PARLIAMENT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12087, 16 August 1917, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

(Abridged from Press Association.) LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Wednesday. Acgust 15. AFTERNOON SITTING. The Council met at 2.30 p.m. LEAVE OF ABSENCE. The Hon Sir Charles Bowen was granted leave for the remainder of the session on account of ill-health. MOTION OF SYMPATHY. The Hon O. Samuel moved a motion of sympathy with the Speaker in connection with the death of !iis eldest son, Brigadier-General Johnston, who was killed in France. In doing so he referred to the fact that another son, Captain Octavius Johnston, had been killed on the Somme. Major Levin, the Speaker's son-in-law, was killeii in Gallipoli, and was survived only a short while by his wife. The motion was carried. TEA DUTY. The Regulation of Trade, and Commerce Act Amendment. Bill, preventing increased charges on tea imported prior to the imposition of extra duty was put through all its stages and passed. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Wednesday AcorsT 15. AFTERNOON SITTING. The House met at 2.30 p.m. Sir Joseph Ward tabled a number of typical cases under last Year s taxation and the proposals or the Budget. INSCRIBED STOCKS. Sir Joseph Ward moved the second reading of the New Zealand Stock Bill, which he explained established a complete register ot war loan stock, thereby preventing. loss, or improper uss of such stock m the event of it being lost or stolen. Tlv-3 Bill was treated as a matter or urgency, and put through all its stages unamended. _ The House rose at 0.30 p.m. EVENING SITTING. The House resumed at 7.30. FINANCIAL DEBATE The debate on the Budget waa continued by Mr Mander who remarked upon the magnitude c, tno borrowing proposals, but considered any ban to win the war was justmed so long as aue economy was observed m expenutuie. He deorecated attacks upon capital because after the. war every pound ot capital would be required to increase. Production statistics siiowea a considerable falling off in exports and imports, from which he argued that the portion of the Dominion was not as satisfactory as many people thought, . On .the other hand taxation was increasing, which greatly accentuated the need foi care on the part of the people.. Speaking of taxation m detail, lie ravourea the extension of the pnncijVe ol Station on incomes above £b4GO, and foi - caw grave hardship under the mortgage tax quoting special cases m support or bis contention. He strong disapproved the idea of calling up boys • nineteen for military service, as ho uid of the proposal, to tax tea, believed inconsistent v.iJi _i.h r pi cio" to reduce the cost of living.. Mr Poole said the Budget was remarkable for the record . rencael in revenue and expenditure and for the demands made upon the \ notwithstanding the c-normit*- m demands, there v.-as a tone or hoyef Z™ about the which jpinoa to look cheerfully into the iuaue- Jconamtulated the -Wimsiei. on -■ splendid service he d.nng f,*u thi Dominion in the pvesent ens.,, ■« . iich service was prowd by tne lv scathless manner m wluoa tno riet had conic through th.» c.iscussion. He saw with regret a teoaency town and country memo on tc dr:.t furthier anart. This should no„ be in such a crisis, when every elrort sliou.a he bent to win the war. It v-'as, entirely wrong to regard the farmer as a cumberer of the ground, just as it was wicked to regard the resident ot a as a thief and marauoer, for is was tne rrenius of these city resident*, gave the farmer those complicates pieces of mechanism which enabled tiie man on the land to take from the breast of Mother Earth the wonderful wealth represented, by 85 per cent or tho exports of this Dominion. tteereforo, put in a plea for better feeling between town and country. i>either could afford to despise the otiicr, but the sooner they recognised that they were interdependent tho_ better for "the community at large. V,e -.'.'ere bound to find the money asked for in the Budget, but in this connection, h=> said, there was abundant .evidence that the Administration had failed to. deal energetically with the cost of liting. They" had been altogether too t;m>d m dealing with the problem. The increases in pensions and t;ho_war bonus were evidence of the fact. He. thought it a. travesty upon our patriotism that* we had to offer as an inducement freedom from income tax to money we needed for the loan- While sunporting tho amusement tax, lie by no means joined in the. general condemnation of picture shows, which, if the censorship vrero improved, would do a great deal to relieve monotony and brighten manv people's drab lives. On the subject of the tea tax ho was undecided, for he could see it was going to hit many poor people who now regarded tho product of the teapot as part of their daily sustenance. In concluding, be urged the development of th? fishing, pavK-r and fruit industries as a means of helping returned soldiers, who, unless assisted in time, would become a dangerous problem on our hands. Mr Talbot, whoso speech is reported elsewhere, continued the debate. On the motion of Mr Scat ham the debate was adjourned, and tho House rose at 10,50 p.m.