PARLIAMENT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12063, 19 July 1917, Page 3

PARLIAMENT.

(Abridged from Press Association.)

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

WF.DNT.simt, JTTLT 18.

AFTERNOON SITTING

The Council met at 2.30 p.m. LEAVE OF ABSENCE

On the motion of Sir Francis Roll, the Hon Colonel Collins was granted leave of absence for the remainder of the session. SIR HENRY MILLER.

The Council passed n motion expressing deep regret .it the retirement from the Council of Sir Henry Miller after fifty years' service as a Councillor. Sir Francis Bell, who moved tho motion, referred to the fact that Sir Henry Miller previously occupied the Speaker's chair, and said that he was one of Otago's distinguished statesmen.^ The Council adjourned until ednesday.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, July 18

A FTE RNOON SITTIN G The House met at 2.30 p.m. NELSON HARBOUIL

The Nelson Harbour Board Empowering Bill (Mr T. H. Field) was introduced and read a lirst time. The remainder of the afternoon was taken up by members discussing Ministers' replies to questions, Many of the matters to which reference was made are reported in another column. Tho House rose at 5.30 p.m.

EVENING SITTING. The House resumed at 7.30 p.m ADDRKSS-IN-HEPLY.

The Hon W. I). S. Mac Donald resumed the debate on the Address-in-Reply. (A report of his speech appears in another column). Mr Poland congratulated the. Minister on his good defence of a bad cause. The fact- remained, and the Minister knew it, that) the butter-fat levy was a class tax, and although the money was paid back to the producers, it none the less reduced the value ot' their but-tor-fat by Id a lb. He gave the Minister credit for a sincere desire to vlo something. This was more than tho Board ot Trade ever did. They only investigated, but never did anything, while the price of almost every commodity in the Dominion had gono up. He urged better payment for soldiers at the. front, contending that gidtu£;+ side with conscription, of nieiv'itberc* ought to have been conscription, of wealth. True, the Government had done something in this direction by the excess profits tax, hut after all this only touched the fringe of the matter, i.or tho Government was not even ,just ; much lestf generous, to the bo,\s at the front and their dependents at home. The Minister of Defence during the past ten months had too much to do, consequently- the man power of tho country was not organised, and tho result was .chaos. Young farmers were being exempted by the boards because thev were engaged in an essential mdustrv, and no steps were taken by the Government to replace them, and let, them go to the front, while other people's sons were forced to go. Mr l'earce agreed with the action ot the Government in keeping down tho price cf butler to the consume), but it was done in such a muddling way lis to annoy all vhe producers. It siinpl> meant that money was being taken from the makers of cheese to->pa.v it to makers of butter, and many small farmers were being heavily taxed to do it. Dealing with financ", he wanted to know what policy the>Goveinment, to adopt with icgard to paying i' (, r tho war and pensi on s. Ho advocated u lnc;il lo«in, and thought, it should lie floated as soon as possible.-as owingrto the. uncertainty of investments -p great ■ «lenl ot mone\ had accumulated in iho. Dominion, and .a loan of several millions would be taken up at once. The cost of the war should be defrayed (.-'.it ol loan rather than taxation, because, the war vrns being fought for future generation. o , as well a? the present. He opposed tin- excess profits tax as a handicap on progress, and an exiwirt tax as unfair'to producers. Taxation ought to, he aimed >t extravagances, which thd Government had doijo nothing to check. He favoured ail amusements tax, and increased taxation on liqMor, motor-cars, drapery, tea, tobacco nod cigarettes, hut on the whole he thought the income tax the fairest way of ar-' riving at •equality of ,\acrilice. Me thought that six o'clock closing was not ;i prohibition movement, but a, movement of. modern to Virion. who, disgusted at tho Govevnmcnt'Vneglcet to check waste, were, determined to- stop the waste in liuuor. He would support the early closing; of hotel bars, provided a clause were, inserted in the Bill that the loss should fall on tho owners of the licenses, not necessarily 011 the occupier. Til that way the big brewing companies would be got at- The "anti-shouting'' regulation was a farce, and he would support its repeal. Mr Dickson (Chalmers), dealt with tho treatment of returned soldiers and taxation. He said that the Government would shorten the debate if it would only say that it would abolish the butter-fat levy and return tho money.- He favoured six o'clock closing, and warned the Government that nothing less would be satisfactory to the people of the southern parts of New Zealand.

The debate was adjourned on the motion of Mr Brown (Napier), and the House rose at 11.15 p.m.