PARLIAMENTARY.

Timaru Herald, Volume LV, Issue 5518, 21 September 1892, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY.

» . {8S TBIEOBAVn.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 20. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Tbo Oouncil met at 2.30 p.m. EMSOIOBAi BUI. The report of the Statutes Bevision Committee, on the Electoral Bill, was presented, and WO3 prdered lo bo considered next day. SJBOPS BUS. Sir Patrick Buckley moved the pcond reading of the Shop and Shop Assistants Bill. Sir George Whitinora opposed the Bill. .It was monstrous that shopkeepers should be compelled to ebut up at a certain hour of night. Mr Oliver considered that the Bill would have the effect of restricting the liberty o£ the subject. He was strongly m sympathy with the half-holiday movement, but thought it best that it should ba voluntarily conferred, toon every act of a man would be subject to Government inspection. He expressed a hope that tha Bill would be thrown out. Mr PharazyD opposed the Bill, as he regardod compulsory balf.boliday as an absurdity. Country labourers und storekeepers' assistants were, m his opinion, equally entitled to the concession as were townspeople The Bill was read a second time on the voices, and was referred to the Labour Bills Oomflaittee. £T+Qp HAKBOCB BILL, The Qtago Harbour Board empowering Biil was ordered to b t s jiogmitted that day six months. The Council rose st 4 jM9HOUSE OP REPRESENTATIVES. ] The House met at 2 30 p.m. LBAVB 07 ABBBHCB. Further leave -of absence for s week was prantei lo Mr Taylor on ecuount of illness, acj4 fen day s to Mr Mitcbelson m consequence of illness m his lamily. piYM^Nj: OB Bit,!, The Premier gave' riot^ fp introdnco the Payment of Meinb»rs BUI, COURSE OP BUSINEBB. The Premier gave notice to move tliat the House sit on Monday at 2.30 p.m. for Qo? vernmant busines", and that the standing Orders be suspended to ullow freßh business to ba taken after 18 30 am. Sir Jo'»u tf 3ll said that be felt >v™ t-bat the House wtf/uj/j be glad to see the Premier m bis place a(tor Jai/p rpcent illness, but he thought that at this jStage pf the session the House was entitled to bo jnfor^ed Be lo what Bills the Government proposed tp gp qa witji this session. ; The Premier thanked .the member for' EUestnere for bis kindly reference to himself He hoped to bo able m o tew days to afford some definite information as to what business the government w/Hj)fl ask the House to go on with this session. Mr Fergus complained of ins 4elfty m bringing down the Publio Works Statement. Thp Premier replied that the Statement was is eaofip of preparation, and would be brought down oaplf next week. Mr Fish protested ogajnjijt frtyg flon.appearance of the Statement. It was>s,v/de#:/;baj; as its production would cause a howl of d^jsatisfaction amongst Government supporters, Mio^taro were keeping it back till the House was m s cl&{o pf utter uollapse through lata sittings. rOEBIOK IKBC»*KCB SIM > Ihe Foreign Insurance and Aeßurapcp Companies Bill was introduced by b£eteag« from the G/orernor sod read a first time.

PUBLIC BETBNUBS BILI,. The Premier moved the second reading of the Public Bevenues Bill. The object of the Bill wa» eet out m the Financial Statement. It wns intended to redeem guarantee debentures m London and to reduce Treasury Bills from £476,000 to £450,000. It won also provided that the Treasury may ia«ue further Treasury Bills to the extent ef £100,000 to meet the expenditure charged on the Consolidated Fund, £450,000 for redeeming guaranteed debentures issued under tlio Immigration and Public Works Loan Act, 1870. The Bill also provided that travelling allowances to Boyal Commissioners should be limited to a sum not exceeding twenty shilling' per day, m addition to money „vi 1 for travelling fares. The Government were of opinion that m order to provide egainst contingencies there should always he m the bands of the AgentGeneral m London, debentures to the amount of £450.000. Sir John Hall said that he regarded with considerable anxiety tbia proposal to increase the borrowing powers of the Government to the extent of a million. He also took exception to the manner of the audit proposed by tho Bill. A long debate ensued, the Bill being strongly opposed by several members of the Opposition. Mr Moore moved as on amendment that the Bill be read that day six months. On s division the amendment was rejected j by 25 to 16. In tho coarse of his reply the Premier denied that the Bill was a borrowing one. Tho second reading was oarried by 25 to 17. The House rose at 5 30 p.m. Tho House resumed at 7-30 p m. On the motion of the Premier the Public Bevenues Bill wns roferrcd to tho Public Accounts Committee for the special consideration of clauses 4 and 5. TVOBKMBn'b MBK BILE. A conference was appointed to confer with the Legislative Council on tbeir amendments m the Workmen's Lien Bill. SAM) AMD INCOME ASSESSMENT BILL. Tbo Premier moved the second reading of the Land nnd Income Assessment Act Amendment Bill. He pointed out that under the Bill friendly societies, savings banks, and all kinds of charitable institution*, were exempted from the tax. but the House would see that tbo amendments made w'oro not such as to alter the character of the Bill passed lost. Bes9ion. Referring to the proposed exemption of building societies, he WBB prepared to leave that to the House to deoide. The amount of of concessions proposed by tho Govorniaeut was £15,000, and tbo amount etpected to be realised was £350,030. With respect t-i Sir George Grey's proposed amendment for the exemption of improvements, ho estimated that suoh a concession would result m a loss of from £37 000 to £50,000, and m that would mean a serious disarrangement of the Finance of the Government, they could not possibly accept tho amendment. Wera. the Government to concede this matter of exemption of improvements without considering the whole scheme of finance, they would not be pursuing a wise courso- The Government believed that it was only prudent to bs on the safe side, and they had evory reason to believe that thoir estimate of this tax would be realised. Ho hoped that tho House would acoopt the concessions he had mado m the Bill m a non-party spirit, and with a general desire to make tho Bill work ac fairly as possible. Sir George Grey strongly defended his proposal to exempt improvements. The Premier had a great chance with bis large surplus to relieve the poorer classes by the removal of taxation from tbo necessaries ef life, He galled on the Homo to neglect all other ooosiderations and to siy that no taxes on improvements should deface the statute book of Now Zsaland. Sir John Hall congratulated the Government and the House on tho extent to which the Gjvarnment had sees the error of their way m respect to the tax on debentures, a tax whioh ooulrt not fail to do great enjory to the colony. He was glad to soe the exemptions contained m the Bill, but he asked why several partners m a piece of land should not have the same exemption as partners iv a firm. As regarded the taxation of improvenjonta he questioned the Premier's statement tbnt tho wealthiest peoplo were those who would benefit most by its removal The Treasurer could not deny that this tax was a great discouragement on improvements. Dr rfotroian said that it was time tho Premier censed his taxation proposal', oo ho had this year imposed more fresh and variod taxation than any Minister who had yet sat cjj tho bunches, notwithstanding that ihe Government this year possessed a large surplus and a large revenue. Mr Georga Hutchison lamented that when the most important measure of the session was on, the Government were represented by such a beggarly array of empty benches. They were told that the exemption of improvements to the extentjof £37,000 would fieri -jusly interfere with the finance cf the Government, but he thought that if a revenue of four millions would be endsnseied by a small sum of that kind it showed that the finance was m a delicate, not to say critical, position. The Premier, m his opinion, was the natural onemy of settlers, and this was proved by his taxation proposal!. Mr Allen took strong objeotion to several clauses m the Bill. Although the Government had given way m the matter of the debenture tax, the exemptions only applied to those outside the colony, which he regarded as very unfair, Mr Bhodes pointed out that the people whom the Premier would oxempt wore the wealthiest elms, namely tb.e banks and foreign ban. companies. Mr Fish said that the amendments made m the Bill had boon forced on tho Premier at the point of the bayonet. Mr Richardson thought that the Opposition were to be congratulated on this Bill, as it was the result of the contention made by that side of the House last session. He pointed out that 12 months ago tbo Government were prepared to sacrifice £40,000 m tho reduction of postage, and yet he now deolared that if Sir George Grey's amendment were carried, involving a loss of £37,000, it wou}d ruin his finance. Mr Sajjnders would have liked to have seen agricultural improvements exempted from the tax, and contended that Sir Goorge Grey was impolitic m asking for the exemption of imr provements on buildings instead of on agricultural improvements. Mr Moore, Mr Fisher, Mr Duthia, Mr Buokland, Mr T. Thompson, aad Mr Shera ajso spoke. In the course of bis reply the Premier sa<d that as soon as the finances would allow it, he should So m favour of exempting all improvements, accepting fSir George Grey's amendments sg he bettered m 9 land (ax pure and Bimple. With respect to what had bean said about banks being exempted, he believed that those institutions would pay more under the new system of taxation than under the old form. The second reading of the Bill was agreed to on the voices. fcAPD FOB SETTIiBIIBM! BILL TjiQ Ltytif for Settlement Bill passed through Commilteo wj£b amendments made by the Waste Lapdj dommjtifcne' The Bill was reported with amendments. The Houso rose at 1 60 a.m.