"SOCIAL WELFARE SESSION"

Northern Advocate, 23 March 1936, Page 2

"SOCIAL WELFARE SESSION"

OUTLINE OF COMING LEGISLATION ■ {' [Special to "Northern Advocate WELLINGTON, This Day.

Ministerial statements on coming policy measures have been plentiful for many weeks, although on the central

. feature, that of finance, there has been great reticence, due. It is officially ex- * plained, to the importance of placing o'. the whole picture before the public in. t complete farm,, avoiding publication of % fragments, which, in the absence of all “ = the points, are liable to be misuhder- * stood.

Viewing the session programme, it can be described as a “social welfare” plan, i'ar exceeding the efforts of for-

mer Governments of at least a genera-T-l tjon. First comes the revival of the JS-t Arbitration Court’s compulsory pow- <- ’ ers, which will no doubt be promptly

= - the question of wages, which the last ;t important operation of the Court reduced, by general order, by 10 per

'' cent.

t-- The 40-hour week direction to the Court, and the minimum wage provision in the coming amendment of the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act 'have been recently explained by 7-i the Minister of Labour.

Example to Private Employers.

r As the Government wishes to set an example to private employers, the great army of public employees will, it can be predicted, soon be enjoying the benefit of restored salaries and the s,f*; operation of the 40-hour week. On the clerical side of the Public

Service, this will not be a revolu-: tionary matter, but it means much to '£■*' artisans and labourers of the Public,

Works Department —10,500 in number; the railway men, who total about pC 16,000; and the rank ’and file of the £ post and telegraph service, which em- ; ■ p|oys 10,000 persons. Minimum wages are to be enforced under arbitration T awards, but' an' |£| actual figure has not ifet, been disclosed. The legislation is expected to give only a generah direction,'oh‘ which the p|s Court, after investigation of the factors jf|£ indicated in the clause of the Amendt- ment Act, will proceed to fix the minijfe mums

Reductions in old age and other pensipns were , strongly opposed by the party when in Opposition, and, although the recovery of the payments to former proportions is almost complete, the Government may be expected ultimately to increase the average amount. A guide to its views, on this important point can be obtained from Labour,, amendments to former ineasUreC in which an old age pension bi' 25/" pair week was advocated. This, however, ns riot one of the pensions' development to be expected. The ; . Government's initial movers likely to be one of widening the scope of pensions eligibility and also liberalising the conditions.

Question of Property. The question of a pensioner’s property will be dealt with. As the law stands, net accumulated property, after the first £.50, and the deduction of the value of the house in which he resides operates' to reduce substantially- the old age pension. When the law was passed property could be

safely regarded as a source of income,

btit . experience of the past five or six years suggests that, in practice, provantage, constitutes a handicap, and involves J out-of-pocket obligations. This has created serious hardship to many pensioners, but the anomaly of classing property on an equality with income will shortly be removed. As the coming session will only

disclose the Government’s most imv mediate objectives, it can be taken as certain that extension of the average pension is too large a financial question for immediate attention though extension of the number of beneficiaries may be one of the distinctive changes soon to come about by the lowering of the pensions age, wKidh, at present, is 65 for men and 60 for women.

Regulation of Industry.

•Elections have been fought—and one of them won—on the slogan of “Less Gbvierhment in business ' and more business in Government.” Measures of Regulation of industry and other activities will now become more frequent, -and the Government will promptly proceed to bring back the principle of full State control of the Stjite mortgage system by an amendment of the Mortgage Corporation Act, white State . control over financial" policy will be assumed by means of amendments of the Reserve Bank Act * and the representation of the Government on the directorate of the Bank of New Zealand.

Parliamentary responsibility for the railways through the Minister is assured, and it is more than likely when the new broadcasting policy comes before, the House that this principle of full State control under ministerial ‘ direction will be a fea4ure* and that the national radio service will be converted into a Govern■llient department. iZ Building Policy. The Government has under consideration a vigorous policy of building dwellings, though it may not be ‘possible during the coming session to ‘‘“ifVe It a legislative basis. However,

immediately the scheme is completed legslation will not be long delayed because the old system of holding one long session every year, which was considerably modified under the stress of circumstances, has gone for good. Parliament will be expected to meet when there is a programme of legislation to consider and to adjourn when the Bills are passed, only to meet, possibly a month or so later, when there is another batch of Bills for its consideration.

Many of the details of the new policy may not emerge until the presentation of the Budget several months hence discloses financial provision for a number of important services. The defence policy will probably be made clearer by this means, and there is on record the declaration by the Prime Minister that New Zealand, to be well defended, needs improved air equipment.