HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LX, Issue 17064, 17 August 1917, Page 5

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

(Per Pr«as As«deiatioiO WELLINGTON, August^. The Houj3 met at 2.30. DECEASED SOLDIERS' EFFECTS. Replying to Mr Poland, the Minister of Defence said instructions were issued two years' ago *hat the worthies* effects ot dead soldiers should nos be sent back to parents. Watches and trinkets were to be returned, but useless clothes wer 3 to be burned. He regretted if in any case this instruction had not been observed. PUBLIS SERVICE COMMISSIONERS.] \ ?? c ¥ on> G- W R«ssell laid on thel table the fifth annual report of the Public Service Commissioners. CIVIL SJiRVICE WAR BONUS. Replying to Mr Veitch, Sir Jas. Ward said it wag clearly defined that only members of the Public Service in raceipt of not more than £315, were to receive the war bonus. It was not practicable to take into consideration overtime worked in the allocation of the money .^ It was not possible to treat aI: j cases with perfect equality. There must m the nature of things be gome incongruities. The bonus paid for special Wice was not taken out of the1 £400,----000 voted by Parliament. Sir J. Findlay # suggested that there ought to be some greater differentiation between married men with families and those with no families. These were days in which we were asking the peppie to keep the cradles full, and be thought the Government should set an example, and show some consideration to men with families.

Mr Wright endorsed this view. Mr Wilford put in a plea for a bonus for casuals. He strongly protested against men receiymg big salaries being paid a bonus for special service. He also wanted to know how long the term of appointment of the Public Service Commissioners had yet to run. Mr Hornsby declared that the House was not informed last year of the true nature of the vote for "special service. If any such attempt were made this year it would not succeed if he could prevent it.

.; .Mr^Anderson contended that no one .recejytyg; more ihan 4200 should participate; in the war bonus. ■•* The Hoh, W. F. lilassey defended the votes for special service.: He instanced the case of Mr Triggs, whose salary was a thousand a year, and who had, received £200 for special work in connection with the ImperiaiMeat Supply Departnient. Mr JReakes and Dr. Valentine were in^muoh the same position, both doing a 'great deal of special work owing to the war. > A bonus in these coses was well deserved, and Parliament was miade fully aware of the whole position. :Mr McCallum and Mr Payne denounced bonuses being paid to men in receipt of high salaries. Sir Jas. Allen quoted "Hansard" to show that these members had not opposed the vote for special service when it was before the House. Their speeches to-day with death-bed repentences. Mr Forbes quoted from the report to show that the commissioners complain that the Government was not giving effect to their recommendations, which were calculated" to increase the eHiciency of the Public Service. Had these recommendations been regarded, defalcations to, t>he,extent of £14,000 could not have taken place. It wais time the Government supported its own officers. '. •;■■■

Messrs Young, Hindmarsh, Sykes and Webb participated in the discussion. In the course of his reply, the Hon. Russell agreed that £300 was too high & basis on which a bonus should be paid. H3 admitted there was a great deal to be 6aid in favour of the bonus being! paid to married men on a ratio of family, but it was most difficult to wor's out a perfectly equitable scheme. 8.?. . j however, was prepared to receive suggestions on the point. The Public Service Commissioners were appointed for seven years. A.s the result of his administration of the Act for two years he was bound to say- he had modinea the views he , held prior to their ap-i pointment. He was now of opinion that the country could not go back to the old position of Ministerial control, because there must be some one to control the heads of departments in a way that a Minister iwae not able to do. A modified form of control would have to .iw adopted, and that woijld probably take the form of a Minister of Public Work*, who would be on the floor of the House and be responsible to the House as to the work of the service. He pointed out that 3316 men had gone to the front up; to March. 31st, and work was necessarily being done under great,difficulty, co that it was surprising rather than otherwise that defalcations were so small. . " COST OP LIVING COMMITTEE. The Premier moved that the names of the Hon. Mac Donald and Mr Wright be added to "the Cost of Living Committee. Several members asked that Labour should have more direct Tepre* sentation on the-committee, as those most concerned were the workers. Mr

Massey said there were already -fil representatives of Labour on the Coa mittee. He defended- the constituttq of the Committee. • ~, The motion was passed, and the Houi rose at 5.30. , .

At 7.30 the debate on the Budgd was resumed by Mr Statnain, who saif the National Cabinet had suflered l« seme extent from the want of activ* opposition and consequent criticisid| tie yropoaed to make amends for tha by criticising the Government. One at ms chief complaints was that it Val too slow to grasp opportunities.-»Ai « result they tound in the Budget meaf sures which members had been advocate ing for some considerable time, such a4 an amusements tax, while the profitil tax was eight months late. On tbj other liana, the Government some* times showed firmhes& which amounted *p stubbornness, as evidenced by ttii Minister of .Railways' refusal to restor* suburban trains, tne withdrawal 'b| which was unwise and unwarranted. He recognised that finance mustrbi founded on a win-the-war basis, iJuf he was atraid a great deal of our new taxation would have the effect of dnv} ing away capital, while the exemption of war loan interest from income tat would have the effect in the future of casting the whole of the burden 01 those not fortunate enough to iioid war loan bonds. In his opinion, the ■ only, hope for the country was to in* tensely develop its productiveness, an<f upon this question the number of mert sent to the front had an important! bearing. In, this connection he thought the zeal of the Minister of Defenca ha 4 outrun his reason. To promote production he advocated more liberal tenure of two million acres of national endowment land which at present was only bringing in £32,934 per annum* Much might be done in a similar dir-f ©etion with North of Auckland lands*;} where enormous potentialities werd - awaiting development. He did nor agree with, the Minister of Finance*' who declined to put a duty on' motor cars. Itf like manner he was disappojrited that a stiff duty was not put"".on spirits and beer. The Government Wai only playing with the question, and jh the end it would fall1 between < two stools. It- would please neither party. Where there was entertainment of aa educational character, such as choral societies, he hoped the amusement tax would hot apply, while so far as the income tax was concerned he, thoughti ■< single men should pay more than tha i man with a family. He gave the Gov« > ernment credit for its promise to in-

crease pensions, but it might ,well| have done it last year—though betteu late than never.

Mr Brown opposed fhe amusement' and tea taxes. He complained that the Minister of Defence did not talft the House into hjs confidence, bu.t act. «d as an autocrat. New Zealand waa sending more reinforcements than tlia population warranted. He contended that we should cry, a halt, and; (c* ~ America fill the gap," since we had b~eeii fighting for threa years as much" in ' America's interests as our own. Dr Newman said tne greatest weal*. ' ness of the National Cabinet was iti ' timidity and vaccilation. What waa ' wanted was a policy. There was n« • •xmsistency in the Government one day saying reinforcements were to be kept* up to full Btrengthj and the next day .-, that they were to be> reduced. One day we were going to have a profits -* tax; next day it -was repealed. Thia '$ sort of vaccilation destroyed conlid- * ence. This country was about to fee] v the financial pinch. So far we had not felt it, but unless the war en'de^l soon, stringency would quickly be apparent. Unfortunately, ther c was' n« sign of the wax ending, not even "in 1918, but so far the GovernmentJfaH never raised its voice in favour ofecdnomy. He deprecated the cons£a¥t changes in iforms of taxation. " Itl ■ would be better to hay forms/ and increase them as -the necessity:, arose, rather than change them if're- ' suits were not satisfactory. The butter tax was an unjustifiable and unconstitutional interference with tHe rights oi| Parliament; no taxation- should b« raised except by vote of Parliament.. ' and he hoped the Government would not attempt the experiment again. Ha/ favoured a differential rate on earned/ and unearned incomes, and strongly > opposed the tea tax. while every luxury was let off so lightly. Mr Glover generally supported tlwf proposals in the Budget, but stronglj objected to the tax on tea; and indicated that he would strongly opposf any proposal to send to the front bpy| of nineteen. - The adjournment of the debate waf moved by Mr. Parr. The House rose at 10.35. . -