THE BIG LANDOWNER.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20834, 28 September 1929, Page 12

THE BIG LANDOWNER.

“ MUST YIELD TO TAXATION.” A HEATED DEBATE. PRIME MINISTER CALLED TO ORDER. (Fbom Ocb Parliament art Reporter.) WELLINGTON, September 27. The Prime klinister was several times called to order in the course of his reply to the second rending debate on.the Land and Income .Tax Amendment Bill in the House of Representatives to-night. Sir Joseph referred to the large sur-' pluses which he stated he had' left when he went out of office as Finance Minister. There' were groans from Reform members. , ' r . . The Prime Minister • It’s all right.! ! hear groans coming, from disappointed Reformer?. It was only when they got to the end of the surpluses I left-that they found themselves in the position of having to face a deficit. , 1 Mr J. A. Nash (Reform member for Palmerston): The money was there./! “It was not there,” said the Prime Minister! : / Mr Nash: Where is it now! “ Well, you swallowed a lot. of it,” retorted the Prime Minister amid loud Government laughter. He said that he wanted to .remind the House, of what the Government was going to do-for the farmer. Mr Nash: We know- what you’re doing. The Prime Minister: This year we are providing between £250,000 and £300,000 in free contributions to the farmer. The Leader of the Opposition (Mr J, G. Coates); That is not new. “I didn’t say it was,” said the Prime Minister. Mr W. D. Lysnar (Reform member for Gisborne): Oh, give us some details. The Prime Minister : ! would recommend the bon. gentleman tq share his large , landed estates'with others. Mr H. S. S. Kyle (Reform mefcbet for Riccarton); What about your own ! Mr Speaker: Order! Order! The Prime Minister: I don!t own any country. Mr Kyle: What about your own businesses! The Prime Minister; What does the lion, gentleman dp for a living! He mopes round all day and does nothing. Mr Speaker: Order! Order! Mr Lysnar: That has nothing to do with this Bill. The Prime Minister: What you want is to retain your large landed estates, Mr Speaker- called the Prime Minister to order. , Sir Joseph Ward: Well, sir, I’ll say what ,the lion., gentleman wants to do is, to be counted' a big landed owner. He won’t cut up his properties. Mr Speaker again called the Prime Minister to order. Mr W. J. Poison .(Independent member for Stratford): That is not fair. Mr A. M. Samuel (Reform member for Thames): That is below the belt. ■ The Prime Minister said that part of the intention of the legislation was to induce the large landowners to cut up their properties. If he were to give way ,to the Reform Party it would moan that the whole of the provisions would be repealed. The Government was not prepared to do that The Opposition could not look for any redress from the Government in that respect. Mr Lysnar: You’re evading the question. " , The Prime. Minister: We don’t envy the large landowner I don’t. I a.m glad to see him getting on, but he must yield his acres to taxation. Mr A. Hamilton (Reform member for Wallace) : Why not the big city landowner! f The Prime Minister: The city landowner is not in the same category as the country landowner. • To apply the same principle of taxation in each case would be neither just, fair nor ©quitable.