PARLIAMENTARY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXIL, Issue 7448, 30 September 1895, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY.

(From Our Special Reporter.) | Wellington, Friday. Everyone was thankful when the Tariff Bill passed its final stage in the House last uight. For over a fortnight the tariff has wholly absorbed the attention of Parliament to the exclusion of all other business, but the subject has occupied the attention of the country for months past. Before the session commenced there was a Commission touring the colony at great expense, and their report was looked forward to with eager anticipation. At last, a month after the General Assembly, the report came down with the Financial Statement, in which the Treasurer announced that he did not intend to give effect to the Commission's recommendations. On July 3lßt the Government introduced its first tariff, and since that date there have been numerous others, brought in by necessity as the Treasurer found his different proposals objected to by the House. Needless now to recapitulate. Everyone will remember the "oranges" tariff and the absurd situations it produced. Suffice it that the country has at great cost obtained through the united wisdom of its counsellors a new tariff which will stand until some other Treasurer than Mr Ward has the temerity to tackle Customs reform. W hether the country will be more satisfied with the new duties than it waa with the old remains to be seen. The Opposition say it will aot ; the Government claim that there never was a tariff which will give the country such a lift ahead. Seeing that almost everything one can think of is now made subject to taxation, and that taxation must make things dear, it is difficult to see where the advantage will come in. Industries will scarcely be stimulated by the five per cent, imposition on all machinery imported into the country. Where there have been reductions on the one article, the duties have been put upon others, and the amount to be drawn from the country through the Customs will certainly not be less than it was formerly. Indeed, it has not been disguised that the tariff was framed for revenue purposes, to strengthen the Government finance — so fast becoming feeble and tottering. The cost of this tariff tinkering, as already mentioned, has been great. Add to the £1200 expences of the Commission the salaries of members and all the expenses of Parliament for three or four weeks that tariff matters have been discussed this session, add also the big gift to the importers through the bungle over the threepenny reduction on tea, and you will have in some measure an idea of the direct cost already incurred by the country over this tariff. Even supposing that there should be no subsequent loss through disturbance of commerce and industries, one cannot see sufficient compensating advantages in the alteration of tariffs to make the game worth the candle. There have been no less than 120 divisions on the tariff, 92 in Committee on the Bill, 18 in Committee of Ways and Means, 9 in the House, and one on the Suspension of Standing Orders, so that about twelve hours has been spent in dividing alone. Surprise was occasioned that the third reading was allowed to be put without a reply from the Treasurer, but this was explained by the fact that Mr Ward, who looked thoroughly fatigued by the recent late sittings, was asleep when the question was put, and had to be awakened to record hiß vote.