17 



Pastures and Stock Boards were seen to bo a more practical body than one elected, or appointed, they 

 would be given the administration of the Act, and it was elastic enough to give rules to suit districts such 

 as he had mentioned. No man who had the principle of a Briton in him would say that any man should 

 pay a tax under the Eabbit Act and not have a vote, and certainly under this amendment men would bo 

 paying a tax who would not have a vote. Some gentleman had said that the minimum of stock allowed 

 was ten head of large stock before a man could vote. He would point out that in the petition he had 

 referred to there were at least forty or fifty men out of the whole 100 who did not own large stock at all. 

 These men owned land and would come under the operation of the Act. They grew wheat and they 

 simply had sufficient horses to do their ploughing. There were thousands of them, special-area holders. 

 He represented a very large class of people in this country, and ho thought that if they carried this 

 resolution there would be men under the Eabbit Act paying taxes who had no vote. This amendment 

 proposed to place in the Stock Boards the power -to spend -the moneys collected under the Eabbit Act. 

 Any amendment they proposed to the Eabbit Act will not amend the Pastures and Stock Act; and 

 consequently if a man had not a vote under the Pastures and Stock Act, they could not give him one 

 under the Rabbit Act. He took it that they could not amend the Pastures and Stock Act by any 

 proposed Bill dealing with the rabbits ; but if it could be made clear to him that all men who would pay a 

 tax under the Eabbit Act would have a vote for the Stock Boards, then he would be quite willing to 

 support the resolution ; but otherwise he did not see any reason why they should erect separate Boards if 

 the Stock Boards could do the work. 



Mr. ALISON (Canonbar) said this resolution should be carried now, and then they could amend 

 this Act so that every person should have a vote who paid a tax. 



The Honorable EUPERT CARINGTON said he hardly thought it neces'sary for him to make any reply. 

 They had the statement made by his friend the Chief Inspector of Eabbits ; but that was fourteen years 

 ago. He would mention that the Queensland Eabbit and Sheep Boards were identical. He had been 

 very much misrepresented in one respect. He had been made to say that the people should be taxed 

 without proper representation. It had been his exact object to prevent that. AH his arguments had 

 been directed against the Crown, which was not taxed, appointing two men to the Board. Of course 

 they could amend the Act, and make the representation on a land basis instead of a stock basis ; but how 

 any body in a democratic country would agree to the Minister appointing two men, whomsoever he liked, 

 to tax them was what he failed entirely to understand. It was quite absurd and reactionary. With 

 regard to the small men, he might say that he came from a district where there were more small men 

 than in any other district in Australia. There was another gentleman from that district who was also 

 ready to support his resolution. To be told that they would protect the small men by getting two men, 

 outsiders, to tax them was incomprehensible to him. 



Mr. FLANAGAN (Gunbar) would like to see a provision made in the amendment that all taxpayers 

 should have a vote. 



The CnATiniAN observed that before putting the question to the Conference ho felt it to be his 

 duty to point out, as far as he could from a hasty glance through the Bill, the consequence of carrying the 

 resolution. It had struck him first of all that clauses 5, 0, and 7, would be made utterly useless by the 

 carrying of the resolution proposed by the Hon. Eupert Carington. There was also another matter 

 consequent on the motion being carried, and that was with reference to the Government's proposal to pay 

 a rate on their properties corresponding to the amount of unoccupied land there might be in any rabbit 

 district. He did not know what decision the Conference would arrive at in obviating that difficulty it' 

 they intended to take away the representation of the Government on the Boards. Then, with regard to 

 the argument that small men would have no vote, he anticipated that if this motion were carried, and if 

 it were intended to give everyone who had to pay a tax a vote, it would be necessary to amend the Pastures 

 and Stock Act. 



The CHAIRMAN then took a vote on the Honorable Euperfc Carington's amendment. 

 The amendment was declared carried. 



The CHAIRMAN then adjourned the Conference until 2 o'clock. 

 On resuming in the afternoon, 



The CHAIRMAN said it would be necessary to discuss clauses 5, G, and 7, in view of the resolution 

 passed immediately preceding the adjournment. 



Mr. T. BROWN, M.P., said he had a motion that he thought would go very well after the amend- 

 ment which had been carried : " That taxation under the Eabbit Act shall not be levied on holders not 

 having a right of representation under the franchise of the Pastures and Stock Protection Act." 

 Mr. NIXON seconded the proposition. 



Mr. 3. M. ATKINSON wanted to know whether that would include the municipalities. 

 Mr. T. BROWN, M.P., said it simply meant this, that a tax should not be levied on any landholder 

 or any stockholder who was not in possession of the right to vote under the Pastures and Stock Protec- 

 tion Act. Now, the motion that had been passed before the luncheon adjournment placed the whole 

 control of the rabbit question under the Pastures and Stock Protection Board, and this further resolution 

 of his was simply to safeguard the rights of those whom it had been shown had not the right of repre- 

 sentation under those heads. Of course, if it were found that there was any body of holders upon whom 

 it would be desirable to levy a tax, then the way to get over that difficulty would be to broaden the 

 franchise of the Pastures and Stock Protection Act so as to include them. His resolution simply safe- 

 guarded peoples rights until they were included. It was simply "110 taxation without representation." 



Mr. Eoss (Hume) said that instead of amending that clause they should simply amend the clause 

 about the person who should have the right to vote. He thought it was very wrong to pass an amend- 

 ment like that. It would be far better to withhold that and put it this way : " That every man who has 

 to pay taxation shall have a right to vote." If it were left as it was, then very many small holders would 

 escape taxation altogether. 



Mr. ALISON (Canonbar) said that as far as he could gather Mr. Brown's proposition was simply 

 " no representation no taxation," and he was perfectly in accord with that. 



On the motion being put to the Conference by the Chairman it was carried unanimously. 

 Mr. GIBSON (Hay) moved that the following also be added : " That the Crown may be represented 

 on the Eabbit Board in proportion to the revenue paid by them, but in no instance to have a majority 

 representation." 



32 C The 



