WORK OF SESSION

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 260, 30 July 1937, Page 10

WORK OF SESSION

Opening in About Four Weeks’ Time TWO MAJOR MEASURES Dominion Tour by Prime Minister Although no definite date has yet been fixed for the opening of the next session of Parliament, an indication that the Legislature would be called together about the end of August clearly in September was given by the Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage, in an interview last evening. Mr. Savage said that the major policy measures would be the Bills dealing with national superannuation and national health insurance, and if it were found necessary to continue the session into the early part of next year that would be done. Before the commencement ol the session, Mr. Savage intends to visit as many parts of the Dominion as possible, including the South Island, and to meet and explain to the people matters in connection with the Government’s legislative programme, and to inform them what had been accomplished by their representatives on their mission overseas. He will visit Auckland to meet the Minister of Finance and Marketing, Hon. IV. Nash, on the latter’s return by the Mataroa on August 12. Mr. Savage said it was certain that members of Parliament would not be called together until there was something for them to do. From now on until the session Cabinet would be busy with business connected with the preparation of legislation for Parliament. The Budget would be introduced as soon as possible after the Address-in-Reply debate had been disposed of. The legislation dealing with national supernniiuat’.oii was going to take serious consideration. It could not be dealt with in a slip-shad manner. The same applied to the legislation dealing witli national health insurance. Much material dealing with these schemes had been collected by Mr. Nash, who had had talks with the representatives of other nations to see what they had accomplished in the way of national superannuation and national health insurance. .As soon as the legislation dealing with national superannuation and national health insurance was in shape and in the necessary legal form it would be introduced without delay. Such legislation would be too farreaching to be skimped over. “We won’t rush in and wo have to see the way we are going,” said Mr. Savage.

Asked if there would be legislation arising out of his and Mr. Nash’s mission overseas, Mr. Savage said he was not in a position to say whether there would or not at the moment, but it was quite possible that trade agreements might require legislation in some form.