MINISTERIAL DOINGS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XX, Issue 2437, 27 May 1893, Page 1

MINISTERIAL DOINGS.

LEGISLATION OF THE COMING -" " SESSION. (per peess association.) DUNEDIN, May 24. The Hon. W. P. Beeves, Minister for Education, in an address delivered at the City Hall last ni?ht, spoke in high praise of tbe personal qualities and of the statesmanship of the late Premier, and summarised what he | considered tbe advantages accruing j to the colony from the policy of the I Ballance Ministry, claiming that statesmen and labor leaders elsewhere were adopting the legislation of the last two sessions. He believed something would be done this year to remove the taxation on improvements, which he personally thought should be transferred to the unearned increment. That would leave a land tax pure and simple. He denied that the "Government policy was one of *' the spoils to . the victors," and challenged the fullest enquiry. Sketching the intended legislation of the coming session, Mr Keeves said the Conciliation and Arbitration Bill would be introduced in the first week, and he argued that Its provisions should be made compulsory, and that the Railway Commissioners should be pliced on the same footing as other employers. He intended to re-introduce the original Shop Hours Bill of last year. and. to bring in bills malting the Labour Bureau an instrument for collecting statistics, to ensure that workmen would get wages that tiiey ljaei -earned, and to repeal the obsolete and tyrannical conspiracy laws ; also & Masters aud Apprentices Bill, a Trades Union Bill, and an extension of the Factories Act to provide for cases in which work is sent out of factories to* ¥e^<K>ne. As Minister for Education ne hoped to get a Bill passed minimising the evils of truancy and leading tq ari increased attendance m schools, also to get' more liberal votes passed for school buildings and the general requirements of the Education Boards. Sooner or later something would have to be done to improve the inspection of primary schools, and in default of action by the Boards to that end it Would be bis duty to ask Parliament 4o' do thafc work for them. Ths meeting unanimously passed. a vote of thanks to the speaker, and of unabated confidence in the Government.