempt boxing exhibitions from the tax. Mr T. M. WILFORD thought the tax on boxing exhibitions should he collected ou the profits, not on the entrance tickets, otherwise they would have a difficulty in carrying on this expensive sport. Mr W. >S. GLENN asked for more consideration for football, which gave the country the best advertisement New Zealand over had. Mr SAVAGE contended (hat (ho (ax was fundamentally unsound, and he hoped the Prime Minister would tind some other way of providing revenue. Mr E. J. LTSXA.K said it was time enough to talk about doing away with the lax when (he Minister of Finance said the finances of the country warranted it being taken off. That, was the true sporting vjew. In reply to Mr E. J. Howard, (he PRIME MINISTER- announced that he proposed to exempt swimming clubs. He also stated that he proposed to exempt musical and elocutionary competitions. Various other members contributed to the debate, each urging the claims of some organisation or amusement from taxation. The PRIME MINISTER, in reply, said the amusement tax was a. war measure, necessitated by the urgency of circumstances, and its things were improving he hoped soon to do without it altogether. In the meantime he was thinking out a. scheme of graduated taxation on racing clubs, which would relieve them somewhat, as he know (hey were hard pressed. He was also prepared to amend the Hill so as to give the Commissioner greater discretion m making exemptions. The Bill was read a second time. SHIPPING AND SEAMEN’S BILL. Several amendments to the Shipping and Seamen’s Bill were introduced by GovernorGeneral's Message. The House rose at 11,20 p.m.