PARLIAMENT

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue LXXIV, 28 August 1919, Page 7

PARLIAMENT

OPENED TO-DAY

' THE GOVERNOR'S SPEECH

Parliament was opened with the usual ceremonies this afternoon, but heavy • rain interfered with spectacular effects. In his opening speech the GovernorGeneral said:. i Honorable Gentlemen of the Legislative Council, and Gentlemen of the House of Representatives,— I last addressed you at the opening .of your fifth session of the present Parliament on the 24th October,' 1918. Though the victory of the Allies appeared to be assured, only one of our enemies, Bulgaria, had then laid down | its arms and submitted to the acceptance of the terms which the Allies might dictate. From that date onward until the 12th November, 1918, when ; the news wa<s received of the signing of the armistice with Germany, our enemies, in swift succession, sued for peace. | The invitation of the Imperial Government to this Dominion to send its 1 representatives to the Conference conj stitaited to determine the terms of i peace to be imposed, met with a ready 1 response from both Houses of this Parliament, and my Prime Minister and Minister of Finance left immediately after the close of your last session to attend that Conference and to take a not unimportant part in the deliberations of that great assemblage of statesmen. You will be able to gather from. papers which will be laid before you that New Zealand, with the other great self-governing Dominions of the BritI ish Empire, has been accorded a State's position by the Allied nations, which marks the beginning of a new era in our national history. The present Parj liament, the members of the House of ! Representatives for which were elected I , in the year 1914, a few months after the beginning of the great war. would ; have, in the^ ordinary course, expired at the end of the year 1917. It s existence has been porlonged by statute unI til the end of this year, and therefore, : with the exception of the occupation of : German Samoa and of the despatch <>f the first Expeditionary Force to Egypt j and Gallipoli, all the great events of ' the war, especially affecting New Zea- I land, have taken place during the existence of the present Parliament, which ; has been called upon to deal with the 1 affairs of the Dominion under unexamj pled difficulties.

By the extension, at the wish of the Sovereign, of my own tercr. of office, I iave had the honor of being his Maesty'jß representative during the whole )eriod of the war, and, looking back vith you over those years of trial, I eel that I may join you in the proud nemory that this Dominion has never altered! in its determination to give md continue its support to the utmost •f its power to the cause of the Empire, md that no promise made by New Zeaand to the Imperial Government renaing unfulfilled by this Parliament and he Government of this Dominion and ;hat our soldiers have, by their splendid xmrage, discipline and conduct, won a lame^for themselves and a place for S Tew Zealand in the annals of the great>st of wars. I am sure you will join vith. me in the deepest sympathy with hose whose sons and relatives have alien, and with the many who have rejurned maimed and wounded to their iomes. My Ministers recognise that ;he first duty of the Government and rf Parliament in the new eva, of peace is •o ihe men who have fought for us, md to the; relatives of the men who iave fallen in our service. You will be invited at as early- a date is possible, by resolution of both ELouses, to ratify the Treaty with. Gernany and to accept the Mandate of the [ieague of Nations for government and ldmmistration by New Zealand of that jart of the Samoan group which was formerly under Germany's rule. My Ministers are confident that you will not fail to undertake the responsibility which those provisions of the Treaty of Peace impose upon, a mandatory government, and they hope to be able to submit during your present session, in statutory form, the methods proposed for the establishment of a new scheme of government for those Islands under the control of New Zealand. During the past three years your legislation has been confined to urgent matters arising from the war, and to minor amendments of existing general and local statutes. My Ministers recognise, that as there remain only four months of the life of the present Parliament, and as your session must therefore be oi short duration, the legislation to be submitted, for your consideration should be limited to matters oi urgency which cannot be postponed for the consideration of the new Parliament. Although, the work of repatriation anc training of returned soldiers Ms proceeded smoothly and satisfactorily the measures which you have passed ir previous sessions providing for repatri ation and for assistance to soldiers in various occupations, and especially foi the acquisition of land for their settlement, have in some respects proved tc be insufficient, and amendments of th< existing laws on these" subjects hav< been piepared and will be submitted t< you. The Mortgages Extension Act and its amendments expire, on the 31st of the present month, ana inquire immediate attention, and you will be asked to pass with as little delay as possible, an Expiring Laws Continuance Act, which will extend the operation of those Acts for a further period. You will later be requested to consider an amending and consolidating Act continuing for a certain period the existing limitations upon the powers of mortgagees, and defining a time when these limitations may be safely removed. Bilk amending the Government Railways Act, the labor laws, the Workers' Dwellings Act, the Discharged Soldiers' Settlement Act, the land Jaws, the Mining Act, the Coal Mines Act, the Chattels Transfer Act, the Post and Telegraph Act, and others, have been prepared for your consideration. You will doubtless be pleased to learn that the Lake Coleridge hydro-electric scheme continues to be a success. Steps are being taken to complete those works to enable the extension of their benefits throughout Canterbury. Initiatory steps are being taken in regard to the Mangahoa and Aranuni scheme. Th 6 purchase of the Horatiora plant and transmission lines from the Waihi Gold Mining Co. has been satisfactorily completed. This acquisition of the Horahora installation will enable the farmers of the Waikato and surrounding districts, and the boroughs and factories to be supplied with electric power as soon as reticulation lines can be erected.^ j New Zealand has not entirely escaped the unrest which is prevalent in many other countries of the world1, and which is the aftermath of the preat war, but I am confident the good sense and industry of the citizens of the Dominion will more than counteract ! any attempts to spread the pernicious doctrines which have proved so mischievous in certain European countries. j The failure of the supply of coal has caused rc^ Government, much anxiety during the recess, and my Ministers

r trust that you will find time sufficient to eynable you to consider fully the position. The shortage has been due tv two causes, first the reduction of the output from New Zealand mines, and secondly the difficulties of supplementing that supply by cargoes from Australia. There is now good ground for hope that one of the reasons which has prevented imports from Australia maybe shortly removed, but the deficiency of shipping exists, and! to a certain extent must for the present continue. My Ministers view with anxiety the conditions which leave the Dominion dependent upon sources of supply of coal ; from other countries. At the present moment the freezing chambers are full of meat, the'property of the Imperial Government, on account of which millions of money have been paid by that Government, and every obligation of honor and duty requires that whil" such meat remains in store coal shall pc (supplied for the efficient continuous working of the freezing machinery. It has been found necessary to cut down v the railway service to an extent which has caused great inconvenience to the public and. loss to the industries of the Dominion. The loss of revenue consequent upon that reduction has been ' most serious, but that loss constitutes by no means the principal ground of the present anxiety of the Government!, i The supply of every household has been j necessarily curtailed to a limit which , hag caused general inconvenience and : considerable suffering during the winter months. My Ministers hope that some satisfactory basis of arrangement may be arrived at under which, by increasing the production of existing mines and opening new mines, the Dominion may become self-reliant in the ,-nrovision <&{ coal for its industries and it's homes. Mr Speaker and Gentlemen of the House of Representatives,— The sums granted by Parliament for repatriation and land settlement of ' our soldiers have been found to be wholly insufficient to meet the requirements. My Ministers have felt that it is impossible to delay the process, and they have therefore, in anticipation of your support, expended moneys and entered into obligations largely in excess of the amounts authorised. My Ministers do not doubt that you will confirm that action, and will grant the very large further supply which is necessary to enable the country to fulfil its obligations to the men of the Expeditionary Forces and to the relatives of those who died in our service. The public throughout the Dominion has united in an endeavor by cordiality of welcome to every transport carrying returned soldiers to emphasise the general sentiment that what our soldiers have done for us demands in return from us the utmost that we can do for them. Such obligations cannot be met wholly from revenue, and my Ministers do not doubt that you will cheerfully grant them the borrowing powers they will propose and confer your authority to raise the necessary moneys. With regard to the ordinary revenue and expenditure, you will find that the authority granted in your last session has enabled my Government to carry on the business of the country beyond the period when in ordinary years supply ceases. Fortunately both the collection of revenue and the expenditure on public services till a late date in the present month have been \ under the control of the Government formed in the year 1915 by agreement of the two principal political parties, and my Ministers therefore con- J fidently anticipate your confirmation in respect of that past period. The Estimates for the remaining part of the year ending March 31 i next have been largely prepared under , several departments, and will be sub- j mitted to you by my present Ministers, ! subject to" such revision as is possible ! within the very close limit of time j available to them for the purpose. ■ j Honorable Gentlemen of the Legislative ; Council— I I congratulate you on the occcasion of j your assembling for the first time in j this Chamber. Though you will not be J able to hold your deliberations of the j present session here, I trust that this j place may before your next session be j so fittted and equipped as to be fit for ; the due performance of your important duties. Honorable Gentlemen of the Legislative Council and .Gentlemen of the House | of Representatives— The visit of the Admiral of the Fleet, Viscount Jellicoe, to New Zealand, is an event of far more than ordinary importance. One part of the great trust imposed upon, him by the Imperial Government is that of considering the subject of the naval defence of the Commonwealth and of this Dominion, and j i offering advice to the respective Govi ernmentg. The wider subject of the British interests in the Pacific, and nrovision for their general defence and protection will also have his consideration. • The appointment of one so distinguished for the Durpose marks the importance of the duties entrusted to him. My Ministers hope that his inquiries and reports will have the effect of removing ;! many difficulties, and enable both the Imperial and Dominions Governments concerned to more clearly appreciate the , dangers of the present and" the future, [ and the best means of united prepara- , tion to meet them.

During the recess I paid an official visit, acompanied by the Hon. I>r Pomare, Minister-in-Ckarge, to the Cook Islands, including Niue. I was received everywhere with the greatest cordiality, both by the natives and Europeans, and was glad to note many improvements effected in the Islands since my visit in the year 1914, especially in the increase of the facilities for the education of the natives. At the request of the Imperial Government I proceeded thence to Samoa, where I also met with a cordial reception from the natives of those Islands. I desire to record the gratitude of myself and my Government for the hospitality accorded me and to the Hon. D. P-omare by the Governor of American Samoa at Pago Pago, and by His Excellency the Governor of Fiii at Suva. It was necessary to call ajb both of those ports for coaling purpose^. I commend the matters to which I have referred to your earnest consideration, and I trust that Divine Providence may guide you in your deliberations.

A Wellington telegram states that Albert George Ganders, a tram conductor, aged 24 years, died at the hospital early this morning as the result of injuries received through being run over by a tram oar on Tuesday. He received a compound fracture of the right leg and injury to the head.

A Dargaville message states that the Kauri oil works, erected for Parenga Gumfields, Limited, at a cost of £10,----000. were completed yesterday and the machinery given a satisfactory trial. The capacity of the plant is 4>500 gallons weekly. It is anticipated that a ton of Pukau will yield 75 gallons of oil. Subsequent to the engineer's inspection next week the works will be officially opened.

Gable advice has been, received by Mrs J. Wicks, Lake road, that her son, Private A. J. Wicks is returning by the Ayrshire, due in Lyttelton on September 20th,.