SESSION REVIEW

Hokitika Guardian, 7 November 1936, Page 6

SESSION REVIEW

ONE OF BIGGEST IN HISTORY

MORE PROBLEMS FOR MINISTERS , I

.One of the most momentous sessions ,of Parliament in the political histqry of New Zealand .drew to a close a week ago. The Dominion’s first Labour Government is approaching the coiiipletiou of its .first year of office, and a glance down the list of the 55) public Acts which have been placed on ' the. Statute Book since K .the, new Parliament was opened last y March gives tin j almost startling indication of the ; all-embracing scope of, . J 'L>jxbqui i ’s policy. ;; I ""■’ ’■ ..! AVith a break of five weeks in midwinter, after the; first frantic rush of legislation, the House of Representatives has sat steadily for 27 weeks. In the first stage of the session 27 public Acts were passed, and the total for the second stage is 32. Much of the legislation has been of an amending nature, but very little of it has been unimportant. It was not strange, ' therefore, that during stages of the session members on both sides ot the House should be showing, signs of strain.

I A substantial portion of Labours declared: policy has been translated into legislative action. The main planks in the party’s „ programme,, control .of I cutyeneyf and credit, ..guaranteed i price scheme for dairy products, and •j an oyerhaul of industrial, legislation, i,n favour, of. the workers,; receivedjattehI tipii; during the early part of the ses- ) sion, liujt. the.second, stage .has.. i-been. .• notable ! for legislation of almost .eqifal importance, the announcement of the ] Government’s taxation policy, and the | massing of millions for projected State expenditure. The important legislation of the - opening stages,- the Reserve Bank Amendment Act, the Primary Products Marketing Act, and the new industrial legislation, have had their reflexes : since the , mid-winter recess in admin.s----i trative activities, and also in the inj troduction of fresh legislation.. Foi instance, the Reserve. Bank AmendI ment Act gave .the Government coniI plete control over, currency, and cre- ' dit, and the virtues of the new system j are to be tested in the housing con- ’ str.uction scheme; - , which has. puly; taken definite shape during the last few weeks, ~ ~ •. .. ... ,j , Powers for. the financing of the marketing of primary products have also ' been put into operation. The, Market-: iug Act itself was only one aspect of the Government’s ; triangular plan for dairy farmers, The } legisTative machinerv for the scheme ivas laid.down i n : '-tlie : fij;.st part of the session, but it | was not until,..the appearance of the i -Budget after the recess that the actual I rate of the guaranteed pricq. wps. made known. Then came the Agricultural i Workers Act, establishing a minimuin ■ wage for workers on dairy farms, and finally the Mortgagors and Lessees ! Rehabilitation Act, providing in general terms for the adjustment of all mortgage liabilities ,on the basis ol the guaranteed price.

The early amendments to industrial legislation saw a complete change in the general approach to industrial problems. Previously the workers had to approach -. the Arbitration Court to prove the justice of their particular demands. The new law lays it down that conditions favouring the workers shall operate as a matter of and that the onus will be on the em-

ployers to prove impracticability or hardship. Further measures , with , a pronounced bearing on ‘ industrial matters were the provision .for a basic wage and the legislation restoring -all wages and salaries to the level ruling before the 1931 cuts were imposed.

The Industrial Efficiency Act was one of the most, important and farreaching Jof the second h.alf of fiho, s®ssion, providing as it does for a complete Government oversight of industry, with a- voice for the workers iu the planning of, rationalisation schemes.! f -,, , d ■ed:p : .r-;.'

In spite, of the .wide powers taken in ,the Reserve Bank 'Amendment .Act, • the proposals contained in,, Labour’ B first Budget showed that the Government, for the time being at any rate, is prepared to tread the paths of orthodoxy fin . finance. Balanced against the increased expenditure for public works and social services, there was.'a heavy increase in the rates of taxation, the full - significance of which is just coming to be. realised with the distribution of ineome. tax assessments.

The whole ;scope of the session’s legislation has been so.wide that it is difficult to look objectively at . the results of sev.en months’ Parliamentary labour. However, it.is,safe to say that there ;is not a single ,section of the community unaffected by the Government’;| plans... During the long recess, .wliicli; now stretches invitingly ahead, ,the administration, of new laws will probably provide Ministers with jvffit as hard a task, as was set by tlieir framing and passing.