PARLIAMENT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12089, 18 August 1917, Page 7

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Friday; August 17« j AFTERNOON SITTING. I The Council met at 2.30 p.ir.. I INSCRIBED STOCK. j i The Hon 0. Samuel the re- ] port of the Statutes Revision Commit- | v.o on the New Zealand Inscribed j bfrvck Bill. The lauasure was considered in committee, and various consequential amendments were adopted with regard to a new clause dealing with the issue of a certificate bv the Registrar as \o evidence of title to inscribed stock. In speaking on the ueiv clause, bir Francis Bell stated that the.effect of the amendments was to constitute two rlasses of certificates, one the ordinary bond and the other to make tranen ference impossible without production m certificate of title. The amendments were passed, and at t later s*tage Sir Francis Bell announced that they had been accepted by the Lower House. HOTCSB OF REPRESENTATIVES. j FKnuT, Acgcst 17. AFTERNOON SITTING-, rhe House met at 2.30 p.m. CONSCRIPTION OF LABOUR. Replying.to Mr M'Combs, the Prime Minister said that he was not prepared io say the time had come when we must conscript labour, bat the time might come: whe» Parliament would have to pass legislation to discourage idleness. PREMIUM BONDS. .Replying to Mr Harris, Sir Joseph lYlard said he had heard a good rteaJfi concerning tbp system of raising mouey by means: of premium bonds. He preferred, however/ to wait for the result of the investigation now going on in England-on this subject before adopting 'the system. BUDGET DEBATE. Mr Parr continued the debate on the Financial' Statement. He agreed with the .Minister of, Finance that it was unwise.,to indulge in any new systems of taxation at crisis such as this. The only thing he regretted was that the,-Minister had not taken steps earlier t<Tisecure some, of the huge war profits. Looking, at: it. broadly there was nothing, sensational about the Budget, excent'the magnitade of the figures. The surplus was a record one, and the question arose: What wa s going to be done -with it? He thought that at least an. appreciable portion of it should be devoted to war expenditure. It was not right that the whole cosi of the war shouiltd be borne by posterity by means of loans. There should be a.dear understanding on that point the Government, as was the cas« in Britain.' Criticising military expehditure, h© contended that this Khould not be under the jurisdiction o\ military officers. Commercial experience shdnld be brought to bear on \t as. Australia had done, where experienced commercial men had been appointed. We also should have a Min ifitter or a good business man in Uondon, looking over our vast war ex penditure. Mr Jennings dealt with the. que* tion of granting commissions in th< New Zealand Array. Some men. h<

Bait], seemed to have no difficulty in getting commissions, while others could not get them at all. In this connection he regretted that there was an impression abroad that influence at Wellington/ ha/1 a • good' deal to do with thjs.j Such a thing should not be, as it was fatal to discipline and was one of the things that raised vo much discontent in Australia. He deprecated the tendency to "swagger" among certain officers, but repudiated the suggestion that it affected the New Zealand ermy generally, which was animated by such high character that not 3 per cent disgraced the uniform by improper conduct. Ho congratulated the Government on its decision to extend telephone facilities to the backblocks, and urged that some steps should be taken to counteract tho increasing cost of living. Mr Ell,-whose speech is, reported in e.nother column, generally supported the proposals of the Budget.. I The House rose at 5.30 p.m. j EVENING SITTING. \ The Honse resumed at 7.30 p.m. j Mr M'Callum said that the Budget might not be such as to please extreme prohibitionists, but it was characterised by strong,finance, and in that way rras a complete. answer to the demands of the extreme moral reformers. Mr E. Newman (Kangitikei) emphasised the imp&r&ti-re necessity for national economy in the widest sense, but on wise lines. It was unwise, for example, to .bury one's talent m the ground. It was better that everybody (should spend as much as he coula afford, but waste and extravagance should be sterol? avoided- This was as necessary in administrative and departmental activities as in civil affairs. He thought the Defence .Committee should bo reestablished in order to assist the Minis-ter-to secure economy in military ma—ten*. He referred to the blemishes in the Budget, and expressed plea-sure taat small'investors had beat given a better opportunity to invest in the Uar Loan, for under the original proposals largo investors bad a signal advantage. Though there were blemishes in the administration of the Government, he gave it his heart* support, because -under the circumstances it was the only Government. P °Mr Payne declared that he was. tired of hearing the Minister landed as a •'wizard of finance,-' as there was nothing wonderful in compiling such a Budget as this when he had the whole of' tie incomes of the people Itominion to make demands upon, buch praise only tended to make Ministers' heads swell more than t-bey would harp done in-the ordinary course.of events. He proceeded to argue that our ii nance was playing into the hands of banking •■ institutions, which simply were asing the people's money to make money out of the people. Notwithstanding this, the Budget was the most satisfactory document of the kind he yet;. had seen, because it featured and enforced what, he considered, the only just, system of raising revenue, namely, » graduated income tax. Mr Harris expressed the opinion that the people of New Zealand would and any money asked for to win the war, but be did not think they would consent to large sams being raised for payment of war bonuses to highly-paid Government official?. He favoured_ a reduction of the- exemption from iuionie'taY to £'2oo. He approved of tho cea'tax as calculated to encourage the as©;of a bettoi class c-f t*a, a-nd urged better organisation of the manhood and- womanhood of the Dnwmion for war work. Aliens and prisoners should, if necessary, l>e pressed lata the series of the State at the military rate of ; pay. Hff objected to enlisting bays of nineteen, but he hoped the people of Neiw Zealand would not halt on the war to. victory, and that they never, would rest: till the power of Germany had been broken. Tho adjournment of the debate was moved by Mr Young and the House rose at 11.10 p.m. .