THE TARIFF BILL IN COMMITTEE,

Otago Witness, Issue 2170, 26 September 1895, Page 20

THE TARIFF BILL IN COMMITTEE,

After dinner the Treasurer hid better luck, and aoon got his bill into Committee. Fruit was the flrst obstacle of note, and thU, as I have already noted, Mr Thomas Mackenzie surmounted by a bare majority. Mr Hogg thought 20 per cent, too much of an impost upon preserved milk, an article in ao much request by bU9hmen, but had no encouragement to divide. Thence to tea progress waa smoo'.h, but as to the cup that chesrs, Mr M'Gowam m</V^d to reduce the duty frf m 5d to 4J, while Mr Earnsb.iiv would make it 3d. First 5d was struck out by 32 to 26. Tlvu the Treasurer, gettiDg anxious as to income, po ; n l s out that the Treasury will be embawaF.sed if, in addition to 65 off licseed oil and the remission on fruit, he has to consent to 3d on tea. He cannot count^nnnca such a reduction. Mr Pirani obj-c^ to its being made a patty question, and presently Mr M'Gowan's motion for 4-d is carried by 41 to 19, and the duty ou tea is at last appvrently fixed. After this Mr Collins wishea to put au extra impost on packet tea, but is ruled out of order, the Treasurer meanwhite having expressed himself in favour of the motion. Through medicines, &c. the House glidea wi'h almost uninterrupted smoothness until eucalyptus, so familiar to those who have known "la grippe," is reached. Mr Allen would cheapen it, bat doss nob succetd, being signally defeated upon a division. Captain Russell pleads for fome remission of the 40 per cent, ad valorem on proprietary medicines to not more than 25 per cent., pointing out that in cases of many families only patent medicines are within their reach, many of these being of » kind recagnired by the faculty. Mr Hogg follows in the same strain. The Treasurer defends the pes'tionr bub compromises by promising Captain Russell that he will insert the beat of the patent medicines in the free list presently. The leader of tho Opposition then diecovers tbat patfnfc medicines for sheep are free, as against 40 per cent, extra for human subjects. Mr Flatman, too, rises to know why ccrub exterminator is made free. He would not give 4d for a 400-galton tank of it. All the good he had e^el' kuown it do was to kill the stock in the country on which it was put instead of the scrub. Then upon division, by 31 to 25, patent and proprietary medicines were fixed at 40 per cent, ad valorem, and chemiats and druggists may rejoice. And at this point the House adjourned for supper.