PARLIAMENT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16260, 29 October 1920, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

(Abridged from Press. Association). THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, The Housing Act Amendment Bill was received from the House of- Representatives and read, a first time. The Explosives and Dangerous Goods 1 Act Amendment Bill was read a third ; time and passed. The Incorporated Societies .Act I Amendment Bil. was put through com- 1 mittee and passed. j The Health Bill passed after minor alterations , had been made in two : clauses, which ■ were recommitted. ■! The jjand Law's Amendment Bill was ! reported without amendment, read a third time, and passed. The Animals Protection Act Amendment Bill, which provides for the issuing of licenses to take opossums- and deal in their skins, was put through committee and passed. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AFTERNOON .SITTING. Replying to Mr M’Gombs, Mr Massey said that the Railway Bill would be brought down as soon as possible.' He hoped it would be ready for circulation on 'Tuesday/ D 3 list depended bn the Bill and would be ready as scon as possible when the Act was passed..-* Replying to Mi’ Holland, the Minister. of i Railways stated he believed (he provision for work on the Buller Gorge railway would be included in the Railways Authorisation Bill to be brought down by the Minister of Public "Works later. , _ _ ’ ■ ' The Minister of Public Works gave notice to introduce the District Railways Bill next sitting day. The Bank of New Zealand Bill was introduced by Governor-General's Message and set down for consideration next sitting day. The Minister of Finance explained that the principal proposal related to arranging for the transfer of capital. A draft of the Bill had been approved bv the Finance Committee, the Treasury Department and the bank’s principal auditor. Readjustments would mean that the Crown’s present interest in the bank would be increased from one-seventh to one-third, of the total. The new share capital would be £3,375,000, made up - of £500,000 in “ A ” shares, £625,000 in “B” shares and £2,250,000 in' ordinary £1 sharesThe Rabbit Nuisance, Bill and ; Sale of Imported Seeds Bill were introduced by Governor-General’s Messages, read a'Second time pro forma, and referred to the Agricultural and Stock Committee: The Lyttelton Harbour Board Election Act Amendment Bill (Dr Thacker) was read a first time and retired to the Local Bills Committee. Amendments made by the Legislative Council in the Health Bill, with reference to medical examination of school children, were agreed to by 42 votes to 28, Amendments made by the Council to the Explosives and Dangerous Goods Bill and Statutes Compilation Bill were agreed to on the voices. , Amendments to the Incorporated Societies Act Amendment Bill and Municipal Corporations Act Amendment Bill were held over till next sitting day. . .Mr Downie Stewart presented the report of the committee on the Marriage Law Amendment Bill. (A report of the discussion appears in another column.) evening sitting; An Imprest Supply Bill was introduced by Governor-General’s Message appropriating £3,171,900 for wages, salaries and general charges. On the motion to refer the Bill to Committee of Supply Mr M’Callum complained that nothing had been done to revise the Customs tariff and urged that a short session should be held to deal with th© tariff. • Mr Sullivan contended that the working man' required relief by lightening I some of the Customs imposts. He would reduce taxation on tea, tobacco and various articles of household necessaries and would remove! the primage duty. Mr M’Corabs said that the country had been looking for something to bo done this session to deal with the cost of living. People were becoming incensed as they realised how cynically members of Parliament seemed to regard this question. He agreed that complete revision of the tariff could not be undertaken, but something could be done. He moved the following amendment : “ That in the opinion of the House this session of Parliament should not terminate without some definite effort being made to check" the rapidly increasing cost of living, firstly by reducing the retail price of butter to Is 9d per pound while securing to the butter producer the full market vain© of his product by means of an equalisation fund to be created by a levy of 5 per cent addition to land and income tax, and an increase in death duties; secondly, by remitting the tax ofi tea; thirdly, by removal of the primage duty on articles of common necessity; fourthly, by reduction or remission of ad valorem duties on articles of common necessity, the like of which are not manufactured in the Dominion; fifthly, to introduce drastic legislation to effectively stop profiteer.ng in this country.”- He said that Customs receipts during the current financial year already had considerably exceeded the estimates, and there was no obstacle to a reduction of duties on articles of necessity. _The amendment was seconded bv Mr Howard. Mr Massey raised a point that the amendment involved appropriation and, therefore, could not be moved by a private member. The_ Speaker ruled in favour of the, amendment, widen was allowed to stand. Mr Massey, speaking to the amendment declared that Jfr M’Combs was an adept at misrepresenting the posh tion of the country to the people' of the country. The Government had already done most of the things asked for in his but Bills passed,' even this session, evidently escaped the notice of the hon. gentleman. Mr M’Combs knew nothing of the financial position of the country. Did he know that for the past * six months the expenditure amounted to over £13,000,000? They i could not, go on ever increasing taxation. , No country could be made pros“creased taxation, and that uas not his idea.- He already had taken his colleagues into his confidence, and it had been agreed that later on tiL'?f U C l t n ke p °f, 6r to reduce taxation jr at all possible. A clause would ; ®. lnto tio Appropriation Act giv,“ry power. That redne- 1 turn would probably m the direction of abohsbng primage duty. He did not believe in subsidies as a means of encouraging industries. He favoured ' giving preference, and a greater measure of preference would be givfen if he could do it. , He warned the public against, a fall in the prices of our priproducts, because there was no doubt that a fall was coming and we amst provide' against jit. He asked if the reductions demanded .by Mr M’Combs ytere granted, where was the deficiency in the revenue to be made up, and he quoted from Gladstone to show that tinkering with Customs dutie s often -did more harm thar good to those they sought tc bei/elt- Referring again "to a fall in.prices, he said there was no doubt that tbo world wa6 Suffering from over-production cf wool. The hide marr ket had broken. Tea was down, and

there was no question that with this fall there would be cheaper living for the people. Mr Witty said there should have been an export tax imposed on produce sent out of the country during the war, which would have helped to keep the cost of living down. Mr Massey said it would have been a, fatal mistake to have put such a tax on. . Mr Potter said the extreme Labour Party had aggravated cost of living difficulties. Had the r -alminers ever been asked by _ their leaders to have some' consideration for other sections of the community by producing a full quantity of coal? Mr Lysnar attacked tire extreme Labour Party a s misrepresenting the position of the workers. Working men were never better off than they were to-day. He deprecated dwelling on a supposed drop in prices, because that sort of thing was not calculated to help the Dominion. He recognised that the shipping question was intimately bound up with the cost of living, and he hoped that next session the Government would bring down legislation to put the shipping problem on a satisfactory basis. Mr Savage said that in the matter of controlling prices the Government had done nothing, aiid did not intend to do anything. A division was taken, the result being that the amendment was lost bv 39 to 18. Ths_ House went into committee on the Bill, which was passed through all its stages unamended. The House rose at 11,20 p'lm.