THE COMING SESSION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13780, 19 June 1908, Page 5

THE COMING SESSION.

IMPORTANT LEGISLATION. '' STATEMENT BY THE PRIME :: MINISTER. . PREVENTION OF STRIKES. ["■■ : THE MAIN TRUNK LINE. ; .{BY TELEGRAPH.SFKCrAL CORRESr-bvpKNT.] ' . Kawhta, Thursday. The Prime Minister was interviewed by "■'■' the special represented ive of he Herald to- . ' night regarding the business to be brought ' before the coming session of Parliament, arid particularly with regard to his utter- . , ances at Te Kuiti last night. "Parliament meets on June 29," said ' Sir Joseph, "and the preparations of the Government are in a very forward state. I hope that some of the legislation,"which is of very great importance to the coun- ■"' '"■' trv, will be put upon the Statute Book this session. The Conciliation and Arbitration Act. amendment? are necessarily - important, but I cannot give the details ; at the present time, because they should be. submitted to Parliament. The legis- ' lation, however, is in the direction ,of ensuring the maintenance of the system of carrying on the work of the people of the country engaged in industries, both ■employers and employees, upon what I 'may term the peaceful process, instead of one of complication and trouble. The experience of the working of the Act recently has given an opportunity of find-; . ing out some of the weaknesses of the system, and proposals will be submitted '. to remove them, and to substitute what I think will bo a more - effective method of both . settling disputes and having the "'settlements respected and carried out by ' both parties. UNIVERSAL PENSIONS. " " With reference to-> the universal pension system that will be submitted to •Parliament, I think it is of importance that this should be put upon the Statute Book this session. We have a consider- -.'.;■■ able section of our people in the public ""'•. service of the country, who arc receiving the benefits of a well-arranged system of superannuation, and it seems to me desirr able that a system to meet the conditions of ; : thoso outside the publis service ehould be ,;.:: provided. This will be done, and will be ; ' -.' available for the people generally through- :"■}"■: out the Dominion." SETTLEMENT ADVANCING. ; Asked as to his impressions of the tour ; ; he is just completing, Sir Joseph Ward r; said he had been much interested, and es- . pecially so in respect to thoee portions of . the country he had gone through on the ;; North Island Main. Trunk route. Beyond all doubt there was a very great traffic that v; the opening of this railway would quickly, have to provide for. Sir Joseph referred t - to . the immense timber " areas that the ( route tapped, and said he had been struck with the great impetus that had been given to settlement in the country traversed. i ; Lands that had been comparatively recently thrown open for settlement were being transformed with remarkable rapidity into active centres in the different districts that the, settlements took place in. Ohakune and - Rangitana were cases in point. Sir " Joseph also referred to the , sections that ', had been, secured at Horopito by specu-; . fetors, and stated that* l the people were I - urging -the Government to place ! sections! upon the market for less money, for those who required them, so as to prevent the ;' , . price being run up. The Prime Minister :■ said he felt satisfied that it was-a proper : thing for the Government to meet this demand. " :, NATIVE LANDS. The Prime Minister expressed an . im- . portant opinion regarding the native lands ' ; . question, arid the difficulties experienced in towns like Taumarumii. and Te Kuiti. • " These towns desire to have advantages * that people obtain in boroughs under the '•h municipal law, throughout New Zealand," • said Sir Joseph, but it is denied them r under the native ownership, and the r, question calls for . a, settlement. •It ■V'.--. is quite clear to me that when .:':■■:."; these native townships were set aside, it was not anticipated that they were likely > to have the large number of residents they have to-day. Now the necessity for sani- ,. '". tary arrangements, proper drainage,; light* . ing, water supply, making streets, is a pressing one, and under the system that the towns were created the people are met . y . with a very great difficulty in. financing the required loans for these works of publicutility. This is a matter that will require to be dealt with. lam satisfied that it

can be accomplished without doing in, injustice to the native classes, while relieving ; .'"'' European residents from what is becoming, K' in some of the instances brought before me, '. almost an intolerable position." Sir Joseph further said he had acquired a good deal of information in the back , * blocks. He referred'to the road he had traversed from Te Kuiti on Wednesday to - open a bridge at the Mokau River as the worst he had ever been on in his life. The :,:■,-.■ trip had enabled him to. judge for himself, . both as to the position of things in the • "■*;• country and of the representation: made from time to time about the public requirements of the country. He had been 'treat- ■ ed everywhere with the greatest kindness!