It is unnecessary to enlarge upon the various Bills which were passed last fortnight. One, the Bill to! reduce the allowances of members of Parliament, was so ingeniously phrased that, while supporters of the Government voted for it, the professed opponents of the original increase in salaries found themselves voting "against the decrease, and defeating the proposed reduction. The most important of the final Measures was the Income Tax Assessment Bill. This gave effect to the Trsasurer's promise to reduce income taxation, to the extent of some £2,000,000. Benefits accrue to the small taxpayers, by an increase of exemptions, and the Treasurer even compromised by agreeing to a slightly increased exemption in the case of children. The primary producers have had their profits averaged, and companies have received some relief. Of course there was criticism from some members and demands for greater exemption from others, but generally the Treasurer was able to make good his budget promises. Of the slaughtered innocents there was only one of importance. The Government dropped a Bill in connexion with the immediate unification of the railway gauges. Valuable as such a policy is, it does not appeal to the average citizen or State politician, and perhaps for that reason was not considered worthy of a parliamentary fight a Voutrance. Another measure curtailing the extravagant powers given to the War Service Homes Commissioner was dropped, but, with the reforms already carried out, it 18 probably a matter of supererogation, Proposals to amend the constitution, and submit such amendments to the electors did not materialize. The last and most important item before Parliament was of course the conclusion of the debate upon the Budget, the passing of the Estimates and the voting of Supply until the end of next June. Millions were voted in a few minutes, and the threats of the Country Party to insist upon a complete revision of the Estimates did not materialize.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.