THE COMING SESSION.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 229, 20 June 1908, Page 5

THE COMING SESSION.

REMARKS BY THE PREMIER. , LABOUR LEGISLATION. THE NATIVE LAND QUESTION. (BY TELEGHAJ'fI.—SHXIAt. CORRESPONDENT.) Auokland, June 19. .Tho Prime Minister (Sir J. Ward) was interviewed by tho representative of tho " Herald" at Kawhia regarding tho business to bo brought before the coming session of Parliament, and particularly with regard to- his utterances at Te. Kuiti last night. . "Parliament meets on Juno 29," snid Josopk, "and the preparations of the Government aro in a very forward stato. I hopo that some of tho legislation which is of vory great importance to tho country will be put upon;tlip Statute Book this session. The Conciliation and Arbitration Act amendments aro necessarily important, but I cannot give tho details at. the present time, because they should bo submitted to Parliament. The - legislation, however, is in the direction of ensuring the maintenance of tho system of ; carrying on tho work of. the people of the country engaged in industries, both employers and employees, upon what I may term the peaceful process, instead of one of complication and trouble. Tho experience of the working of the Act recently has given an opportunity of finding out sorno of the weaknesses of tho system, and proposals will bo submitted to rcmovo them, and to substitute .what I think will be a more effective method of both settling (disputes and having the settlements respected ami carried out fry both parties." Asked as. to his. impressions of tho" tour lie is just completing, Sir Joseph Ward said ho had been much interested, and especially so in respect to thoso portions of the country lie had gone through on tho North Island Main Trunk route. Boyoud all doubt there was a',very great traffic that the opening of this; railway , quickly have to provide for. Sir Joseph referred to the immense timber, areas that the route tapped, and • said he had been struck with the groat impetus that had beon givon to settlement in tho country traversed. Lands that had be«n comparatively recently thrown open for settlement >roro beiug transformed with romarkablo rapidity into activo centres in the different districts that the settlements took place in. Ohakune and Rangitawa were cases m point. Sir Joseph also referred to the sections that had been secured at Horopito by speculators, and stated, that tho people were urging the Government', to placo sections upon the market for less money for those who required them so as to provent the price being run up. The Prime Minister said he felt satisfied that it was a proper thing for the Government to meet this demand.

Tho Prime Minister expressed an -important opinion regarding the Nativo lands question, and the difficulties experienced in towns like .Taumarunui, aud Te Xuiti. ,e These towns desire to have advantages, that people obtain in boroughs under the munioipaf law throughout New Zealand," said Sir Joseph, " but it is denied them undor the Native ownership, and tho question calls for a settlement. It is "quite clear to me that when these Native townships were set aside it was not anticipated that they wore likely to have tho largo number of residents they havo to-day., . Now tho necessity for sanitary arrangements, 1 proper drainage, lighting, water supply, making streets, is a pressing-ono, and undor the system that the towns wero created the. people arc met with a very great difficulty in financing tho required loans for those works'of public utility. This is. a matter that will require to be dealt jvith.. I am satisfied that it pan be 'accomplished < without doing an injustice to the Natives, while relieving European residents from what is. becoming in some of tho instances brought before me almost an intolerable position." Sir Joseph further said he had .'acquired a good deal of information in tho back blocks. Ho referred to the road ho had tvavorsod from Te Kuiti on Wednesday to open a bridge at tho Mokau River as the worst ho had ever been on in his life. The trip had enabled him to judge for himself, botli as to the position of things in the country and of tho representations made from time to timo about public, requirements of tho country. Ho had been treated everywhere with the greatest kindness.. DR. FINDLAY'S SPEECH. NEWSPAPER COMMENTS. . (BT TELEGRAPH.—SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.) Christohurch, June 19. Tho "Press," commenting on Dr. Findlay's speech, remarks: The tendency of our labour laws to restrict output and reduco workers to a dead level, now admitted by Dr. Findlay, was noted by that very acute observer Dr. Victor Clark, the American commissioner, who examined into our labour laws a few i years ago. Ho pointed out in regard to the boot and shoo manufacture, for instance, that while the "hours of labour of tho Massachusetts operative -are 15 to 20 per cent, longer than those of tho Now Zealand operative, his annual product was 126 per cent, greater than that of tho latter, and his wages 33.4 per cent, higher. Moreover, Dr. Clark was emphatically of opinion that even when ho wrote the cost of living was higher in New Zealand than in the United States. According to Dr. Findlay, during tho last twelve years wages in New havo risen 17.9 per cent, and the cost of living at least 20 per cent. We may compare this with the movements which took place _in America during a similar period of rising prosperity. According to a table ■ published in a bulletin of the J3ureau of Labour, Washington, wo find that in 1905, as compared with tne average for ten years from 1890 to 1899, 33.6 por cont. moro people were employed; hours of labour per week had been reduced 4.1 por cent.: tho weekly wages of all'porsons employed had increased 52.3 per ccnt., whilo tho retail prices of food had increased only 12.4 tier cont. It is little wonder that Dr. Victor Clark came to tho conclusion that no benefit would accrue to tho American w.orkman from adopting tho much'vaunted labour laws .of New Zealand. ABSOLUTE MAJORITY V. SECOND , BALLOT. THE PREMIER'S INTENTIONS. , (BT TELEORAJPir.—SrHCIAL CORRESPONDENT.) ■ Christciiurch, June 19.

Tho "Times," which has always expressed a preference for tho absolute majority system of voting 'as against the second ballot, says The Premier pays a poor compliment to the electors of tho Dominion when ho says that they would require a long course of education before they could understand \Mr. M'Nab's method of indicating their preferences to the returning officer. It seems to us that tho vote of tho elector, who has not sufficient intelligence to place tho figure one against the nauio of tho candidate ho wishes to sec elected, the figure two against tho'name'of his next favourite, and so on until the list is exhausted, would not be a very great loss to tho country if it were uover recorded. The absolute majority system of voting is quite as simple as the present system, and it is far more'certain than tho second ballot in securing the representation of majorities. It is vok-y probable that at the approaching eleotion we may sco half ■a dozen.- candidates standing for one seat, and if two of these happen' to be Conservatives and four Liberals, tho majority of tlio olectors may dissipate their votes among tho four Liberals, and leave t.lio two Conservatives to go to the poll for the second time. Nothing of this sort could occur under tho absolute majority system, and the country would be spared the expense and turmoil of a second appeal to tho olectors. _ However, Sir Joseph has made up his mind on tho matter, and though we cannot applaud his choico between tho two proposals we aro very glad that he has resolved*-to tako definite stops to lesson tho number of minority representatives." \