POLITICAL GOSSIP.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume V, Issue 631, 9 July 1891, Page 2

POLITICAL GOSSIP.

[special to th a standard.] Wellington. last night. The financial debate is still proceeding. It extended into the third week last night, when several members, including Sir John Hall, spoke. The debate last night was chiefly remarkable for the bitter hostility of Mr Fish to the Government. So far there has been no direct issue before the House, but this afternoon a meeting of the Opposition was held to decide on the courge of action. There were 18 present. It was agreed on the motion of Mr Bryce to move that in the face of the surplus of £270,000, the House regrets that no proposal has been made by the Government to remove the duties on the necessaries of life. Mr Dathie will move this resolution. The Postmaster-General, who arrived from South this afternoon, is anxiously awaited by his colleagues, for it he insists, as reported, on the penny postage reform being treated as a Ministerial question, trouble looms in the distance. THE FINANCIAL DERATE.—THP! PREMIER'S REPLY, The Financial debate ia expected to conclude tonight. Should nothing unforeseen occur the Premier will reply to the objections raised, and will state the intention ot ths Government to stand by the postal reductions, and also the proposed totalisator tax. He will indicate the direction in which the taxation proposals will be modified. Very likely he will issue a challenge to the Opposition as to whether they are prepared to accept the land tax on unimproved values. Apart from that ha will indicate that the Government will probably mors a land tax, a graduated tax on unimproved value, making improvements entirely exempt. Under the graduated system the amount rt revenue lost by the change will be made up by altering the graduated scale, boss to prats mors heavily on wealthy landholders. He will state, however, that Government cannot exempt improvements above £3,000 this year, for financial reasons. Concerning the In some Tax, he will indicate the intention of Government to consider whether there should not be a graduated tax on larger incomes then nnder ths existing proposals. The question of how best to afford tha desired relief to the Gisborne Harbor Board is still under consideration of the Cabinet. There was before the Native Affairs Committee yesterday a petition from Popita Tamarato and thirty other natives, who stated that they had sold their block of land called Paremata to the New Zealand Settlement Company, under false representation. They prayed that the sale should be annulled. The Committee reported that as the matter is now before the Supreme Court they had no recommendation to make. The committee which is to consider tha Labor Bills was set up to-day. It consists of the Minister for Education, Captain Russell, Members Buchanan, Buckland. Dathie, Earnshaw, Fish, J. Kelly, Palmar, Pinkerton, Tanner, and Wright.