PARLIAMENT.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXVI, Issue 17968, 8 September 1920, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 7. The House met at 2.30. THE SUGAR WORKERS’ DISPUTE. Replying to Mr Parry, the Hon. Lee said the Government had req nested the Colonial Sugar Co. to permit the men to return to work so that the Arbitration Court might see the actual working conditions of the industry and thereby facilitate a settlement of the dispute now pending between the company and its employees. PENSIONS. Replying to Mr Fraser, Sir Wm. Retries said the Pensions Amending Bill would be brought down this session. It was now being drafted, but he could not indicate the exact date when It would be introduced. SUGAR FOR THE SOUTH.

Replying to Mr Witty, the Hon. Lee said there was a good deal of sugar in. Auckland, but the difficulty was its distribution. Men would not handle sugar, and consequently it could not be sent to South Island ports. He would endoax our to have the next shipment or raw sugar sent to the South Island, but ho could not tell what difficulties were ahead. Replying to Mr Hamilton (Awarua) the Hon. Ix'e said brewers’ supplies of sugar were the last on the lists to he supplied. THE BROKEN HILL MINERS.

Mr Holland gave notice of his intention to ask the Premier the following questions: (1.) Whether he will take steps to facilitate the work of those labour organisations which are engaged in rendering assistance to the women and children of Broken Hill whose breadwinners are divorced from their occupation of metal mining because they refuse to work under conditions which are proved to mean either an early death or completely wrecked health; (2) whether he will cause the reports and stiatements of the medical practitioners of Broken Hill and the Government medical officers, and the reports of the idines Department with respect to accidents, together with a statement of dividends, bonuses and amounts credited to reserves by the Broken Hill companies, to be circulated throughout New Zealand in order that it may be fully understood what the miners and mine owners respectively are striving for. To this question Mr Holland has attached the following explanatory note : The medical reports set forth that 70 per cent, of the miners who have worked for 15 years underground at Broken Hill show lung deterioration; that <t miner cannot work for more than four years in the silver mines there with a fair chance of escaping lead poisoning, and that the infantile death rate of Broken Hill is double that of New Zealand owing to the transmission of miners’ occupational diseases to their offspring, while the mining reports show that the average of accidents is enormously higher than in any other Australasian mine. The miners are striving tor shorter hours in order that this record of disease and death may be minimised. In a period of less than 28 years dividends and bonuses paid out have exceeded £25,000,000, while the actual cash put into the mines was not more than £500.000. GOVERNMENT BUSINESS. Mr Massey gave notice of his intention to move that on and after next Monday the House meet at 7.30 to deal with Government busmass only. He said 'he proposed to ask the House to dispose of a certain amount of minor business on Mondays. THE CIVIL LIST BILL. Mr Massey moved to set up a Select Committee of seven members to consider the Civil List Bill No. 2, with power to meet any similar committee appointed by the Legislative Council. HON. ANDERSON’S RECOVERY. The Hon. Anderson was able to take his seat in the House for awhile this afternoon, and was cordially welcomed by his colleagues and fellow members. THE NATION’S LIQUOR BILL. Commenting on a return laid on the table showing the quantity of liquor sent into No-license” districts, Mr McCombs said the return showed there was an alarming increase in the drinking habits of the people. Our consumption was now just on fourteen gallons per head, and our expenditure on liquor £6 i9s 6d per head, which was the highest iquor bill we had ever had. Still, from the figures available (crime statistics, etc.), it was clear that no-license was doing good so far as it went; but he a-sk-:d the Government to go carefully into the question, for the fact was there was a consumption of liquor going on which was never before equalled in the history of the Dominion. The Government should give the House a lead as to how it proposed to deal with this problem at the next general election along the lines of national prohibition. This reference to the paper promoted a general discussion on the liquor trade, the arguments pro and con following the conventional lines.

REPORT OF PENSIONS DEPARTMENT. The Hon. Sir Wm. Herries laid on the table the report of the Pensions Department. Mr Wil ford made an appeal for increases in old age pensions, and superannuation for Civil Servants. This plea was supported by Dr. Newman and Messrs Witty, Isitt, Field, Soddon, Hockley, Fraser, T. W, Rhodes, Young and Parry. Ministers being specially asked to so amend the law that «, widow with a small cottage should not be penalised by the loss of pension in consequence of having a home in which to live. Replying to Mr Mitchell, the Hon, Rhodes said he was inquiring into the suggested amendment of the Eoldiors

Pensions Act, with a view to increasing the amounts of aid and removing anomalies. Mr Mnssey said that a Pensions Bill would lie introduced this session, but any increase in pensions amounting to anything like a million was quite out of the question. The House adjourned at 5.30. The House resumed at 7.30 p.m. LAND AND INCOME ASSESSMENT The Land and Income Assessment Bill, as approved by the Public Accounts Committee, was introduced by Administrator’s message. Mr Massey said the main purpose of the Bill was not greatly to increase the revenue, but rather to remove anomalies in the existing law. He pointed out, however, that they were increasing- the tax on the big estates, and larger incomes were being similarly dealt with. Mr McCombs objected to the exemption of taxation on mortgages. Mr Wilford said the Bill was highlly technical, and he hoped the Premier would give the House every opportunity of carefully learning the Bill before it came on for the second reading. Mr Massey said members of the Public Accounts Committee had applied themselves honestly to the framing of the Bill, which was a great improvement on the measure as originally drafted. The Bill was read a first time. LAND AND INCOME TAX. Mr Massey moved the second reading of the Land and Income Tax (Annual) Bill, which he said had been fully debated a few afternoons ago. The Bill was necessary to enable the Department to p'oceed with the collection of land and income tax.

Mr Veitch complained that, no readjustment of the incidence of taxation had been made this year. Instead of collecting land and income tax on the former rate, that rate should have been increased, so that some reduction might have been made in Customs duties, thereby affording some relief to the poorer classes of the community. He moved as an amendment that the Bill be referred back to the Government, with a recommendation for a substantial reduction in Customs duties on the necessaries of life, also a substantial increase in the higher grades of the land tax, to ensure the bursting up of the big estates and ensuring their acquisition at a reasonable price, and substantial increases on larger incomes and death duties.

The amendment was seconded by* Mr Smith (Taranaki), who claimed that the present Bill was a breach | of faith on the part of the Govern- ! ment, Mr Massey having promised such a proposal as contained In the ■’mendment in his election manifesto. Mr Massey said the House would consider the amendment on its merits and recognise that it was a waste of time, because it could not be given effect to. It had been claimed that the Government had done nothing for the poorer classes, but the fact was that scarcely any worker had been touched by the Government’s taxation. The tax on tea was the only instance in which they'had been directly affected, and that only to a nominal extent. The fact was that there was no country in the world in which the poorer classes got off so lightly as they did in New Zealand. This amendment meant an increase in taxation which he was confident the people of the Dominion did not favour. It was true our Customs revenue was increasing, but that was due simply to the increase in trade and the prices of articles coming into the country. That, however, hardly affected the poorer classes. He would be glad to reduce the Customs dues as soon as this could be done, but everyone knew that no satisfactory revision of the tariff could be made under six months’ hard work by the Dominion’s highest experts, and that could not be done unless members were prepared to stay there till Christmas. As to increases in death duties, he was not going to give secrets away, but the fact was that the committee was summoned to meet to-morrow morning to go more fully into t«hat matter. He did not approve of relying on people dying to get our revenue, but he knew these increased duties would be more necessary next year than this. He emphasised the point that the rate of Customs duties -had not been increased on the poorer classes, and claimed that nothing he could have himself suggested, could have more clearly demonstrated the merit of the Government’s policy than Mr Veitch’s amendment.

Mr McCombs complained that the figures showing revenue and expenditure did not truly disclose the financial position of the Dominion. The fact was that if the revenue went on increasing for a whole year at the same rate as for the first four months it would be found the Government was taking more money out of the people than the figures in the Budget would lead the people to suppose. All the readjustment asked for in the amendment could be made this year without necessitating a complete revision of the Customs tariff, and'the least the Government should do was to remit the primage duty and the duty on tea. Mr Jones said anyone who objected to increased railway rates and fares was against paying the railway men a fair wage. The farmer did not object to taeet his fair share of taxation, but he did object to a certain section of the co'mmnnity saying qlways, “Put it on the land.” Farmers would have to pay an additional five millions on freights next, vear, and that must be regarded as an additional tax on the farmers’ land. Customs duties Sid not hurt, the workers, and when the House camo to revise the tariff next year It would be very hard to discover in what way ft. can be altered to reduce the duties on the working classes. Mr Lysnar said that while he agreed with the main principles of the amendment, he realised that it could not be given effect to this ses-

sion, and therefore he would vote against >t. It was no use harassing the Government merely for partypurposes. .Mr Stewart said the whole merit of the amendment was whether or not its proposals could be put into operation this year. The i’uulic Accounts Committee had made a special inquiry on this point, and they had found that this was impossible. Therefore he would vote against the amendment. There were those who I thought steps should have been i taken earlier to give effect to these I proposals, but the members’ visit to ; Samoa and the Prince’s visit were good and sufficient reasons why this I could not be done. To carry the i amendment would only result in ' confusion in our finance, and he was ! not prepared to take that risk at the ; present time.

Mr Mitchell said he was disappointed with the Premier’s statement regarding bis taxation proposals. It was clear there was no intention to increase the land and income taxes. There was merely to be a readjustment. There was also no proposal to pay the war debt out of war-created profits. That responsibility should not be left to posterity, because posterity may ha.ve wars of its own to face. He appealed to the Premier to take the duties off woollen goods as some slight concession to the poorer classes of the people. Mr Luke said he could not support the amendment. The Government was responsible for the administration of the country, and they must not be unnecessarily hampered in that duty. At the same time he honed the Premier would set up a committee during the recess to assist him in framing a Customs tariff, so that the tariff may be ready to be dealt with immediately the House meets next session.

Mr Wilford contended it was th-j ■inty of committees to find a policy for the Government. Therefore he did not approve of Mr Luke’s suggestion that a committee be set up to consider the tariff. On the general question of taxation he asked the Premier to affirm by legislation this year that taxation is being increased on the higher grades of land tax. on larger incomes, and on death duties. He did not ask the Premier to collect this revenue this year. WJiat he wanted was that the principle should be affirmed at once, and he did not care if the Act did not come into force until Ist April. 1 922. That would give the large landowners time to unload. Mr Holland said all our systems of taxation began at the wrong end. and we yet would have to reverse our methods and strike at the men with big incomes before smaller men were touched at all. At 12.15 a division was taken on Mr Veitch’s amendment, which was lost by 32 to 16. The Bill was then read a second time The Premier said it was important that the Bill should he put through all its singes, as the Department was anxious to have it put into operation. There were no new features in the Bill, it being merely a repetition of last year's Bill. It was then put through the remaining stages and passed The House rose tit 12.22 a.m.