PARLIAMENT.

West Coast Times, Issue 14174, 26 July 1907, Page 4

PARLIAMENT.

(Per Press Association) Wellington, July 25 THH HOUSE. The Phanoial Debate concluded this morning shortly before half past twelve.

Mr Barber resumed thediaoussion after the dinner adjournment. He urged that •n ed valorem end weight duty should be placed on; shoddy, whicb weuld have tbe effect of redooiog the quantity of shoddy enter!ng|tbe oolony, and wonld assist in the development of tbe colony's woollen industry. He contended tbat the place of s doty on raw cotton would prevent tbe colonial manufacturers from supplying t good cheap material composed of new wool mixed with a little eottoo, whioh waa'a good article, and oompeied with shoddy. The latter contained no new woolj.but only old and adulterated material. He urged tbat unless the industry reoeived a little protection, tbe worker in the oolony would be brought te the same level as the sweated worker in the Old Country.

Mr Thomson oritioised the book keeping system of the colony, and mrged it should be reformed. He associated the better payment of teachers, and] the plaoing of theTeaubera Superannuation Fund on a more aound basis. He char* acteriaed the Budget as ft business one, and commended the Postmaster-General for tbe concessions granted* He advocated the States lending working miners money in tbe tame manner as money was lent to aet'tieiß under the Advances to SeUienAot. Suoha concession would reault in the development of our mineral wealth. Referring to tbe naval subsidy, he thought we ahould increase our subsidy to £60,000 per annum. Turning to the endowments, he urged tbat the Government should have utilised the settlement lands for this purpose; as it wv, the proposal put forward would take years before my revenue would be available.

MrMoLaoblan considered the Leader of tbe Opposition's entioism of the Budget speech wee a bit washy, whilst the member for Bruce (Mr Allen) in eritioiiiog the railway revenue, showed that he was not np-to>date. He did not agree with the Govermtit in all the remiesiona of taxation proposed, and waa particularly opposed to the remission ot the ibeep tax-

M? laard suggested that the Minister of Customs should bring down legislation to enable bin, in oaae of necessity, to take the doty of the neoeuaries of life. Referring to the proposed postal oonoes■iom, he did not think the majority of of the people were going to gain toy thing. He urged that a new poßt office and i new railway station should be built in Wellington. He had recently visited Taibape, bat that place did not require a postoffioeof the kind it had, which re ■embled a mosque.- Neither did they require a palatial Bail way (Station like tbat at Duoedia. Referring to tbe mail servioe via Sues, he urged that negotiation* six aid be entered into with the Union Company to. delay the steamer leaving Sydney on Satirdaya ontil Mondays, thus euable the Eogltth mail to be delivered iv Wellington on Thursday night or Friday morning, representing again of five days. He agreed with the proposals set forth for dealing with the restriction of tbe Chinese entering the oolony, and instenoed the test recently enforced in Auatiatii, where the Customs authorities applied it to what was considered an undesiiable immigrant. Tbat test was in ttt Greek lingnage. Such a test, if en forced in this colony, wonld prove effectual in restricting the entry of Cbinepe. Referring to the Laud Bill, he said he did not believe in the Crown parting with any land*. He advocates the leasehold system, with a 33 years lease, whicb wonld be a inffloiently long lease. Tbe terms should oontein a provision for the perpetual right of renewal. Mr Baoao congratulated the Premier on bringing down a policy for the improvement of the people of the Colony. He edvootted the adoption of a protective tariff lor the purpose of benefit ting eoboial industries. He waa strongly op posed to allowing motor oars to enter duty free, »nd particularly in regard to the bodies of oars, which could be made here, and (hie would give employment to numbers et workmen. Referring to the land policy of tbe Government, he was aatisfittd with them, but would like to see the graduated land t x oommenoe ai £90,000, inttcad ot £4u,C00. He cod* tended ibet toe landless people of tbe c-looy were not r«ceiviu|t the attention they deserved. The tendency on tbe part ot utany members of (he House waa $o legislate lor the men already |Q poteewvu ot Uu4,

The Premier rose to reply at 11.15,

He said tbe criticism, so far as it had gone, had not disclosed aDy weakness in the Financial Statement. Tbe Govern* tnenb had never experienced any diffi- ' culty in rreeting loans as they became { due, and never would. The proposal to j borrow a million provided it should be ' borrowed, not in England, but; in New Zealand. Time and again money had been offered in Australia at a good premium and there was no need to go to England for a loan. There was no weakness ?■ the proposals put forth. The same people who complained of tbe borrowing of money were always endeavouring to procure votes for the erection of large public building in their own constituencies. Auckland la'J experienced these demands, aid the member for Wei liagton Central (Mr Fisher) had thai cay advocated the expenditure of money on a post offioe in Wellington. What he asked, was the use of anyone dealing in colloaal hypocrisy m urging tbe Govern* ment ta cease boirowiDg everj day there were questions on the Order Paper asking for grants for cities and constituencies in the way of public buildings and railway facilities, and for increases to the wages of public servants. Yet the members who were asking for these grants for their constituencies were talkng to their constituents and deprecated borrowing money. The Premier quoted figures showing various amounts expended on Publio Works in various portions of the colony. He suggested tbat members should render assistance by ceasing to ask for grants for their own constituencies if they desired to cease borrowing. D. a'ing with the reductions in the Customs tariff be said that every one of tbe / industries affected bad the opportunity of placing their views before the Minister. He never contended that there never wait a customs tariff which had given such general satisfaction as the proposals now set forth by the Government. The whole matter of the customs had been gone into with a view to assisting the industries, compatible with reducing the x tariff ,on too uecessaxies of life. The Government wna prepared to listen to any suggedtinus from ibe floor of the House with a viow to amending 1 tbe tariff further, if it could be abovrn tbat any industriks were being interfered witb. There appeared to be "an id* a that the reduction on motor cars was intended to benefit rich people. It was put before the Government tbat a number of busU ness men were desirous of obtaining motor cars for tbe purposes of their business, but had been unable to do so owing to the duty on them. There were 8,000 motorcars in the colony, but there should be more, and he asserted that if the oolony m\d its proper share of these cars, they would employ a number of workmen in the way repairing and attending to them equal to two-cbirds of tbe railway servants; and, as motor cars increased., they would eventually em pi y as many n ien as the Railway Department. Motor oars could not be mads iv tbe colony at the present time, and taking off tbe duty did not affect motor cars. In connection with laad aod income tax, he knew men who wanted to go further than tbe proposals in tbe Budget, but be contended tbat, while a^ compromise had been onade in regard to advanced iand legislation, a great deal of their desires weie embodied in Government propose, there was a proposal to reduce the limit £20,000, but he pointed oat that tbe the Government's proposals meant an immediate inoreaserof £90,000. When the increase took place in 1901 and 1905. it only amounted to £23,000, but in 1906 the increase wai £62 t OOO, aud next year it was £35,000. The Government was not taking off a penny piece of those increases, DUt was putting £90,000 on top of them. Those members who urged that the Government sboulJ go lower had to consider their responsibilities. A point m tbe Government's proposals waa that ordinary railway land bad not been pot upon the record, because the owners of estates knew tbat they had ooly to stand out and they would be able to go to the Compensation Court, with the result that unfair values bad been fixed, compelled to make these drastio propos als. The Bill not only prevented the aggregation of estate, but the division of elates, and they would find the owners of land seeing fair values were put upon their land.

The House met at 2.30 to-day.

The Giaborne Harbour Bill (Carroll), and Wellington U>ty .Empowering Bill (Ftsber) were read a first timo and referred to the Local Bills Committee.

The Loan Bill was brought down by Governor's message and read a first time.

The Noxious Wieda Act Amendment Bill waa cenaid?red in Committee. An amendment by Mr Rutherford to accept portions of the Atnuri and Cheviot counties from the operation of the Bill ' was subsequently withdrawn.

During the discausion Mr Stallwottby referred 10 the time when Mr Alieon was fined under the Noxious Weeds Act for failing to clear bia land of weeds.

Mr Alison stated the proseontion was a political one.

Mr Duncan, who was Minister of Lands at the time, denied it was a political prosecution and had never been brought under bia notioe in any way until to-day.

The discussion was proceeding wheu the House adjourned at 6.80.

On resuming at 7.30 the N xioos Weeds Act Amendment Bill was amended in committee to include Auckland in tbe operation* of the Rill.

Tbe Loan Bill provides for ra ; l.ray ooiietrucfc on j£375,000 , additioual rolliDg stock for open lives aud «noh other par poves in connection therewith, £200,000 ; lud settlemenf, conhtrnctinn o f roads, t aofe°, and bridges, etc, £360,000 ; dt-vil>pm-nt of golctfields f25Ol)0; telfgiapbExtension£so 000;to r al €1.000,000

Progress va< reported and tbe House adjourned at 11.85 p.m.