PARLIAMENT.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 34, 3 October 1912, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

O LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. (Per Press Association .1 Wellington, October 2. The-Council met at 2.30. Workers’ Compensation. The Workers’ Compensation Amendment Bill (Mr Rigg) was passed through committee without amendment, but was killed by 20 to 9 on the third reading. Mr Bell stated that he was as much opposed to the measure as ho had been on the second reading. Auckland Education Reserves. The Auckland Reserves Bill passed its final stages. The Public Service Bill. Mr Bell moved the second reading of the Public Service Bill received from the Blouse. The debate was adjourned, and the Council rose. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The House met at 2.30. Public Revenues Bill. The Public Revenues Amendment Bill was introduced by Governor’s message. . , The Minister of Finance stated that the Bill did away with the provision in the principal Act, which enabled a vote oil the estimates to override Statute law. It also proposed to do away with the power now existing to , transfer! a vote for one department to ! another department. The Bill further provided for the . recovery of monies unlawfully spent by local bodies. " 'The Bill was'Tead a first time. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. Defence of the Pacific. The Government is at present in communication with the Imperial Government on the subject of naval defence in the Pacific, and the policy of the Government with regard thereto will be announced in due course. Butter Export. Arrangements are being made for butter manufactured from whey to be exported under a (separate brand from “creamery” butter, so that it will not interfere with or affect the high standard of New Zealand-made creamery butter. The Waihi Strike. The strike prisoners now in gaol are, in prison because of their refusal to find sureties to keep the peace required by the S.M. in the proper exercise of his jurisdiction, upon clear proof that they had committed acts calculated to provoke a breach of the peace, They can release themselves by finding sureties in accordance with the judgment of the Court. The Government has no power to release them unless they are prepared to advise the Government that the judgment of the Magistrate was erroneous or not justified by the evidence, or that circumstances have arisen since the judgment which have materially altered the position with which the Court dealt. The Government cannot so advise. The Mokau Petition. 'A long discussion ensued on the report of the committee on Joshua Jones’ petition, objection being taken by Sir J. G. Ward and Messrs Forbes, Witty and others on the proposal to provide counsel for Jones. Messrs E. Newman and Buick contended that the enquiry should be held over until the House had satisfied itself that there was some substance in the petition. The report was laid on the table and the House adjourned. Water Pollution. The House resumed at 7.30. The Water Pollution Bill was read a second time pro forma,, and referred to the Agriculture, Stock and Commerce Committee. Aid to Indigent Prisoners. The Justices of the Peace Amendment Bill, which provides for legal aid for indigent prisoners, went through committee with amendments. The Pharmacy Bill. The committee then considered the Pharmacy Amendment Bill. Mr Davey moved an amendment which made it an offence' for a medical practitioner or his assistant, or a registered chemist, to accept monetary consideration as commission on prescriptions; also that every chemist who supplies a medical practitioner with a proscription form recording his name or place of business was committing an offence. The Minister said that he was prepared to accept the amendment, which made it an offence for a chemist to pay medical practitioners for securing.

their prescriptions, and also to supply them with prescription forms. Eventually that part of the amendment relating to medical practitioners, directing that their prescriptions should lie made up at any special chemist, was withdrawn, and the balance of the amendment was accepted. Mr Young moved an amendment, prohibiting code prescriptions. The Minister said that the matter was covered by the Medical Act. The Bill was reported with amendments. Valuation of Land. Mr Massey moved the second reading of the Valuation of Land Amendment Bill. He said that the Bill aimed at exempting improvements from taxation. There was an impression abroad that the valuers did not wish to exempt improvements. He quoted a letter from the Valuer-General supporting the impression, and stating that the existing law rendered the amendment necessary. He could say that the Government did not wish to exempt the man or the land from fair taxation. In connection with treeplanting, he said that the Bill assisted reafforestation. At. the present time the only exemption that could he quoted was the cost of original planting. That was not a fair thing, as the man who planted trees was doing a service to the State, and should be assisted. Accordingly, under the Bill, the man who planted trees got exemption for a greater area -than, at present. Mr Pearce congratulated the Government upon the introduction of the Bill, and said that his only complaint was that it did not go far enough in the direction of exempting direct improvements. Mr Witty suggested that it would play into the hands of large landowners. Why did not the Government, he asked, assess the tax on the prairie value ? Mr Hindmarsh criticised the proposals and expressed regret that the Prime Minister had not given the House his ideas of the principles of taxation. The matter as suggested by the Minister was unworkable. He asked how could valuers possibly assess the value of the felling of timber originally on land ? Mr Buchanan said that he would vote for the Bill, because he thought it would remedy many existing injustices. He pointed out, however, that the debate had shown how impossible it was to .separate improvements on the one hand from the unimproved value on the other. Mr Massey replied that in estates of over £30,000 in value and ’on the estates affected | by the graduated tax the improvements amounted in yalue to four millions, and those in estates under, £30,000 in, value to twenty-four millions,, a proportion of -siji Ik) .one, so that for ; every jjicjnnd that owners of large estates .wojdd benefit. Ami small owners would, in proportion. The Bill was read a second time, and the House rose at 12.35.