POLITICAL NOTES.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIC, Issue 13397, 21 September 1907, Page 3

POLITICAL NOTES.

Special—By Telegraph. THE GRADUATED TAS. WELLINGTON, September 20. During consideration in committee of the Land and-Income Assessment Act Amendment Bill to-day, the Premier Jaid on the table important returns to gUiae members in their debate. These showed) that in 1906-7 the revenue from the land tax was—ordinary, £317,175;. graduated, £125,929; absentee, £4237; total, £447,347. The loss of graduated tax in the vaiious counties caused by the subdivision of estates among relatives of owners for the last twelve, years was . £28,136; thelargest totals being during 1905-6, £7377; and 1906-7, £11,655. The Patangata, county (Hawkcs Bay) heads the list of taxation evasions by this means by £7514 ; Masterton comes next with £5533,, Feathoreton (Wairarapa) £2261, Waitaki (Canterbury) £2555, Waipawa (Hawkes Bay) £1678, Ashburton £1329, Cheviot £llO3, Bruce £1133, Wairarapa .South' £IO4B. GOVERNMENT CAUCUS.

There was a Government caucus: this morning when the members of the Liberal Party met the Premier and discussed various matters of a non-political nature. Exception was taken to the behaviour of a certain member and strong representations were made on the subject. The Premier promised to communicate with the friends of the member with a view to having the, matter put right. A number of other matters concerning the privileges of members were discussed at length. Be fore the caucus concluded the Premier took advantage of ths opportunity to express the hope that members would work together and assist in putting through the important legislation of the session. POLICE OFFENCES.

The Police Offences Bill (No. 2) makes it an offence to carry on any trade or profession implying appointment by his Excellency the Governor without having specific authority for. so doing. Clause 3 makes it unlawful for' any person to use the name of any other person in New Zealand without his permission, as the name or part of the name of any animal, ship, vessel, building institution, article of merchandise, or other thing; every person shall be deemed to use the name of another person if he uses any abbreviation or variation. of the said name sufficient to indicate, that parson. THE MORTGAGE TAX. During the debate in committee to-day on the clause governing the mortgage tax in the Land and Income Assessment Bill, it was suggested by Mr Fieher that a c'ause should be imwrted' providing that on tha death of an owner his estate shall be parcelled out, for in that way they would have had large properties thrown on the market such as in the case of the late Hon. \Y. Johnston. He aven-ad that in 25 years time th:-re would not be an estate worth £25,000 unimproved value in New Zealand. Such a clause would immortalise the Premier, and no ons would dare repsul it. Sir Joseph Ward replied that he wrg not prepared to go into that aspect of the eane without very serionj consideration. First of all it was desirous that they should: hava the land for settl-ment policy going on all over tlie country in u. reasonable way;-secondly, it would be unfair to the aged, father of a family to bring into operation a system that woidd make it absolutely definite against his own will that his property be cut up after hfo death. That was an aspect of ths case he would have to very maturely consider; besides, it would be an abrogation of the very principles contained in this Bill.