THE BREAD TAX.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LIX, Issue 9932, 31 July 1908, Page 7

THE BREAD TAX.

FLOUR DUTY ABOLITION BILL

(Our Parliamentary Special.) . Mr Hogg, iv moving the second reading of the Flour Duty Abolition

§BiU, said be Avas carrying out a proiijjjkho mado lastfsessiou Avheu he eudeWoured unsuccessfully to remove v the tax ou bread. With the leaders of the House aud the members of the • Cabinet still against him, he hardly expected to succeed ou this occasion, but Avheu he believed he Avas in the •''*' right he Avas usually persistent. He . had asked neither Miuister nor memlior to support tho Bill, and ho had vised no influence. It would doubtless, be urged that the passing of the Bill Avould injure an important industry. Ho had no Avisb to injure auy industry ; as a fact, lie Avas in favour of building up the youug industries for Avhicli the Dominion was adapted. Wheat-growing was said to be ou the decline. This Avas so, but what Avas the cause? Not competition from without, but because it paid the farmer better to grow avool aud meat aud ■dairy produce." They had the fact that >of Into large quantities of flour Avore brought by steamers from Australia ou which 20s per ton duty had to be pai... He maintained that tho bread taxjvas unfair aud impolitic. Tho couafcier suffered, aud the principal victims Avere workers Avith large families. The Government should tax luxuries, aud leavo the prime necessary of life alone. There Avas no need —- *o protect articles of produce such as wheat. ■ inifcter. cheese, ham. bacon, vfcc., which they were exporting. Tlio producer Avas not protected. He was exploited. It might be asked why did . he not tackle the duties on produce geuerally. That was a matter for the Government. The duties ou food stuffs Avere like a house of cards; remove

t3iie, aud the rest Avill topple OA-or. If the duty ou flour Avere removed, tho j* rest Avould follow suit. Millers aud graiu merchants Avere uot philanthropists. Iv 19055 leading millers, giving evideuce before the Extension •of Commerce Committee, acknowledged that their Associatiou Avas formed to regulate prices aud make their machinery profitable. The machiuery Avas unprofitable owiug to •unwise speculatiou. Three times the machinery required Had beeu imported. There were seventy-seven mills doing tiie Avork of oue good mill such as Avas to be fouud iv the Uuited Tlie total Avorkers employed by tlffo mills Avas live huudred aud forty, or half the number of the workers at the Welliugtou wharves. If tlie Avorst happened aud tho mills were closed these meu would hardly ■ suffer aud they avoi.l'l fiud other employment. For years past the effect of trusts aud combines had been foreseen. Iv 11103 the Governor's Speech contained this passage : "My Miuisters deem it iv the best interests of tlie colouy that iv respect of the housing, food aud clothiug of the people, legislation should be passed ensuring fair ■competition. " Nothing had been dove, <aud combines had groAvn fat aud vigorous. Take housing. .Buildings aud reuts had iucreased, yet timber rings were shrieking, "luerease the duty ou imports.'' SaAvmillers aud merchants were quarrelling over the spoil, aud appealiug to the Premier, who said, "Go it, you cripples; wooden legsare cheap." ' (Laughter.) The Premier objected. He neA'er said so.

Mr Hogg apologised. He did not give the Premier's words, but the effect or iris reply. He could uot deuy that he saug to the Savages: "There's bound to be a row." (Laughter.) A Avell-kuoAvn public mau.iu Welliugtou iiifnruiotl him that only eight years ago liIHFhI bis resideuce built Avith good totara at 7s 6d per huudred feet, plus 3s Gd carriage. To-day this timber could uot be bought for double the mouey. Ou Mouday last, iv the heart of hi's electorate, he Avas asked by a deputation of saAvmillers to support au increase of the duty ou timber, and when he replied that he could uot do so lie Avas told that the votes of the sawraillers aud their bauds Avould depend ou his decisiou. Members that kueAv hi in need uot be told the reply be gave. Impervious to threats, ho said he ayoul.l do nothing to increase tlie price of buildiug material when he kueAV that owiug to its high price carpenters aud others Avere out of Avork, aud tAvo families had to livo iv bouses only intended for oue. Auother article, butter, was Is 6tl per lb iv the chief centres. The exporters had scut id away iv ship-loads, aud now were raisiug prices. The people were beiug unmercifully SAveated, not by the producers, avlio earned their mouey very hard, uor by tlie retailers behind.the couuter, but by a class of men called merchants, avlio were the brigauds aud freebooters of commerce. %gj-hese meu Avere producing Sociali«P because industrial life Avas becoming uueudurable, and the thrifty Avere pillaged through the medium of their food, clothiug aud reut. What Avas needed Avas more direct taxation. The necessaries of life aud comforts of life should be free. The cry of "Unlock tho land!" avoulci be follOAved by a demaud to "Unlock the necessaries of life!" The democracy insisted upon "the greatest good 'for the greatest number." (Applause.) The motiou for the second reading, ou divisiou, Avas lost—Ayes 21, Noes 38.

The folloAviug was the divisiou list: —Ayes — Arnold, Barber, Baume, Davey. Ell, Fisher, Gray, Heke, Hogan, Hogg, Laureuson, Malcolm, Okey, Parata, Poland, Remiugtou, Ross, Seddou, Sidey, Tauner, Wilford. Noes—Aitken, E. G. Allen, Barclay, Buddo, Carroll, Chappie, Dillou, Duncan, Flatmau, Fowlds, Graham, Greenslade, Hauau, Hardy, Hemes, Kidd, LaAvry, LeAVis, McGowa.n, R. McKenzie, T. Mackenzie, McNab, McPhersou, Major, Marnier, Massey, Reid, Rhodes, Steward, Thomson, Ward, Witty, Wood.