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PAELIAMENTART. -
The Taxation Peoposals.— when the
last mail left the Government, whose
taxation proposals had t been rejected,
had renlaced them on the Notice-narjer. and.
claiming that they had been lost by a chanca
vote, asked the House to vote ag&in upon the
subject and adopt their scheme. Accord
ingly onSeptember 27 the Treasurer moved
that the vital clause which had been
struck out of the Bill should be rein
serted. He placed the issue before the
House as ' Taxation or no taxation,' a propo
sition to which the Opposition loudly demur
red. As to the Bill itself, the only new thing
mentioned by the Treasurer was that if the
clause were carried the Government would
try to have inserted at the end of the Bill a
provision to the effect that the tax should re
main in force only until J une 30, ISSp. Imme
diately after the Treasurer had finished his
speech the vote was taken, and the Go
vernment were defeated by eighteen votes
to thirteen. Four members paired upon
the question, and some others absented
themselves from both ? Bides by arrange
ment. The announcement of the result was
of course greeted with ioiid cheering by
the Opposition. The Committee obtained
leave to sit again on Tuesday, and all the
rest of the Government business on the Paper
was postponed till that day. The intervening
period was one of crisis.' Conflicting rumours
were rife respecting the intentions of the
Government, who were said to be about to
resign if they could not secure a dissolution.
Accordingly on Tuesday afternoon it wa3 to
crowded strangers' galleries and to a full House
that the Chief Secretary made a statement of
the intentions of the Government. ' He
proceeded to say that when they were re
buffed on Thursday they felt it would be un
wise to proceed with the ordinary business
of the House until they had considered their
position. They had never asked for a disso
lution, and they had not thought it necessary
or proper that they should resign.
They were not to ' be bounced nor
' chaffed' out of their seats, but when they
were, in the opinion of the majority of the
HcuEe, unfit any longer to occupy them, then
they would leave them. He sketched
out his plan of operations. The Taxation
Bills now on the Notice-paper would be read,
and discharged ; the House would be aaked
to go again into Committee of Ways and
Means ; and the Government would then
propose new taxes (details of which are
given below). Mr. Roansevell shadowed
forth on behalf of the Opposition a general '
adhesion to the proposals, but a sturdy
opposition to one part of the tax— that
upon the improvements on the land. The
Hon. J., Colton spoke to the same effect.
The scheme and its Opposition rival were
placed before the Parliament oq Tues
day. October 9. The Treasurer in
troduced the Government resolutions
in a speech lasting about three-quarters
of an hour, mentioning that he proposed to
limit the operation of the Bill to three years,
and proceeded with a good deal of detail to
estimate the revenue from his tax (exclusive
of exemptions) as follows :— A.— For and in
respect ot all real property within the pro
vince of which any person or Company is
owner, for every twenty shillings of the value
thereof the du.ty of one half -penny, £46,000 ;
B.— For and in respect of the annual profits
or gains directly arising or accruing to any
person or Company from any kind of property
»n South Australia other than real property,
or any dividends or interest of money in
South Australia, for every twenty shillings of
the annual value thereof the sum of sixpence,
£32,000. C. — For and in respect of the annual
profits or gains arising or ?accruing to any
person or Company from any profession, trade,
or avocation, carried on in South Australia,
or from any salaries, pensions, allowances, or
stipends respectively derived from or in
South Australia, for every twenty shillings of
the annual value thereof the sum of three
pence, £30,000. ? The total amonnt re
ceivable from the tax would thus be£10S,000,
or, allowing theodd£8,000for collection, about
£100,000. The Hon. J. Colton spoke next after
the Treasurer, whom he complimented on the
general character of his speech, and to whose
second and third proposals he agreed as far
as the principle is concerned. To the
first clause, however, he -moved, on be
half of the Opposition, the amendment
which had been moved before by him with
the view of making the| first jjart of the tax a
tax on land pure and simple. He said he
would have this alternative tax to apply to
all land without exception. By-and-by the
Chief Secretary spoke again, and announced
his acceptance of Mr. 'Colton's amendment
on the understanding that the other
clauses of the resolutions should bs sub
stantially agreed to by the Opposition.
Mr. Colton undertook the compromise ' on
the give-and take principle.' The amend
ment was carried by 23 to 3. The clause was
then put as amended and' declared carried.
Mr. Bosworth divided tho House upon the
question, but was in a minority of five.
There was renewed discussion upon the sub
ject on Thursday, but no material change was
made, and tha resolutions with the exemp
tion proviso formally struck out have been
formally passed to allow the Taxation Bill to
be brought in.
Judicial Oaths Abolished,— So far as
the Assembly, are concerned the Parliament
have at last affirmed the principle which Mr.
Symon has so persistently and so earnestly
contended for— that the oath should be abo
lished in evidence taken in 'Courts of Justice.
On Wednesday last Mr. Symon made an
eloquent reply to the speeches of the hqa.
members who had spoken against the prin
ciple of his Oaths Abolition Bill, and after he
had finished his remarks the vote was taken
upon the measure. The result was declared
to be in favour of it, but the Attorney
General called for a division, which when
taken showed the great change which has
come over the House concerning the question
during the last few months.. .No fewer than
sixteen members voted with Mr. Symon, and
only nine against him. The Bill was then
read a second time and taken formally before
the Committee, who postponed the conside
ration of its details for a week. It is under
stood thot^its operation will be somewhat
restricted before it finally leaves the House.
A Public Paeliamextaby Debate on
Social Purity.— The Assembly has had the
social purity question publicly discussed
within its Jwalls. On Wednesday, when the
Hon. J. Colton's motion concerning social
purity was called on, a debate arose as to
whether strangers should be excluded.
After the Hon. J, Colton had. indicated
that if he were not permitted to dis
cuss this matter publicly now he would
on the next day give notice of a motion
having for its object presumably the passing
of a Sessional Order restricting the opera
tion of the Standing Order relative to
the withdrawal of strangers. .Mr. Colton
was, however, allowed to move with
out hindrance ? his motion — 'That in
the opinion of this House the laws
relating to social morality should be
amended with .a view of giving greater
protection .to young girls.' His speech
was calm, -and earnest, and effective. He
spoke, of course, as the mouthpiece of the
Social Purity Society, and urged the
acceptance' of ^.'their! well-known resolu
tion embodied in petitions to the House.
Mr. Rees also spoke afr some length, and with
eloquence and vigour and pathos. He (Mr.
Colton) and the Social Purity Society aimed to
attaia what was to some extent unattainable,
because it /would conflict with physical and
other conditions, which had. existed from the
world'steginning, and which would continue
to the world's end. Christian influences, and
notlegislaWnalerJactment.shouldbethecanse
of the desired effect^ and there should be
care that in the attempt to. protect the
Weaker Bex the fact should not be lost sight
of that temptation frequently 'came from
those weaker ones, who might, inflict
frightful injustice upon the stronger.
The end was good, but Mr. Colton waa not
right in his means to that end. The debate
was adjourned for a week.
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