PARLIAMENT.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 310, 29 September 1915, Page 4

PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. HOSPITAL SHIP DEBATE. in '. MR. WILPORD SUSPENDED. Mr. Wilford asked the Minister of Defence if a further hospital ship were I necessary, and if so would the cost be raised by taxation so that all would participate in the contribution? The Minister for Defence said he thought the tim e had arrived when another hospital ship should be, sent, to the front. H e related details of I the Marama, which he announced i s to ! be sent. The taxpayers of the country j would pay for the charter of the ship and th e fitting up, as in the case of, the Maheno. His Excellency the Governor had in had the same work in" regard to the Marama as in the case ' of the Maheno. He would be very • lotjTi indeed to take away from the J women of the country tjhe opportunity ■ to do the>good service they had in the ' case of the Maheno. '. Mr Wilford: There you are, with

your dirty answers again. Mr Massey: I cannot allow that to go, Mr Speaker, I must ask the hon. member to withdraw his remark. Mr Wilford: I withdraw and substitute "typical" The Speaker: Mr Wilford must withdraw unreservedly. Mr Wilford: I decline to do so, sir. The Speaker: Then I am very loth to ask the Prime Minister to take the proper steps. Mr Massey said his duty, though unpleasant, was quite clear under the circumstances. The chair must be obeyed, right or wrong. He moved that Mr Wilford b e suspended for the remainder of the sitting. Messrs Ell and Colvin urged the Premier to modify the motion and make it apply to the afternoon sitting only. Sir Joseph Ware*, v,ifcile upholding the ruling of the Speaker, advised a similar course. Th e Prime Minister asked leave to amend the motion so that the hon. member be suspended only for the afternoon sitting, or until the member saw fit to withdraw unconditionally. The member for the Hutt was rp.lled in, and asked if [he would withdraw' unreservedly. Mr Wilfred thanked the House and the Prime Minister, but he never gave in when lie made up his triad !>i a matter of this sort, and he resoe itfully declined to withdraw. The motion for suspensions .'n* the 'remainder of the afternoon sitting was carried bjy 40 to 17. THE FINANCIAL BILL. The House resumed at 7.30. On the motion tha.t urgency '-3 {_iven to the Finance Bill, Mr McCombs protested against the passage of a Bill of such importance without m-j-nJiers having had an opportunity to study its contents. Mr Pearce asked if the Gpvertmeht would be satisfied with the si'-ond reading only that night. The Premier said the country wanted the measure. It was in the public interest. Sir Joseph Ward said the Haine lad already approved that two millions of increased taxation must be 'provided. His dtuy that night was to explain how that proposed tixation was intended to be raised. Mentors roi<*t recognise that sacrifices must be m?de if we were to do our share in the j.ieat war. Sir Joseph Ward then vi nt through the various clauses iL the Bill, the provisions of which gave effect to the proposals of the Budget, plus new proposals outlined at the afternoon sitting. At the conclusion of his address Sir Joseph Ward tjoanked the members for listening «o carefully to hi s explanation, and said he would be pleased to give any further information in Committee. Mr Sidey congratulated the Minister upon th 6 comprehensive nature of the BUI. Mr Pearce was pleased that the suggested duty on kerosene had been withdrawn. He would have preferred a direct duty on some article to he proposed primage duty. He intended to propose a heavier tax on beer. Mr McCombs commented . on the* fact that the National Government had suggested such a large amount of increased indirect taxation, which miut result in a further advance in the cost of living. He considered there should have been further additions to the and income taxes. Mr Nosworthy said that in this proposed taxation the working people of the Dominion had got off lighte; than any otiher class. He quoted from the Britsh Budget to show how the new taxation had affected the Horaj work ing man. He contended that city should have been included in the increased land taxation. He advocaved a further increase in the beer tax. WELLINGTON, This Day. After tlhe Telegraph Office closed, Mr Hines' amendment was put, but as no second teller could be found supp >vting the amendment, no division v;as taken. The second reading was then carried on the voices and the House I went into committee on the Bill. ! At clause 33 Mr Pearce moved to

i strike '•''■■" ("louse Oi.i as an indication 1 that the beer duty should be increased Co 6fl r-'.icii. The amendment was lost by 48 to 9. The re--nfining clauses wree passed I withem opposition and comparatively little c'lsr-p^don. At 3.50 the Bill was reported witjA" ' verb"" .■■ Inients moved bv the Mini . lster ! On ■ : "use resuming the amendments srinda were agreed to. On v :'"■on for third reading Mr Webb c •■.: "'cd the labour party again?.: thr charge that they favoured the single i-'». y : :: ilcC. ~th declared that as a result cf th ;■■ .iget the cost of living would ho v ' 1 by a million pounds, or at th e of £5 per family. Messrs Bea'ree, Harris, Dr. Newman and Field (\\ T e".son) also spoke. Sir Joseph Ward, in .reply, said no sane man < : M say the Budget put burdens ou tve king classes; compared with BritU. ..ikraen the imposts put upon them cxireme'y lic.ht. Therefore, criticism by extremists inside and

• outside th 33 was not deserved, as a matter* of ■ i the Budget was taking £332,000 f" landowners of the CoI minion. That, he thought, was sufficient for one session; anyone who wanted 'to take more came preciais • uar Le i'ng single taxers. With re?i*'l to increasing the beer duty, he resisted it: because information in his possession, convinced him that if the duty was increased many of the smaller breweries must clcse and so leave larger breweriea in a more secure monopoly than eve/. Change in the method of' assessing tjhe beer duty was entirely at the request cf the Customs officials, and it was not true that brewers met members cf the National Cabinet for the purpose of arranging the rate. The third reeding was then carried and the Bill pas _i. The House rose at 4.55 unitl 7.30 p.m.