A N.Z. PARLIAMENT.

Waikato Times, Volume 110, Issue 18478, 5 November 1931, Page 7

A N.Z. PARLIAMENT.

TO-DAY’S SITTING. CUSTOMS BILL PASSED. REMAINING estimates approved (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Thursday. Confronted with a large programme Of business for which urgency had been accorded the House of Representatives made relatively slow progress last evening hut there was a sharp contrast to this in the early hours of this morning. The debate on the second reading of the Customs Amendment Bill was continued throughout the evening and . did not terminate until 2.30 a.m. When the division was taken on the amendment moved by Mr C. A. Wilkinson (Independent—Egmont) that the second reading should be postponed until the next sitting day to enable the Government |to consider the direful effects of the duties on wheat and flour and bread, the amendment was defeated by 50 votes to 16 and the bill read a second time without further discussion. The bill was then considered in committee, this stage occupying two and a-half hours. It was then read a third time and passed without further delay. The remainder of the business for the day consisted in the passage of the Public Works Estimates totalling £7,435,705. Each vote was adopted without discussion and the total sum vvjatlf~passed within five minutes. \ **The House rose at 5.10 a.m. till 7.30 o’clock this evening.

MEASURE DEBATED. , PETROL TAXATION METHODS. • IMPOST ON IMPORTERS URGED. PRICE FIXATION. (By Telegrapn.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Thursday. When the committee stage of the Customs Amendment Bill commenced the discussion on the short title was oentred mainly on the incidence of the Increased petrol tax. Mr J. S. Fletcher (IndependentGrey Lynn) strongly advocated that Importing companies should be compelled to carry the impost and that consumers should be protected by the Government fixing the selling price of motor spirit. The Minister of Finance, the Hon. Downie Stewart, said a law might be passed fixing the selling price of petrol but he did not know how It would work out in practice unless there was some control of the source of supply. Moreover he did not know how a foreign corporations tax such as had been suggested by the select committee on highways finance could be made to operate in the direction desired. There would be no guarantee that it would not be passed on to the consumers.

The Minister said he had made inquii’ies as to what proportion of the tax the companies carried and their argument, he understood, was that owing to adverse exchange and depreclatian in the state of our currency they had io meet an extra charge of threepence or fourpence, although the twopence they were passing on was the amount of the additional impost. Mr H. M. Rushworth (Country— Bay of Islands), contending that there had been precedents during the war imposing a "lid,” sugit should be possible for the Government to fix a maximum price at which the commodity might be sold. Mr Stewart said the question of price fixation was one of the most difficult ones any Government could tackle, especially when there was a lack of substantial competition in the Industry, The short title was passed at 3.20 a.m.

The Leader of the Opposition, Mr H. E. Holland, devlded the House on the clause imposing a three per cent primage duty. The clause was retained. Wheat and Flour Duties. When the clause dealing with special provisions as to duties on wheal and wheat ilour imported from countries whose currency in relation to New Zealand currency is appreciated or depreciated was under consideration, Mr Rushworth moved to extend these provisions to all commodities. He said that if New Zealand’s currency was depreciated in relation to that of the country from which the goods were imported it would mean that consumers would have to pay a higher price and unless the duty was reduced there would be hardship. Mr Stewart explained that in the case of wheat and wheat flour there \ -was a sliding scale of duties. Mr Rushworth’s suggestion wotild be unworkable because If it applied to other commodities which were not on a sliding scale, the duty would have i 2 be fixed at varying rates from day as exchange rates moved, and ' also at varying rates with respect to different countries. The amendment was rejected by 39 •votes to 20. Mr M. J. Savage (Labour —Auckland West) moved to restore the tax on tea to its original position. This was defeated by 30 votes to 20. Mr Wilkinson then moved a nurnbor of amendments seeking to reduce the basis of wheat duty from os to 4s at the country of origin, and of flour duty from £l3 10s to £ll at the country of origin and also to reduce the rate of duty, when applied, from eightpencc a bushel to three pence a bushel in the case of wheat and from £1 12s ton to £1 ss, in the case of flour. He did not press all the amendments to a division but those on which the committee did divide were rejected by 30 votes to 20 and 3G votes to 19 respectively. A amendment moved by Mr Fletcher to eliminate the additional twopence a gallon petrol lax was defeated on the voices. Tho 1)111 was put through the committee unamended, read a third time and passed.