The Press THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 1953. Speech from the Throne

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27010, 9 April 1953, Page 8

The Press THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 1953. Speech from the Throne

Sir Willoughby Norrie’s first Speech from the Throne as GovernorGeneral forecasts a programme of legislation that will be less heavy than in recent years, but which includes important consolidating and amending legislation, and some new legislation, the details of which will be awaited with interest. The most important legislation in sight at present is the Maori Affairs Bill, which was introduced last session and which may become law in the second part of the current session. If it does, the session may become as historic as the one in which the task was firmly tackled, of untangling Maori titles to land. This, in turn, would permit full utilisation of Maori lands, to the considerable economic advantage of the nation.

The most interesting item in the Speech is the announcement that next year, in January, the Queen will open “ a special and “ short ” session of Parliament, and will herself read the Speech from the Throne. The Queen’s consent to include this function in the itinerary of her tour of New Zealand is an honour to the nation that is deeply appreciated. Though that session will, of course, be too early in the year for another precedent to be broken by the presentation of an early Budget in it, it is to be hoped that the meeting of Parliament in January will inspire the Government to arrange for Parliament to meet again in April or May and receive the year’s Budget at the beginning of the financial year. Because the Government missed the opportunity to do that this year, the first part of the new session loses a great deal of the interest it might have had. The first part of the session, before the adjournment expected on May 1, is really a matter of convenience for Ministers and members who will be attending the Coronation. Some necessary formal

business will be completed, supply will be granted, some legislation deemed urgent -will be introduced and passed and other legislation will be introduced and left for further consideration during the recess and when the session resumes. But if the practice of recent years is followed, the few sitting days until May 1 will be mainly occupied by the Address-in-Reply debate. Because time is limited, that debate should not be as time-wasting as similar debates in recent years, and need not be as dull as some predecessors, because there are several important matters upon which members may and should desire information from the Government. It is not a good thing for Ministers and the Executive to be immune from accounting to Parliament for too long. But parliamentary scrutiny of Ministerial and departmental operations can only be as good as members make it. The short, first part of the session the Governor-General opened yesterday will, in the absence of the Budget, and, by present appearances, any fundamentally important legislation, provide members with interesting opportunities for the useful work of inquiry and

scrutiny, for which they are paid. Of course, the Speech from the Throne does not necessarily include all the legislation or business that the Government has in mind for a Parliamentary session. As in the past, there may be some surprises in the current session. Possibly, a long period of obstinacy on the part of some politicians will end, and the Government may move to join New Zealand to the twin international monetary organisations to enable it to participate fully in economic plans for the Commonwealth Prime Ministers’ conference and help to end New Zealand’s starvation of capital for development. Failing appropriate action by the Government, members will not avail themselves fully of opportunities in the first part of the session if they fail to emphasise this point.