Stone Wall Ends

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 227, 25 October 1929, Page 8

Stone Wall Ends

Per Press Association.

■ ' BETTER PROGRESS MADE Parties Reach An Agreement AMENDMENTS MADE.

WELLINGTON. Last night. When Parliament i-esumed yesterday ftfternoon Reform memoer continued to oppose clause two. The discussion was j Continued until 3.35, when the clause | tras passed witliout a division. j The House then proceeded to discuss j amendments to clause three of the bill, ; dealing with hardship arising from tlie j imposition of the special land tax. In j all there are fourteen amendments to : the clause, the majority being put ■ for ward by the Opposition. The first , to be denlt with was by Govenior-Gen- ( eral's raessage, whihc amended sub- ; clause two of section three to read as | follows : — _ _ ] "If in any sucli case the commission I appointed as aforesaiil repqrts that in ! its opinion payment of special land tax I has entailed or would entail serious j hardship to a taxpayer, the Commis- j sioner of Taxes mav, in accordance ; with the report of the said eonmiission, j and witliout fnrther authority than this j section, rrefund the whole or any part 1 of the special land tax so paid or re- : lease the taxpavcr wholly or in part I from his liability to pay such special | land tax." A further amendment to msert a I snb-clanse deoling with commissions of j inquirv into the financial position of a i taxpaver nlloging hardship and ndapt-j abilitv of lands to be used for agrieul- ] turaf purposes dropped by tlie | Minister. Mr Forbes stated that tlie whole position of hardship was eovered bv the clause. ' Both Mr Lysnar and Mr C'oates congratnlated the Minister on the amended suh-clause, the amcndmcnt being carried on the voices. In answer to a- question hy -Mr Coates the Minister stated that the commission which it was proposed to set up under the clause would probably consist of a stipoudiarv magistrate as chairman, a representative of the farmers and an ex-Coinmissioner of Taxes who. the Minister thought, would he availahle for the position. GETT1NG DOWN TO BUSINESS. At five o'clock the Leader of the Opj>osition said the alteration wliicli the Minister had suggested in the hardship clause he thought would makc a material difference in the Reform Party's attitude to the who.le of the Ijill. and he requested _ that an opportunitv he given to go into the whole matter with his partv to see lf some ssrreement could he reached to sliorten the discussion. He. suggested that the House sliould adjourn until perhaps 7.30 this evening, during whieh time be could go into ihe matter and approach the Minister with some suggestion which would lead to the termination of the debate. , , Mr Forbes : I nm sure the whole . House wants to get on with the business as quickly as .possihle, and if it is of any assistance "for Mr Loates to disc'uss aov of the clauses I am willmg to give him "an opp'ortumty. \Ve have a certain amount of business to get tlirono-h before 5-30 to-morrow mght— namelv, the Land and Income lax Amendment Bill, the Taxmg Bill and the Estimates. Tf we get the Lanu and Income Tax Amendinent Bul out or tlie way to-night we will have a rree xun to-morrow. When the Honse resumed at 8.3U, TsTr Coates stated that he had gathered from tlie Minister that wliere tlie imposition of special taxation m atlditiou to ordinary taxation on mort-c-rre land destroycd the equity, and wliere land was not suitable for closer scttlement, those aspects could be taken into eonsideration by the eomlnission. It was, however. desired that the commission's band.s sbould not be tied and tliat it sliould be allowed to nsc its juclgment. I\fr Coates added tliat during tlie adjournmeiit he liad consnlted witli tlie Minister, and he nnderstood that the Minister considered that the various rpiestions that liad lieen representcd to him in regard to hardship were fairly rnet hy tlie hardship clause as amended as a result of tlie disc-iission. THE MIMISTER'S STATEMENT. Mr Forbes said it had been tlie deaire of the Government througliout to get the legislation on the Statute Book. It liad been willing to make any fair amendment not affecting the purposes of the bill, wliicli were to obtain revenue and to bring ahout the suh-division of large estates. He would be prepared to include tlie words "on fair or reasonahle grounds" in tlie clause. He considered the words "serious hardship" sliould be ineluded in tlie clause, and in order that a certain amount of discretion sliould he givon to the comniissioner he thought thc clause sliould read 'hnay refund." The aiuendiuents submitted hy Befonn mcmhers were eiiher withdrawn cr allowed to he defeated on the voices. On the niotion of Mr Forbes the hardship clause was tlien amended to include the words "on any fair and reasonahle grounds whatsoever." Clause three (the hardship clausel was then passed. The remainder went ti* rough the eommittee witliout amendment.