IN BUSINESS MOOD

Southland Times, Issue 18990, 11 July 1923, Page 5

IN BUSINESS MOOD

PARLIAMENT SETTLING DOWN 27 BILLS INTRODUCED VIGOROUS SPEECH BY HON. DOWNIE STEWART. (Special to the Times.) WELLINGTON, July 10. The determination of the Government to get business through this session is indicated by the fact that during the few days that have elapsed since the no-confidence motions of the Liberal and Labour leaders were disposed of, no fewer than 27 bills have been introduced covering the whole sphere of legislation forecasted in the speech of the Governor-General, with the exception of'Samoa, apprenticeship, naval defence, war pensions, and taxation. The Samoa Bill comes forward to-morrow and the others are within sight. Also this record throws into bold relief the time wasted on the no-confidence motions, which it is estimated, covered 10,000,000 words, each costing approximately twopence to the State. So much progress was made with the Government’s programme that the House rose shortly after 9 o’clock to-night, after debating the two principal items of the Government business before it, the Stafe Advances Bill and the Financial Statement. The occasion produced little opposition to the Prime Ministers proposals to increase advances to settlers and workers in the Advances Bill, but brought forth a diverting suggestions from a member of the Opposition that the Prime Minister should borrow £30,000,000 to see his proposals through. Properly, the Leader of the Opposition in his speech on the Budget grudgingly gave credit to the Government for its intention to reduce taxation, but said that it was only at the urgent demand of the people that the remission of taxation was promised. He returned to his attack on the banking system, and again pleaded for consideration for his agricultural bank proposal. The crowded galleries listened with interest to the clever exposition of debating talent shown by the Hon. Downie Stewart in dealing with the points raised by Mr Wilford. The Minister regarded as somewhat curious and inconsistent the demand of the Leader of the Opposition for the reduction of taxation, and the expenditure, when he recently voted with the Labour Party for the reinstatement of the reduced salaries of Civil Servants and the restoration of wages that had been affected by industrial awards. To-day’s business in Parliament will have a special interest for the housewife in the important announcement by the Minister of Industries and Commerce that it was proposed to recommend the House to declare the control of sugar at an end next month and to impose a small duty on white sugar. He made the second portion of his statement with regret, for he said 'that when he took over the portfolio recently, he thought the easiest way would be to declare the control at an end, and leave everybody to make their own arrangements for sugar supplies, as they did before the war. When the committee on Industries and Commerce had, however, held several meetings last week and had before them merchants and manufacturers who were connected with sugar, it was found that circumstances had arisen, through the shortage of supplies from Fiji and the competition of the Java sugar, Him . a serious prospect of the Colonial Sugar Refining Company closing down their works in New Zealand. The company asked that their industry be protected by a duty of £3 a ton, and the committee camo to the conclusion, after discussing all the circumstances of the case, to recommend a duty of £2 18/4, as compared with the existing duty of £4 13/4 on refined sugar, leaving raw sugar to come in free, subject to the position being reviewed after a year. This recommendation will come before the House shortly, and it is considered likely that the committee’s proposal is the bes* way out of the difficulty for the present.