PARLIAMENT.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2644, 28 October 1909, Page 4

PARLIAMENT.

legislative council. MOTIONS OF CONDOLENCE. [Tkh Phmss Association.! AucklanHiH ami ms -ed aS the Council adjourned until To -morrow out of respect to the memory of the deceased^ house of representatives. PUBLIC WORKS ANI) LAND' SETI’LEMENT B ILL. After midnight on Tuesday the dein be on the Public Works and Land uTfi rr l„t Bill was continued by Messrs Poole, Hanan, Buchanan, NY Ilford and Buick. The Premer replied, Ind the second reading was earned. The Premier, on the plea of urgency, moved the committal of the Bid ior next sitting day, and the House rose Ut ln the House on Wednesday afternoon Mr. Fisher’s Sunday Labor Bill was read a second time pro forma. In committee on the 1 üblic M orks and Land Settlement Bill, -Mr. Herdman moved a new clause, providing that no grant of public' money for expenditure, on public works should be mid without having been approved by an Advisory Board. 'I he mover said there- was enormous waste Hi the expenditure of public monies on roads and bridges, and, an some eases, this was done with a view to influencing The Chairman ruled that the clause •vas foreign to the Bill- An appeal to the Speaker resulted m the ruling he“L'S. 3. providing £400.000 in respect of public works other than railwavs, roads and bridges, Mr. Allen moved that the amount be reduced by -'•'•MO,000. ~M- Massev uracil the Premier to <rlve' "the House fuller information rejectin'' the £400,000 for -'other public works,” which, he said, was a vague phrase. fi. T. E. Taylor said he would support a motion to strike out the clause altogether. The whole method raising and spending public money needed reiorm. Air. Allen’s amendment was negatived by 42 to 22, and the Biff was reported unamended. A debate ensued on the motion ior the third reading of the Bill. . Air Herries said he regretted teat some such scheme as that embodied m bis motion had not been adopted. It would prevent sweetening the electorates by Ministers,-which was scandalous at present. . , ~ Mr. Hanan characterised Mr. llerries’ proposal as undemocratic. Mr. Massey said it was tco democratic to be supported by Government. Parliament had no check and no control over the public woi'ks expenditure. Tb.e haste shown in putting the Loan Bill before the House was unceemlv. He asked if £50,000, half the annual subsidy to the Imperial Government on account of naval defence ban been paid. The House rose at 5.30 p.m. At the evening sitting, the debate on tlie third reading of the Pub-ic Works and Land Settlement Bill was continued. Air T E. Tavlor dealt at length with ‘Air. Lloyd-George’s Budget proposals. and tlie methods adopted to secure a share of community-created value of land for the community. The value of the lands of the Dominion bad increased largely as a result of borrowed money, and tlie system of taxation was most inequitable. They oughtto introduce the betterment principle, so that the people who receive unearned increment may not leave others to pav taxation by means of the Customs tariff. In the past 17 years 23,000 freeholders in the Dominion had paid six millions sterling in land tax, but received 85 millions in the shape of the unimproved value of their property. He could not agree to the Opposition s proposal that Parliament should abrogate its functions and ~ecome a glorified Road Board. Air. Baiime said that local ment- reform was badly needed to remedy T tlie existing state of things in connection with the execution of public works. Parliament should not be asked to discuss a great many small matters that were at present dealt with in the House. He was a thorough believer in tlie betterment principle, but did hot approve of increasing the burden of taxation on small settlers. After much discussion, Sir' Joseph Ward rose to repy. He deprecated the introduction into the debate of a discussion on land proposals not yet placed before the House. He ridiculed the flimsy pretext of Air, Allen in moving the* reduction* of-the amonnt allocated in clause 3 by one-half on the ground of lack of details, when he knew that the Government- could not •appropriate the amount until the purposes for which it was wanted were stated. On the question of' urgency, be bad made it clear when introducing the. Bid that tlie Dominion was not in r.eod .oi money. He intimated that it . was c'-sirablo to obtain the money before the end of the month, as money was cheap and plentiful, and changes might take place at Home altering Hie state of the money market. Regarding the payment of the naval subsidies, these were paid in London receipt of an application from the Admiralty. Up to the present he had no; • .-x>ivecl a voucher since the subsidy ha K een increased, but the High Commis-. .-er had instructions to pay ib immediate,;?* lie received the request. The third reading was passed on tlie voices, and the House rose at midnight. ' .