Parliamentary Jottings.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 6127, 27 July 1891, Page 4

Parliamentary Jottings.

, — « (from our own coerespondent.) Wellington, Friday. Another week has almost gone, tho sixth of the session, but little progress has been made by the nation-maker 3 in their great work of framing laws for the good of the masses. Tho greater part of this week has been wasted" by useless discussions on uninterestHng and unprofitable subjects. On Tuesday the Land Bill was discussed, and the debate will proceed to-night. The Bill is strongly opposed on the land nationalisation principles and on the abolition of freehold tenure. It may probably pass the second reading, but will be considerably amended in committee. As a consolidation Bill it is a good one, bub there are many points in the measure which cannot be allowed to become law. If at an early hour to-morrow morning the second reading of the Bill is taken it will be a great relief to everybody, and the week's work will not appear so barren as it otherwise would. On Wednesday two Bills, the extreme character of which will prevent them from ever shining on the pages of the statute book, monopolised the attention of the House. The first was Mr Joyce's Licensing Bill, which brought the closest division of the session, 33 to 28, the Bill passing the second reading, probably to b» mutilated in committee and slain on the third reading. The second Biil was the Legislative Council Appointments Cancellation Bill, tho product of those two master minds, Sir George Grey and Mr W. L. Rees. A very long discussion took place on this measure. Some members, w© know of what class, gave it unqualified support -they would go the whole Jfor/r/— some jumped on it,— and Ministers, while sympathising heartily with the movers of the measure and denouncing with all their hearts the actions of their predecessors, weakly determined that they could not support the unconstitutional measure. Sir George Grey took occasion to ally urge abolition of the second Chamber. Tho debate dragged wearily along till two in the morning, at which hour most of its opponents had gone home to bed, and then it passed the second reading without a division being called for. The most notable feature of the week has been the introduction of tho Land and Income Tax Assessment Bill. Tho Premier, true to his promise, came down with the Bill on Wednesday. Its main features I have forwarded to you by wiro. The Bill is a mere machinery measure by which to apply " the screw-jack on the toils of industry." There is a great doal of debatable matter in it, but 1 do nob think there will be an extended discussion of the Bill. I have taken much care to ascertain the feeling of members on this product of the people's Treasurer. Supporters of the Government simply say it is jusfc the thing they wanfc, and that it is a good thing the country is at last to have a measure which will bring in tho much-desired system of taxation. On the otfter hand, members of the Opposition are unanimous in saying the Bill "is a perfecfc make-believe," "a real hash," " a collation of complications." "Really," said a leading member of the House, who has had longer Parliamentary experience tlianf most ot the members, " really I cannob think it worth while to seriously study the Bill for I am confident it will never be put into operation. It is a perfect make-believe. Thoughitmny pass through Parliament this session, I feel sure Government will never apply its machinery as a means of raising revenue. Unlike the simple, easy working of the Property Tax, the Bill is a series of complications, and will never work. Ministers, as we have said all along, do not intend to put the Land and Income Tax into practice, and this conviction is strengthened by the production of this sham. It will never work. It is intended to pacify and please the members of the labor party, but Government will never enforce it. They could not raise the revenue under it — they do not want to try. The people ■would never stand it." Those were the remarks of one, and the opinion of all who understand tho means by which taxation ought to be raised. The opinion set out above is very much strengthened by what occurred in the House this afternoon when the Biil came up for second reading. Sir John Hall moved that the debato be adjourned as members had not had the Bill sufficiently long to consider it. Messrs Moore and O'Conor said it was impossible for members to understand the Bill (hear, hear), and thought the debate should only be adjourned after the Premier had made hi 3 explanation. The Premier said he thought the Bill explained itself and his explanation would be very short. He showed an anxiety for an immediate adjournment till Tuesday, and moved in that direction, the motion being carried. An animated discussion on Bellamy's took up a good deal of tizne on Tuesday. The report of the House Committee is that there ia with a total liability of LI7OO an actual deficit of L 550, bub there is an old debb incurred some years ago when c a boarding establishment was maintained with .top large a staff and too good a table. Since the reorganisation of the institution in 1888 by Mr James Mills and others Bellamy's has showod a slight working profit. It was suggested that instead of the large House Committee of 24 the institution be in the hands of a small comjnitfeee of two or three practical men. A motion was passed agreeing to pay off tho overdraft. The Native Land Bills are not yet to hand, and the Native Minister is very reticent when questioned as to their nature. He stated they are as yot incomplete, but will supply me with an early copj r probably during the course of next week, Mr Pharazyn, of Featherston, writes to the Post suggesting a Royal Commission &b to the cause of tho exodus. Ho says : — " There never has been a time at which men with small capital could Jinvest with such certainty of jjrulit a3 at the present moment, and yet wo are told land is not obtainable. Any man who will now start as we early settlers started, work 16 hours a day, live the hardest of lives, without luxuries of any kind, save every penny he make 3, will get on, but who will do this now ? I fear not many. We iivo in an ' eight hour ' period, when life on pork, tea, and 'damper' is thought not worth living. We, who went through many years of such hardships, surely deserve smno success, but how few thero are who h.rvo yet achieved even independence, to say nothing of wealth. The Furst Bismarck, built at Stettin, which has just- broken the record of Atlantic voyages for Urn Hamburg- American Company, is not called a pretty model, and her appearance (says a report) is not improved by two stumpy, yardlesa masts, separated by three squat funnels. But she is a thumper 520 ft by 53ft by 40ft, 12,000 tons displacement, and 16,000 horse power. She has five decks of teak and steel, two screws, duplicate machinery, and some -wonderful reversing gear, which is to workwithout noise. The state rooms are declared to be larger, the beds wider, tho appointments more luxurious, the lighting brilliant, and tho ventilation more per--fec*-, than on any vessel which has over yet cleft the Atlantic. An' amusing suggestion has been put forward 'by a Manawatu paper. It is that the Legislative Council should be made elective, but that its constituents should be exclusively females. This would, it is urged, solve both the question of reform of the Council and female suffrage. A copy of tho. Essex Times of 2nd May contains an advertisement of the New Zealand Meat Stores, Market-place, Romford. From this we learn that the retail price of New Zealand frozen mutton there is— Legs, B|d ; haunch B|d ; saddle 7sd ; lo.n 7-M ; shoulder 7d ; neck 00, bmiafc £4 ; apd chops lOd,