OUR PARLIAMENT.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume XXIII, 24 July 1923, Page 7

OUR PARLIAMENT.

I KK l-KKSS ASSOCIATION—OOrnUOBT WELLINGTON, Monday. In the House this evening, the, Prime Minister moved the second reading of the Stamp Duties Bill, which he explained was passed last year, but never brought into operation, because certain defects had been discovered in its text. The law was now being amended and consolidated, the principal amendment being in part V., which referred to duties on mortgages. Under this Bill only mortgages on land were dutiable. Mr Wiltord said the Bill was highly technical, and he suggested it should be refeired to the Statutes Revision Committee, where those acquainted with such matters could carefully examine the details of the Bill. He protested against the proposal to tax the lease with the right of purchase as if it were a completed sale. Purchase might never be completed for many years, and such a transaction should be taxed as a transfer. If the Statutes Revision Committee took evidence on that point, he felt confident they would amend the measure in the direction suggested by him. The Hou. C. J. Parr said that if such a duty was collected, there was provision for a refund in the case of the pin chase not being completed. Mr Wilford: That is the wrong way round. The duty should not be collected until the purchase is made.

Meso-. Buddo. Hannan and Sidey criticised the Bill, which, Mr Massey, in reply, promised to refer to the Statutes Revision Committee. The Bill was read a second time, and referred as above. The Hon. W. Nosworthy (Minister of Agriculture) moved the second reading of the Noxious Weeds Amendment Bill. He thought the time would not be far distant when they would have an overhaul ®f the whole of the legislation relating to noxious weeds, but there was no time to do that this session, and hence he was introducing a Bill which contained a few minor amendments, principally in the direction of authorising local bodies to declare certain plants not to be noxious weeds. Mr Forbes said the House ought to be told whether this Bill stiffened or weakened the administration of the original Act He feared the Canadian ibistie was likely to spread dangerously, and he thought local bodies should not be given power to declare it not a noxious weed. Hand in hand with this legislation should go the Pure Seeds Bill, and he. wanted to know what had become of it. Mr Hockly favoured the Bill. He thought the County Councils, with local knowledge, could, with advantage. bo given greater power. Mr Holland pointed out that one of the features of the noxious weeds problem. was the infested state of the Crown biuib- which ought to be kept clean, if private owners were expected to clear their lands. Mr Field said that in the past, the law had not. been administered as strictly as it might have been, mainly because the districts were too large, and inspectors could not get over the ground. The Hon. Buddo said the present law was quite satisfactory and only required administration. He hoped this Bill would be withdrawn as it did exactly the thing it ought not to do. The debate was continued by Messrs Nash, Hunter, Lani stone, Glenn, Edie, McMillan, Horn, Veitch, and J. M. Dickson, each speaker giving the House the benefit of his local experience. The Minister, in reply, combated the suggestion that he was weakening, the administration of the Act. and said it was not the least use. trying to enforce the law in those districts where it could not be enforced. There were some districts in the Dominion in which every sttler would be ruined if the Act were strictly carried out: they could not work under a cast-iron Act, and he preferred to leave the necessary powers of discretion to the local bodies who were familiar with local conditions, and knew how best the Act should be administered. The Bill was read a second time, an<> the House rose, nt 11.30 p.m., till 2.30 p.m. to-morrow