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yp--~---- wto. j «WEDNESDAY, 1 5 I Tess | & | <---- (Premier -- Drury |ntroducesi Local Opt : ve nc nstectynenvireememcmndh i coming! Bill is Given Second Readmgl and Sent on to Munt-- i cipal Committee * I | Considerable _ opposition arose | among Jiberal and Consoervative members in the Legislature yester-- |° day to the bill introduced by Pre-. , miocr Drury giving municipalities the | right by local vote to exempt a por-- > tion of '"improvements" from taxa-- tion.. HMingle tax was debated fairly fully, with Labor, Farmer and some Liberal members upholding the prin-, ciple. Others were outspoken in; their opposition, | Premier Drury pointed out that the bill as printed did not quite con-' vey the purpose he had intended. | ~ When the bill goes to the committee | iris change will be made in it, and some of the minor points raised by various members may be noticed and incorporated. Municipalities -- may vote that any amount of improve-- ments may be exempted, but the 'Fercentage inust be specified in the s by--law. They may vote from year ito yoar on further reductions until they wipe out the tax alitogether. \ point which will be raised in committee will be whether all those tentitied to vote for municipal candi--| 'dates will be allowed to vote on thisi taxation by--law, or only those en--| titled to vote on money . matters.| Many members, including Mr. I)ew-; art, brought up this point in the de--| bate vesterday, and saw dangers if} all those entitled to vote for muni--| t ipal office are allowed to vote on a.g ilaxation question. ! "Is Not Compulsory. 1 J% * Ars Pinard (Fast Ottawa) | 'thought the principle wrong. He{ 'declared that such legislation adopt-- ; ed by the municipalitiee would putt the burden on the poor man. On| that system, he'suid. a building ten| stories or so high would not pay any . 'more taxes than a smaller and less valuable building on the same front-- age. Premier Drury said that there was | .nothing compulsory about the meas-' urc. It was left to the people to de--, cide if they wanted it, and that was| a safe principle. However, there 'was| '1i real demand in the rural districts | for such a reform. Especially in | Northorn Ontario was there such a| demand, "It is absolutely unjust that| the man who is making that country by clearing his land and building' bhis home should pay all the taxes,| while the land held in the next lot goes unimproved--being held for a higher price--pays practically no taxes. This bill does not disturb any-- thing. If the municipalities want it the Province should not stand in the ' way."' % Land Should Pay. . ~Thomas Marshall (Lincoin) thought the bill a good one. It was ~ nermissive bill, giving municipali-- is a chance if they wanted it. The 'part benefited by improvements was | the land, and the iand should pay Mr. Marshall had a little fun at the * :exnense of Ottawa.. That city, he 'said, was most peculiar in its de-- sires. It was forever before the Legislature to get somsthing the _ people had not voted for. It was, he